Each of us is provided with a lifetime full of opportunity. How we choose to use it or lose it is what makes it so interesting and keeps up curious to stay in the game. Sometimes the challenge can be knowing which opportunities we want. Let’s examine this concept further.

We can split opportunities into three basic categories. Works for me. Works against me. Is neutral. Now I am not sure what your choice is but I am constantly striving to pursue the opportunities that work for me, avoid the opportunities that work against me and I accept that along the way may be several neutral outcomes. And I am perfectly aligned with this approach. But recently I have decided to ask myself this question. What if I am wrong to avoid choices that work against me?

Let me give you an example of what I mean. There are two ways to reach any destination. The longer and often more interesting way is to pursue the knowledge for ourselves through repeated and multifaceted experiences. The shorter and sometimes unpleasant way is to come face-to-face with a negative consequence. Sometimes in order to discover who I am I must chose to do something or be someone I am not! I call this the path of total resistance…smile.

So it dawned on me that perhaps I am choosing to take the longer route when in fact I could more often try things which feel uncomfortable or that are not really who I am and then I will much more quickly and also more resolutely discover who I am. Now the caution with this approach is that I in fact do not cross significant and meaningful boundaries for myself (for example I hope we can all agree that it will not be necessary for me to kill small animals to see if I enjoy wildlife).

So in summary, and if I were predisposed to give advice, I would say it is important we put ourselves out there, we cross the occasional line for ourselves, we allow ourselves to venture where we may not have gone before and the benefit is that we may in fact discover aspects of ourselves faster and deeper than ever before. Remember to create the life you love to live.