Inventing Your Future

In the philosophy of personal accountability, you have probably realized that it’s pretty much up to you to create a life that works, that feels right, and that makes you happy. But how in the world can you tell if you’re living your life to the fullest? There are some questions you can ask yourself that will help tell you what you need to know. For example:

• Are you doing what you love most of the time? All of us do some things we don’t much care for, but if that’s all we do, we’ve set ourselves on an unfulfilling path.
• Do you feel comfortable most of the time? Sure, everyone gets nervous sometimes, but the vast majority of our days shouldn’t be filled with anxiety or fear.
• Are you willing and able to take risks? Risk-taking can be scary, but it is in taking those smaller risks that we start to grow more fully into the person we know we can be.
• Do you feel free to make mistakes without causing harsh criticism or a catastrophe? It is good to remember that nobody is perfect and that we learn more from our mistakes than we do from our unchallenged successes.
• Do you cut yourself enough slack and allow yourself to fail from time to time without making any undue fuss about it? (Again, we learn more from our failures than we do from our easy, uncomplicated successes.)
• Do you feel optimistic about the future, and confident that your plans will come to fruition? Belief in your ability to make things happen is foundational to inventing your future.
• Do you feel that your life is one in which you can be your best self? Sometimes our comfort zones can keep us from fully exploring our limitless potential.

If you have answered “no” to any of these questions, it is important to realize that you are not doing yourself or anyone else a favor by tolerating these conditions. So, ask yourself two more questions: Can you see yourself making some changes to reach that full life? What does it look like?