I Was Told I Had To Choose

Have you ever been told you have to make a decision–maybe about joining something, or being involved in a project–and you just didn’t have a clue what the best response was?

I’ve been working to serve my readers (you) better by revamping things on the Average Advocate website, including its branding. (Check out this other post from this week where I give you a way to give me your opinion on this.) To enable this, I’ve been listening to all the webinars, podcasts, blogging courses, etc…pushing my to-do-list to 800 points long. For your sake, I will get there. (It just might take my whole life, past when the internet becomes irrelevant.)

One of the things I have to do for a blog to be “successful” is to adhere to one of the following types of platforms:

The Journalist (asking questions and sharing other’s stories)
The Prophet (telling the truth, real and transparent)
The Creator (artistic language and vapid philosophical points)
The Professor (How-to’s, facts, information)
The Star (my natural charisma means I don’t have to adhere to anything and you just like me because I am just like you–I wish!)

For some reason, this has really paralyzed me. I feel like I can’t build a brand around just one of these. I like all of them and so have you! Some of you follow Average Advocate because of 12 Steps To Discovering Your Core Identity. Others of you follow it to learn about the world and are interested in the resources and ideas I try out. Some of you follow it simply because you are my biggest fans (thanks, mom and dad).

I might be aware that Average Advocate exists to help ordinary people become world changers, but creating a path for us to walk down, let alone finding language to define this, hasn’t been a simple cup of tea for me. I don’t know how to serve you best, which makes this whole process feel like I have countless decisions to make and I don’t know the best way to proceed. It is too uncharted and unpredictable.

The Unpredictable

Although I would still like to figure out what category Average Advocate best falls into and continue understanding what content you guys like (fill out this survey with what you think), I was challenged today to be okay with the wonder of something that is unknown and be okay with an unpredictable outcome.

My personality tends to enjoy the adventure of the unknown, like I was thrilled to move accross the country. But just as quickly I lose the wonder of it fixating on the steps to get there, just like how I broke down right before I moved. If you’ve read one of my most popular posts, Storm Chaser, Change Chaser: On Saying Goodbye you will probably completely related with the tension this brings.

I don’t enjoy the process, just the feeling of excitement.

Do you enjoy the process? What if the process is painful and uncomfortable? Do you see the wonder in it, the beauty as you transform? Do you have to get to the end of a journey to enjoy it, or can you be content and appreciate the getting there too?

Honesty & Wonder Of It All

My goal might be to walk alongside you as we become world changers. But just because I am walking alongside you doesn’t actually mean I have it together yet.

I’ve liked to think that if I figured it all out already, I could gracefully guide you along. But if I project that, I am projecting a lie and I am not being honest with myself.

I am becoming a world changer too. This is my journey and transformation as much as yours.

The truth is that I don’t have a clue what I am doing most of the time, and usually am putting things together day-by-day. I might have more knowledge and experience than the average person about how to move forward in making a difference in actively loving others and affecting change in society. But I don’t and won’t ever have it all mapped out, even if I can walk with you from point a to c.

So because none of us have the future mapped out, let’s try to enjoy the wonder of it all, enjoy all of this collective, unpredictable, chaos and future. Or at least appreciate the mystery while unveiling it. We don’t have to strive for it, stress from it, run from it, judge it, hate it, or even wait until we have it together–we can be honest, humble, and keep taking that one next step forward, in wonder, together.