Boss of Busy, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 9Map it

Here you are; your values — the essence of your heart and soul, the very things that dictate where your energy and attention go — have given you a direction in which to head. Maybe you've decided upon a new vocation of some kind (and I don't necessarily mean work; the new vocation might be a hobby or artistic pursuit, a side hustle) and you're genuinely excited to head down that path, even if it scares you a little. But there's a huge problem. You're stuck at the starting line. Nothing is happening.

So you start to question yourself at three levels. You question your desire, the value of what you are pursuing, and lastly, your self-worth. But as Elizabeth Gilbert says, ‘Opportunity dances with those already on the dance floor', so let's take a look at these to start with and uncover them as the myths they truly are.

From blindfolded to blueprint

Our desire is a very common area we tend to question ourselves on, with our questioning often sounding something like this: ‘Maybe you don't want it badly enough, then'.

Ouch.

I don't know about you, but that cliché riles me, and I've been caught in its web plenty of times believing that I just needed to want my goal more, and then success would come (sound the trumpets!). The truth is you can desperately want something but have no idea about how to go about obtaining it. Want proof? What about an unrequited love? I remember when I was fourteen years old. I was so infatuated with a boy — let's call him ‘Brian'. I was ...