Action asks a good question: What is the latest “BOLD” thing you’ve done?
I say that it is a good question because I had to stop and think before I could answer it. I was surprised that I had to think about it!
- I shouldn’t, because it means that I am not doing enough to be a successful indie or successful at a lot of things.
- I shouldn’t because it means that I am always getting satisfied with hitting plateaus and don’t push harder.
The bold actions I recalled:
- A little over two years ago, I kissed my current girlfriend for the first time.
- In January, I moved into an apartment with my girlfriend.
- Around March, I finally submitted the paperwork to form GBGames, LLC.
- When applying for a programming position in April, I decided to try a completely new design for my test assignment.
- A couple of weeks ago, I was at Cedar Point in Ohio. I’m terrified of roller coasters, but I went on them.
For each of these actions, I ended up with a good result. I have a great relationship, a great home, a great company (I think so, anyway), a pretty good job, and a great weekend of fun and memories. Still, I had to think back about two years, and I could only come up with a handful? Some of them weren’t all that bold when I think about it, such as my programming design or roller coaster rides. I was either going to do it myself or get a bit of peer pressure to do it. As for being bold, I find that I am lacking.
Fortune favors the bold, which is more than just a cliché. Wouldn’t I be better off, financially or otherwise, if I made it a point to do more things that scare me? At the very least, I should look at the things I have been putting off and ask myself why I am procrastinating. It’s likely that they’ll be like riding the roller coasters: intimidating, but once I do it, I’ll find that it isn’t so bad and is actually enjoyable.
What kind of bold things are we talking about here? Is trying a new recipe instead of eating what I always make considered bold? Is making a call to get a better deal with a service provider bold as opposed to doing nothing and going with the plan I already have? Is running home from work as a form of exercise as opposed to driving or walking a bold move on my part? Is boldness measured in terms of what everyone else is doing or other choices on my part?
Here’s a scary thought: I can’t immediately think of something bold I want to try. When I ask myself, “If you knew you would succeed, what one thing would you do?”, nothing springs to mind. It’s not like I believe my life is perfect, so why don’t I immediately think of at least a handful of things to do? Did I really get conditioned to “go with the flow” when I wasn’t paying attention? I’m going to work on this problem, because it is a problem. I should have at least a general sense of direction in life.
So, what is the latest bold thing you’ve done? When were you daring?
One of my favorite topics! I can go on and on about how human beings are capable of anything if we only have the vision required to see beyond the arbitrary limitations we put on ourselves and the determination to actually do it. And by that I don’t mean we can leap tall buildings in a single bound or anything, but we always tend to put ourselves in, what I believe, is a relatively small, but comfy, box of potentialities where we become complacent and think we can only achieve what is inside that box.
My life is filled with examples of doing things that make people ask “Can you really do that?” … and it’s filled with periods where I can’t for the life of me think of a single that I did that would be considered outside my comfort-zone. I would love to think that it’s possible to constantly be outside the box, but I don’t think mentally anyone could do it non-stop. I find that when I see the box for what it is, then it’s time to stop resting and get a move on… even if I don’t know what it is that I need to do
We filed the paperwork for Theoretical Games in February, we’re pushing a new Friends Play Free model for selling/marketing our game and in May we bought a rental property just for my in-laws. It’s been a pretty constant stream lately, but if you had asked me in January I would have said “it’s been over a year.”
Sounds like you’ve seen the box. Good luck!
-Andrew
Left by Andrew Douglas on July 18th, 2006