The Experience Debt #1
How to transform and reclaim your life before it is too late...is it ever too late?
It’s been a while since my last post. In honest truth, I lacked inspiration. However, inspiration sparked over the weekend when someone asked me ‘Have you always been this confident and sure of what you want'?’ The answer ‘HELL NO!’. I would have been a whole lot more ambitious if I was. So here’s an honest, and authentic reflection on lessons learnt from my mis-spent youth.
The Brutal Truth About Playing It Safe in Youth: A Debt That Haunts Your Future
I played it safe, even when I took a path less travelled. I coasted. I was scared of failure, and being judged for that failure.
If you’re coasting through life, sticking to the safe and familiar path, you’re racking up a debt far worse than any financial burden. This is a debt of experience, ambition, and adaptability. The consequences can take many different forms, and may only show up and cost you when you hit mid-life.
The Comfort Zone: Your Personal Prison
You’ve heard it before: “Get a stable job, buy a house, start a family.” Sure, these are societal norms, but they can also be a trap. When you prioritize comfort over challenge, you’re not just avoiding risk; you’re avoiding growth. You’re teaching yourself that it’s okay to settle. This mindset doesn’t just affect you; it’s a legacy you’re passing down to the next generation. What are you showing them about ambition?
I’m not saying take crazy risks - that would just be stupid. But take time to explore outside of your comfort zone - learn a new skill, a hobby, a language? A project outside of your normal job scope, perhaps?
The Cost of Inaction
If you’re not experimenting and taking risks while you’re young, you’re essentially putting a cap on your potential. Every step outside of your comfort zone, is a lesson learnt. Every time you choose the familiar over the unknown, you’re missing out on opportunities to learn, adapt, and pivot. Fast forward to mid-life, and you might find yourself staring down the barrel of a career change, or a midlife crisis, you desperately need but feel unprepared for. Why? Because you didn’t build the skills or the courage to take risks when it mattered. What then happens? You get a tattoo you regret, or buy a really expensive car that you barely drive! Those are best case scenarios.
Let’s be real - the more we have, the more we have to lose. And, the older we get, the more we have, the less able we are to take risks.
The Pivot Dilemma
When you finally decide to pivot, it’s not just about wanting a change; it’s about having the tools to make it happen. If you’ve spent your youth avoiding challenges, you’ll find it much harder to adapt when the time comes. The world doesn’t wait for you to catch up. If you’ve been playing it safe, you’re likely to feel overwhelmed, underqualified, and, let’s face it, terrified. The harsh reality is that you may find yourself stuck, wishing you had taken those risks earlier.
Ambition: A Muscle You Need to Build
I had no ambition when I was young. I just wanted to enjoy life. Tall poppies get cut down where I come from, especially when you are a minority.
But here is what I realised. Ambition is not a one-size-fits-all concept. For some, ambition is about climbing the corporate ladder, while for others, it’s about creating art, starting a business, or simply living life on their own terms. Ambition applies to everyone, but it manifests differently based on individual values, circumstances, and aspirations.
Ambition isn’t just a trait; it’s a muscle that needs to be exercised. If you’ve spent your youth in the comfort zone, you’re not flexing that muscle. When you finally decide to chase your dreams, you’ll find it’s weak and atrophied. You’ll struggle to push through the discomfort that comes with pursuing something new. The longer you wait, the harder it gets.
The Bottom Line
My bottom line: Sticking to the safe and familiar path in youth is a recipe for regret. It’s a debt that you’ll carry into mid-life, making it harder to pivot, be ambitious, and make necessary career changes. You owe it to yourself—and to those who look up to you—to break free from that prison of comfort.
So, what’s it going to be? Are you going to keep playing it safe, or are you ready to start living? The clock is ticking, and the choice is yours. What can you do? Stay tunes for the next article.
