The Secret Payoff to Living Small

Last year I decided to live big. I had a new house, a new business, time for a new dream. A B I G one this time. As I began that path, it quickly became clear to me why I lived small for so long. There really is a payoff to living small: it’s called comfort. I jumped so far out of my little box that I lived in a constant state of anxiety for at least four months. “Do I really want this? Can I even do this? I have NO IDEA what I’m doing! This is costing a lot of money. I feel so awkward and uncomfortable” was followed immediately by, “This is too big for you. What makes you think you can fill these britches you’re trying to put on? What were you THINKING?” But instead of stopping and crawling back into my box–which is what we do when we play small–I kept walking through that. I kept stumbling, falling, weeping and wailing, but then wiping my nose and trudging on.

No one likes to feel uncomfortable, awkward or uncertain. Those feelings don’t feel good! That’s where most of us stop. But for total transformation to happen, walking that uncomfortable path is a requirement. So why do we even try, if we’re going to be met with all that resistance? Because of the magic that’s built into that path, the unbounded joy when you do something hard and survive, and the sense of being connected to Someone so much bigger than you, who has the map and knows the best way to live big, and WANTS you to live big!

Living big involves risk. Risking your sense of security for a moment, your boredom and laziness, and your complacency. But oh the sweet bliss that awaits on just the other side of that! All of it was completely, 100% worth it, because it helped me know that I’m alive. Do you know if you’re alive?