Who On Earth Are You Anyway?

image by Lillou Merlin

Who are you? Why are you alive? Are you aware of everyone who is alive on the earth? The population approaches 7 billion (as of 2010). What do you do when you are roughly 0.000000014 % of an entire whole? I don’t know about you, but that’s a very microscopic percent. Are you wondering what one person can possibly do?

I know many of you reading this have something you want to do. You want to write that children’s book. You want to find some kind of meaning. You want to stop feeling trapped by debt. You wonder how you can make a difference. You wonder if your marriage is going to work. You wonder if you’ll ever find a better job. You wonder if you will ever be happy. You wonder if you can make any of your ideas work.

That’s a whole lot of wondering. It is my personal mission – no my undying quest to assist individuals in starting their ideas and goals, making progress on them, and seeing them through to completion. I know there are things you know you should do. But what happens? You make an excuse not to do it. Crazy excuses too. Anything to prevent you from making progress. I’ve done it too! Do any of these sound familiar?

• I’ll eat better tomorrow, but this (insert junk food) tastes so good right now.
• This (insert book, business, website, etc… idea) would be so cool! Fast forward years later, rinse and repeat.
• I think I’ll play the stock market! Fast forward years later, rinse and repeat.
• I’ll workout soon, I just need the right time to do it. Fast forward years later, rinse and repeat.
• I can’t seem to lose the weight. I guess I’m just genetically challenged.
• It’s (insert person, group, government here)’s fault! They’re the problem.
• I’m too tired today. Maybe I’ll try tomorrow.
• I just don’t have enough time in the day to exercise.

I believe part of the problem to be self worth and significance. If you don’t think highly of yourself, why would you not eat that candy bar or down those potato chips constantly? Why wouldn’t you just settle for working an unfulfilling job? Why wouldn’t you just settle for a marriage that continually goes down hill? Why wouldn’t you just settle for a life where your objective is finding as much comfort as you can?

Evaluate what your feelings about yourself are. If you can be audited for taxes, then why not do a self audit. Examine every area of your life. This doesn’t take long – I am sure that you already know the areas you can improve in. But the barriers and resistance may still be there. What you want may not be important enough to you. You will make it important by repetition and doing it – by making it a part of your life.

If you believe you do not have enough time for something, I urge you to reconsider. Everyone is busy – you are no exception. But there are those who make time for important things. Maybe it’s getting up at 6:00 AM. Maybe it’s staying up from 10:00 PM until 2:00 AM. Sound crazy? There is time if you make time, period. It’s just a matter of you believing it is important enough.

Solutions to this problem

One article is not enough to discuss solutions to the problem of not acting on ideas and seeing them through to completion. Who you are and your place in the world is entirely up to you to decide. If you choose to watch TV 3 hours a day, that is your place. If you choose to work from 10:00 PM until 2:00 AM on your passion, then your place shall be in accordance.

One thing you can start doing (if you already are not), is slicing into your ‘bored’ or ‘leisure’ time with 10 minutes where you sit and write what you want. If you are married, talk it over with your spouse. Or find some friends or family to talk to. Or go online and look for like minded people (I.P.W. is a good place to start). Have these discussions with people until you are clear about what you want. Once you are clear, you can begin discovering what it takes to make it happen.

A look at the world and individual significance

You’ve probably thought, “What can I do, I’m just one person?” I don’t need to elaborate on this, it’s been said over and over again by others. There’s billions of people in the world, what is your place in it? What is your destiny? Blah blah blah I say. What really matters is one thing – “Are you doing everything in your life right now to feel completely happy and fulfilled?”

That’s it! Do you get offended when people ask you if you are happy? If so, we’ve found a clue. This is the enormous challenge I am on a quest to solve – why do you – or anyone else, have ideas, hopes, dreams, and desires that seldom get acted upon? And if they do get acted upon, why are they not seen through to completion? Yes, life is about the journey and enjoying it – but you cannot enjoy it if you never complete the steps to get there.

I believe the soul is the compass for your life

You need only spend some time searching inward to find what your soul is telling you. What are you afraid of? Where do you find your strongest opinions? What do you find yourself seeking most often? What conversation topics interest you most? What television programming do you watch? What are you favorite movies? What has made you the most happy in your life?

If you haven’t read my article about taking life’s hits, go read it. From small inconveniences to big challenges, life will attempt to deter you from pursuing what your soul is telling you. It’s true. As I type every letter right here and now, life is telling me that it can’t be done. Jeremy, you are one man. You work full time and have a family. There’s just too many smart and successful people for you to compete against.

And before you rule yourself out – whether it be because you lack faith in yourself, or get discouraged, or whatever it may be. Realize that most of you can get up, walk around, think and dream, move your bodies, use a computer, and write. And that is well enough to get started listening to and FOLLOWING what your soul is telling you!

In closing, I would add that my advice is to search long and hard for your passion and go for it full steam – and do it until they day you die. I am Jeremy Johnson – a passionate father, husband, relentless seeker of getting people to take action and complete their ideas, author, and one who enjoys life every step of the way. I will relentlessly work and force my ideas into the ether. The rest is up to the universe. With that, who are you?

Here are two videos that I think will help give you perspective. They are of smart, active, and accomplished individuals.

Gary Vaynerchuk – do what you love – some strong language in the video below, but it’s well worth watching

Seth Godin – everyone is creative – but few people finish what they start or think about