For me, those are the first steps in my own process. When I’ve done that, then I can ask the question “What does it look like when that need is met.” Once I do that, then the Natural Planning model kicks in, and I can identify the Next Actions I need to take to reach that place where my need is met.

Sounds simple, but I find the first steps very scary, and having what I like to call “a diverse ecosystem of honest friendship” helps a lot. They encourage and challenge me to ask they scary questions in a safe, supportive environment.

– What would I do if they were watching me every step of the way?

– What would I be the proudest doing knowing I was handing them their truest education – role modeling?

– Beyond even my doing, what thoughts would I have if I knew they could hear them?

– What feelings and emotions would I allow myself to have if they knew intimately what I was feeling?

Man oh man! This has stopped me in my tracks! I am deeply moved.

Be well,
Doug Miller

PS: You can meet them/us at jackandowen.shutterfly.com

Vaughan realized that if he didn’t risk failure he would never have explored the antarctic, to participate in the iditarod and other adventures. I realized that at the time that some of the reasons I did not do things was I didn’t want to fail. Not asking yourself “what if… I fail” is very liberating.

Shawn Wright | ReSolutions
http://www.thinkresolutions.com

Having the nerve to publish your thoughts on a blog that is open to the whole world can be unnerving as you noted. There are so many “what ifs” that are staring you down. You named but a couple.

One thing about this particular set of “what ifs” is that in this instance those scary “what ifs” come true far more often than you want them to and you just have to have strong enough conviction and a thick enough skin to take the lumps and keep moving forward.

As an example imagine having almost an entire community disagree with what you said and let you have it without mercy… I’ve lived through that one more times than I want to remember; here’s just one example: http://www.gtdtimes.com/2008/05/18/cultured-code-makes-a-critical-error-with-things/

Now before you Cultured Code advocates beat me up again please understand that I have already recanted much of what I said here and further agree in retrospect that it was too alarmist, I merely post a link to it here for the benefit of the original commentator so that he can see the reality of one of the scarier “what ifs”. No need to make it scarier than it already is, okay?

See, MP, even now I’m still apologizing just to head off another beating!

The good news is that I lived to fight another day and I am still posting away and preparing myself for the next time a big hairy “what if” becomes an all to real ohhh nooo!!!

Editor

Why not…I’m scared (I couldn’t be any more honest about it) that such a move will fail to achieve that better standard of living and that the move would upset my kids to a huge degree. The UK and NZ may share the same language and culture but exist on the other side of the world.

I think that scare factor pretty much sums up this kind of challenge though obviously age comes into it as well. When I was younger I lived and worked in different parts of the world but emmigration is a big thing (for me).

If the inventor of the bicycle gave up on trying to ride it, no one would know that it was possible. We learn to ride a bike by tipping over a lot of times. Eventually, you will stay upright. Stop riding and you will tip over again…