Take Risks Because Being Practical Will Only Get You So Far

Practical. We hear it when we’re buying a new car, looking for a job, applying for university. You’re sitting there with your pen on the paper, ready to accept this new entity in your life that is sure to change things, at least a little. Now don’t get me wrong, mom and dad are amazing; they’re the reason we’re all here and sane! But at this very moment a miniature version of your mother pops into your head and chimes, “Sam, is that really practical?”

The answer is no, and for many reasons. I have this philosophy I’ve been using, I’ve come to find it quite effective. It makes you feel scared, but with this you will also feel excited and liberated; more than you have in your whole life. In a nutshell, my philosophy goes like this; the more contributions of practical things in your lifetime, the more practical the life.

When I was younger, my mom asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I said a bunny. Point being, no young and wondrous mind thinks of practicality as an ideal lifestyle, because it is not. We’re all on this journey searching for fulfillment. This whimsical moment when you finally identify yourself as someone who has or who will live a whole, liberating life, will come only once you accept risk as a necessary rite of passage.

So what is risk, what is practical, and what should we be doing to improve our quality of life? Here are a few steps to shift your lifestyle.

Accept every opportunity that comes your way. Maybe you got a job you don’t feel qualified for, or someone asked you to watch their elderly mother for a few hours, or you have plans but you just do not feel like getting up. There is no reward from nothing, and there is always incredible personal rewards for entering a situation that made you feel uncomfortable. I’m not going to tell you to get out of your comfort zone because, well, okay yes I am. Get out of your comfort zone, immediately.

Train your brain to do what you want it to do. This is a tough one, I’m still trying to harness it myself. To really simplify things, you have your conscious mind, and your unconscious mind. The unconscious mind is powerful and ultimately dictates every aspect of your life, including the conscious mind. This is where the little voices in your head telling you to over eat, or punch a teacher because you’re mad.

Thankfully, we have the conscious mind. The job of the conscious mind is to tell the unconscious mind to knock it off, you already ate enough and that’s a nice teacher, you’re just mad! Being aware of these processes is the first step to trying to control them. Practicing willpower proves to be a huge part of avoiding mediocrity in life, so try and find a sympatico between your conscious and unconscious.

Learn to be okay with anything. In order to really find this magical lifestyle we’re all searching for, the likelyhood of you finding yourself with absolutely nothing is pretty high. At least a couple of times. I swear I’m not intentionally filling this article with cliches but; you have to fail in order to succeed. So be prepared, understand that the fluidity of this lifestyle is an important factor of what makes it so amazing. Remove yourself from materialistic thinking, and push yourself toward simply doing things that bring you happiness, no one can take that from you.