Making Things Happen vs. Letting Them Happen

What’s the difference between making things happen versus letting them happen? Haven’t quite figured that out yet. Control (or the illusion thereof) probably has a lot to do with it. Packing your shit and moving across the country is something you can do whenever you want. Have a lease? Break it! Have a job? Quit it! No job? Everything’s easier! Well, except the money part.

FREE BIRD

That’s the interesting transition on this topic. A lack of a job (and dependents) makes transitioning a lot easier than if you’re tied down to something or someone. Eventually you want to be tied down when the time is right, but staying mobile and light on your feet for a period of time involves keeping your liabilities, both physical, material and non-tangible as low as possible.

PENNY PINCHING

But, money is needed all the time. There’s never a time when you don’t need it (so I’m told) and the importance of keeping an excess of it, or access to a small stream of it is crucial to do most things successfully.

I knew where I wanted to be (Boulder, CO), I knew why I wanted to be there and I knew that I had enough money to get there and sustain myself on some basic level until a job or sizable contract work presented itself after I networked like a savage.

The level of stress associated with trying to control things that you don’t have control over is an idea I’ve battled with my whole life. Letting go of certain things in life is something I’m getting better at, but knowing when to let go and when to grab life by the balls is a very fine line to walk. Purposeful nihilism? Sure, why not?

GET CAUGHT IN THE RAIN

Structure can feel good and give us a sense of purpose. But if the structure isn’t your own, or if you out-grow it, changing routine, scenery or other things isn’t so easy. If you nest in too deeply, you’re likely to never change or veer from the path you placed yourself on, unless something drastic happens beyond your control. Getting up and getting outside where things are not so controlled is a good way to take control of your situation and also open up your world to things that don’t exist within your structure. If you have a sound outlook and core, you’ll eventually adapt to the unstructured life that you’ve chosen for a little while and probably come into contact with something new worth building up and around.

“I KNOW THAT STARTING OVER’S NOT WHAT LIFE’S ABOUT, BUT MY THOUGHTS WERE SO LOUD I COULDN’T HEAR MY MOUTH”~Modest Mouse

Life’s not a big game up up-rooting every foundation you’ve ever built, at least it shouldn’t be. But, trying new things when the desire comes and knowing when to stick it out when the going gets tough are important impulses to experience, act upon and analyze when you succeed and fail at them.

Ideally, you’ll get pretty damn good at taking charge of when you give up control.