Feeling Flummoxed
Dear Books,
I feel like I'm at a life crossroads. Is it time to change jobs or change careers? Should I move? I like my status quo but I'm also craving a change. I feel a little flummoxed. I think I'd love some inspiration more about how to make a big decision than specifically about what I should do.
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Dear Flummoxed,
There is a travel TV host named Josh Gates who goes on adventures all over the world hunting for buried treasure, or missing WWII planes, or ancient temples, or some other far-fetched thing.
Josh has this swashbuckling, Indiana-Jones-type job, which is sort of hilarious because he’s an absolute nerd. He’s a little chubby, and he won’t hesitate to tell you about his love for Star Wars and Dungeons and Dragons. He will joke about not having dates in high school. These days, he is losing his hair.
And it was his book, Destination Truth: Memoirs of a Monster Hunter, that came to mind when I read your letter.
Because when Josh’s book starts, he is not just chubby, he’s overweight. He’s slightly bored. He’s not happy but he’s not unhappy either. He’s…vaguely comfortable but with a tiny little pea under his mattress that won’t let him completely rest.
And this is when Josh decides to do one thing. Just one. (I won’t tell you what it is, but don’t worry, you find out by page five.) And that one thing sets in motion an entire cascade of events that eventually leads Josh–improbable, nerdy Josh–to the job of a TV Indiana Jones.
Josh reminds us all that how you make any change is by starting with one thing. You do one right thing that feels completely true to you. It can be as simple as wearing the socks you like. Or saying what you prefer. Or taking that trip you’ve been putting off. The point is, you get to decide. You get to practice doing one right thing, then the next, then the next, because that’s how the path unfolds.
At least, that’s what happened to Josh, and I hope it’s an inspiration to you, too.
Much love,
Lara
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