By Jim Koury, Editor/Publisher, Diversity Rules Magazine
© 2013 Diversity Rules Magazine. All Rights Reserved
www.diversityrulesmagazine.com
I recently saw a post on Facebook that impacted me in a way that I didn’t think about when I first saw it. However, when I started to think about it more and related it to my life in its current form, it became an amazing revelation. The post from Facebook, “All you need is 20 seconds of insane courage and I promise you something great will come of it.”
As most of you know I have recently resigned my position as City Clerk for the City of Oneonta. My last day will be July 12th. After thinking about this quote I saw on Facebook, I realized that it took all but 20 seconds to go into the City Manager’s Office and give him my resignation – 20 seconds! That 20 seconds it took to give him my letter of resignation has resulted in a raging fire of motivation and excitement that would never have happened if I did not muster up those brief moments of insane courage to do what I needed to do and what I had been thinking about doing for so long.
While I was undergoing the agonizing process of deciding to leave my job that has provided me with that false sense of security we all have from being somewhere for so long, I had at the same time, been in discussions with Wrestling Superstars Live (WSL) about becoming it’s “Charities Initiatives Coordinator” with the ultimate position being the “Director of Live Events.” That decision to become part of WSL, solidified my decision to leave my day job, and venture forth to uncharted areas and a totally new direction for my life. Twenty seconds was all it took to begin that new direction.
I will always remember the day I resigned. It is emblazoned in my memory now forever. It was like someone was behind me pushing me forward to do it. A voice kept saying “It is time. It is time. Do it now.” The compulsion to get up out of my chair and bring my letter into the City Manger was incredibly intense; a feeling unlike I had ever experienced before and one that I could not resist no matter how much I tried. I know I was not alone in my office that day. There were forces beyond my cognizant awareness that were pushing me forward to do what I have known I had to do for a very long time.
We must always put faith in forces unseen, and to trust our intuition. Our intuition is grounded in the universe and it’s incredible power to change the world, but more importantly our own small piece of the world for the better. The missing link to actually changing the world is our desire to accept the power and to tap into it with no holds barred.
Life is full of risks and pitfalls but our fear of failure and trying to prevent adverse impacts on our lives from taking a risk will doom us to a life of mediocrity and listless ambition. Take charge of your lives and heed the internal voices that compel you to do something outside of your comfort zone. Do not settle for a life less than what you deserve.
Will others try to instill you in a sense of doubt? Yes. Will others try to play on your fears, and make you feel guilty and have second thoughts about your decision? Yes. Should their opinion matter when it comes to your life and your happiness? The answer is a resounding NO. Repel these people, and do not listen to them, no matter how much or how loudly they proclaim your foolishness. Do what is in your heart, as it is what is best for you.
We are only on this Earth a short while to make a difference. Do not allow yourself to be swayed by the opinion of others because rest assured, if you do listen to them you will eventually be an old person looking back on your life with a lot of regrets for not following your heart and blazing your own trail to greatness instead of living someone’s else’s expectation of what you should be.
Make a decision that is for your benefit. Do not let that important and very pivotal 20 seconds pass you by and not take the opportunity that lays within it to change your life beyond your wildest imagination.
I've played by my own rules since University, for better or worse. I gave myself ten years from Graduation to become a working actor. I never was able to "give up the day job," as the old saying goes, but I did quite a bit of interesting and exciting work in those ten years so when I finally had to bite the bullet and hang it up I did so with no regrets. To me that is success.