Recently, I found this tweet in my inbox:

And I was like: Yes!

It’s bold and takes courage.

And you might think: “Yeah well if you have the financial means and time to make such a move, congrats — that’s just not me.”

Or: “I’m too old to learn something new.”

Or: “This is going to take too much time.”

Or — as Chris Powers says himself: “As I approach 37 I realize how crazy the story actually is.”

Let’s flip each of those reasons around and do some soul-searching:

No money, no time

Even if money is tight, you have to feed yourself (and potentially the kids) and pay rent — wouldn’t there be a way to still move towards the life you want to live? If you really wanted to and put all your energy towards your goal?

Too old to change/learn

Age is a number. As long as there are people, who

• graduate from college at 95 (Nola Ochs),
• do base-jumps at age 100 (Georgina Harwood),
• climb Mount Everest at age 80 (Yuichiro Miura),
• or fly into space at 77 (John Glenn),…

… what are we even talking about?

Have you heard of neuroplasticity? The term refers to the brain’s ability to adapt and learn new things. The brain works like a muscle: you lose it if you don’t use it. So, it’s up to you if you are continuously training the muscle. Go out, learn about something you’re interested in. You are as young as you get.

It takes too long

Yes, it takes time to learn something new and become good at it.
However, time passes in any case. You decide if, after a certain period, you tried something new and can do it now — or you just stay the same.

Also, if you heard of the 10000-hour rule or 10 years of deliberate practice:
A study at Princeton has found that it’s really depending on what you’re actually doing. So don’t get discouraged or frustrated. A little step every day or an hour set aside early each morning can do it!

It’s plain crazy

Is it though? Wouldn’t it be crazier to continue to spend your life with something you don’t like? Something that puts you into a bad mood regularly? Something that stresses you so much, you get sick?

It’s time to collect your courage. Do your research. Learn something new today, take a leap, change — for a better tomorrow!