If Not Now, Then When?

You're winding down from a busy weekend, filled with a mix of fun and responsibilities, and it hits you: the Sunday Scaries. The dread of Monday sneaks in, and you find yourself wondering if there will ever be a Monday you look forward to. We've been there. Living to 'just get through' the week. Dreading the mundane, the routine, the ordinary. So, how do you break the cycle? Can you really live a more fulfilling life? The answer is yes. We're breaking down how to find your forte and live your passion (spoiler alert: we did it ☺).

1. Let go of the preconceived "normal."
   One of the biggest barriers to living your dream life is the notion of needing to fit neatly in a box that society has created for you. You feel pressured to be in a relationship, start a family, or work 9-5 because that's the "norm." But, who is it benefitting if that's not what makes you happy? It's hard to re-wire our thinking from what we've grown up around, what we see every day in our communities. If you can let go of the idea that just because everyone else is doing it, you should too, you'll be on your way to living a life you've designed and actually enjoy.
2. Figure out what you're passionate about.
   This one seems overused, as if every influencer, motivational speaker, and celebrity has told us this a thousand times. And while it's necessary, we have to acknowledge that sometimes it's hard. Sure, some people have a very clear passion and know it from a young age. But, for many of us, it's not until we realize what we're not passionate about, that we start to wonder what will make us happy. There's no straight path to achieve this, but there are steps you can take to find your forte:
   • Start with what you're good at. Skill doesn't always equal passion, but it helps to understand your strengths and opportunities. Since we're focusing on finding a more fulfilling life, identify which of your skills you actually enjoy and which you'd rather never use again. This helps create a clear path to seek opportunities that better align with your interests.
   • Find your cause. It's worthwhile to consider the impact you want to have on the world around you. Find what's meaningful to you. Look to see if there are ways to incorporate this bigger purpose into your transformation.
   • Write your daydreams down on paper. When you find yourself thinking about what your dream life looks like, and what your goals and desires are, write it down on paper. A study by Dr. Gail Matthews shows that people who write down their goals are 42% more likely to achieve them than those who do not write them down(1). Visualizing and understanding your desires is an important step. Ask yourself why it's important to accomplish your goal and how you'll feel when you start living your dream. Once you have purpose, it fuels persistence. Identify the next three steps you need to take to get closer to achieving your goal. Keep your dreams top of mind and know every step you take towards them, you're closer than you were yesterday.
3. Take a long hard look at the people around you.
   Motivational speaker Jim Rohn has famously said that "you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." Reflect on that for a minute… who are your five? More importantly, what are they like? Do they have positive attitudes, or are they pessimists? Do they have dreams and aspirations, or are they content with the status quo? Do they have strong principles, beliefs, and direction in life, or are they keeping up with the Joneses? Are they afraid of what others think? Do they have jealous tendencies? These types of qualities are contagious whether you realize it or not. If you have big dreams, you need to surround yourself with people who will not only support you from the sidelines, but who will hold you accountable, motivate you, and pick you up when you inevitably fall along the way. Surrounding yourself with negative qualities will have negative impacts – so pick your 5 wisely.
4. Get ready to work.
   Transforming your life – whether it's your career, your health habits, or your routine, is going to take effort. It doesn't happen overnight and it can be daunting, but keep the payoff in mind. If you're ready for a change, then you need to be willing to feel that change along the way. That may mean working 14 hours a day to build your own business or ending a relationship that no longer serves you. You will get out of your comfort zone, so get comfortable with change. Be open to the wave of emotions that you'll go through - excitement, doubt, determination. Feel them and keep your end goal in mind to keep you going. Let go of the idea that transformation is easy, and be ready to give this your all. Anything less will not suffice. #hardtruth
5. Stop manifesting and just start.
   Many people on social media today talk about manifesting their dreams into reality. While we love a good vision board to orient ourselves around our goals, simply sitting around thinking about them isn't going to achieve anything. Once you've identified your passion and you're set on what you want to accomplish, you need to act. One of the hardest parts is figuring out the first step – how do you know what to do if it's something you've never done before? Lucky for you, we live in a world where information is just about endless. The estimated global data consumption in 2021 was 74 zettabytes(2) – and for anyone unfamiliar with that measurement, just know that's a lot of data. So, while most of that information won't be pertinent to what you're seeking, there has to be something you can leverage somewhere in those zettabytes. Research people who came before you with similar goals, take an online course on Udemy.com to build your skillset, listen to audiobooks, watch YouTube tutorials – you have to seek out opportunities to learn for you to grow. The most important thing is that you put one foot in front of the other and just start. 

Forte The Brand was created by two friends who were tired of the mundane and decided to do something about it. We created a clear vision of the life we wanted and the path to get there, and we've pivoted along the way. This brand is years in the making – it involved a lot of starting and stopping, pausing to learn and understand, adjusting our methods, and then picking back up again in full force. We are true believers that everyone should live a life they love, and that it's actually possible. So, stop living for the weekend, or for the next vacation, and start living for yourself. After all, if not now, then when? 

¹https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/13/self-made-millionaire-how-to-increase-your-odds-of-success-by-42-percent-marie-forleo.html: Self-made millionaire: The simple strategy that helped increase my odds of success by 42%

² https://financesonline.com/how-much-data-is-created-every-day/