You won’t know why until you try

October 03, 2015 1:31 PM

Action is the great clarifier.

When you’re unclear of your
motivations, unable to figure out why you feel called to undertake something,
the simplest solution is to act your way into understanding. To just go,
trusting that the movement and the momentum will fill in the blank.

Because the
reality is, starting with why isn’t always an option. Sometimes we have to
start without why to allow the path
to illuminate itself. Sometimes we have to get a half mile down the road, only
to look back say, oh, so that’s why I started walking.

Behavioral psychologists
would call this a variation of positive
deviance, in which a person acts their way into a new way of thinking. They
change their behavior through practice, not through knowledge.

When I decided
to start wearing a nametag, all day everyday, I had no idea why I was doing it.
There was zero motivation. I just started. But as time went on, I began to
understand the implications of my experiment. Themes and patterns about identity
and interaction and creativity and belonging began to make themselves known. I
took notes and made observations and conducted research and wrote reflections
on my experiences. And about a year into the process, the why finally announced
itself.

I was writing a book. A book that would change the trajectory of my
life forever.

The point is, you won’t know why until you try. And so, instead
of beating yourself up for a lack of purpose, just start. Get to work doing
something and let purpose enter through he side door.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What understanding have you acted your way into?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

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* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com