Dear SI Fam and rest of the world,
In order to give some context, I just want to state that 2018 was a year in which I began a new phase in my life. On top of personal growth, I truly took a deep dive into the unknown in order to build out my dreams. And since I know many of you are doing just the same, I hope this resonates with you.
Playing It (Un)Safe
“Playing it safe is the most dangerous thing you can do in life.” (Casey Neistat)
When I first heard this quote, it was midway through the year. For the majority, this is a simple statement. It bluntly means, settling for comfort will cause stagnation. Which is a complete antonym to life, since life is all about growth. It is more dangerous to sit in comfort and merely exist, than to risk a little and go into the abyss of the unknown.
But for some reason this struck a deeper chord with my soul. It rocked my entire mental framework. It caused me to take a step back and pause. Every day after that occurrence, I found that through everything I pursued this year, the quote kept lingering in the back of my mind.
As though someone was whispering in my ear, “Playing it safe is the most dangerous thing you can do in life.”
Through every action I took, “Playing it safe is the most dangerous thing you can do in life.”
Anytime my commitment tank was on E, “Playing it safe is the most dangerous thing you can do in life.”
As someone once said, “In foresight it won’t make sense, but in hindsight everything starts to become clear.” When my mental framework was rocked everything in my past started to intertwine itself into 2018. As though more puzzle pieces were fitting into place. There were many stages in my life, thus far, that caused me to go outside my comfort zone (sports, private school, Army, college, business, entrepreneurship). And having clarity now, I realize that the only way I will achieve what I want going forward is to walk through the mud, climb up the mountain, and play it as unsafe as possible.
Lightbulb Moment(s)
The reason I bring up my past instead of isolating 2018 is because of a term we all know as the lightbulb moment. The only thing is I want to add an “s” at the end to make it “lightbulb moments”.
For me it wasn’t just one spark. It wasn’t just one burst of inspiration or revelation. It wasn’t just one leap of faith…… and it never will be. It was the courage to take one step after another that has led me to my current place in life.
So, if you find yourself using the term “lightbulb moment” or thinking it was one moment that caused “the tipping point”, use the term “runners’ effect”. Because it’s each step after the previous that really starts to make the difference and really causes your life to change.
Questioning The Status Quo (And Myself)
To keep the momentum afloat and not deviate from my runners’ effect, I continued to do what I did as a child (and what we all do): ask a billion questions and stay curious. William Arthur War once said, “Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning.”
I started to decipher, distinguish, and implement, pragmatism from dreaming, education from schooling, discomfort from comfort, intention from attention. I began to take a spiritual journey and question my religion. While becoming a better individual and instilling more practicality in my life, I still kept those roots with me, as well. I am still a dreamer at heart and I still keep my childhood values with me. Only difference now is I am building upon them. Through this expansion of my awareness I was able to truly think about my values, embrace a change if needed, and become better because of it.
And it should be noted that, yes, I am (we are), for the most part, all young people who are at the prime age of questioning many of the things we were taught as children. We are like fish swimming in an open pond of curiosity. But the thing that bothers me is, why does that have to be the norm? Why does constant questioning have to peak in the realm of being a young adult? What is wrong with keeping that inner child in you to continue questioning the world. To continue to elevate your curiosity. To be honest, nothing is wrong with that. On the contrary, it almost seems mischievous not to be curious.
So, going forward, continue to stay curious, continue to learn, and double down on taking action. Like a wise man once said, “Experience is the best book you will ever read in life.”
Keep on keeping on.
All the best and happy doing,
Anthony
© Anthony Dap III | Dream BIG & Co. LLC 2020-2030