Everyone remembers their high school graduation, right?
The excitement. The energy in the room. The relief. LOL.
I remember mine fondly.
Coming from a small town, high school graduation was a big deal.
Everyone gets involved. The whole town.
The local businesses chip in and buy a fried chicken dinner for the seniors the night before graduation. The chicken dinners are purchased from the local Burger Barn, which made great hamburgers and fried chicken. Gotta’ love that small town vibe!
Right after graduation, my friends and I hit the town.
Well, sort of.
There’s isn’t much going on in a town of about 3,000 people.
Nonetheless, we all gathered in a parking lot along main street, where we toasted the night and talked of grand plans…
Of becoming rich and famous.
Of achieving untold success in business.
Of fulfilling our dreams.
Forty years later, what’s been the reality?
Most never came even close to accomplishing any of that.
Gone are the dreams of conquering the world. They’ve been replaced with conquering credit card debt.
Absent are the business successes. They’ve been replaced with becoming a cog in the wheel of some corporate grind.
And what of becoming rich and famous? Didn’t happen. In fact, being recognized on the street is the last thing they have to worry about. What is?
Being unrecognized.
And I don’t mean unnoticed by family and friends. I mean this…
They don’t know who is looking back at them in the mirror.
You see, I think if many of them were cloned and passed their twin walking down the street, they wouldn’t even recognize themselves. They’d walk right past their doppelganger.
I’m sure you’ve recorded your own voice and listened to it. What was your reaction the first time?
I barely even recognized my own voice when first listening to a recording of it. I couldn’t help but cringe. I couldn’t believe I sounded like that. I thought I sounded different. LOL.
So, why do I sound one way to myself and one way to other people Basically, everyone else hears our individual voices because the soundwaves travel through the air. In contrast, we each hear our own voices two ways — through the air and from inside.
Soundwaves carry our vocal chords to our inner ears, which makes our own voices sound fuller and deeper to ourselves.
Maybe the reasons that one might not recognize him or herself if spotted walking down the street is similar to why our voices sound different in our own ears. We only view ourselves in parts and pieces. It’s hard to view the entire picture from within. For example, if you’re on a train, you can look out the window, but depending on whether the train is going straight or on a curve, you can only see a small part of the whole.
There are many causes that can contribute to someone no longer recognizing themselves. Oftentimes, a major life shift can trigger changes, or significant alterations to routine. Some examples of these life shifts could be:
Getting married.
Getting divorced.
Having kids.
Getting laid off or having a major career disruption.
Moving across the country for a new job.
Starting a new business.
Which is why it’s extremely important to slow down, zoom out and take inventory of your life on a regular basis. Otherwise, it’s easy to get disconnected with yourself.
We all fluctuate as we live, at times evolving, at others regressing. The act of self-examination can be daunting. But what’s more daunting?
Not doing it.
Not living the lives of your dreams.
Not accomplishing your goals.
Not being happy.
Feeling stuck.
Not living a fulfilled life.
This can be hard to swallow for some. But it’s necessary. People don’t just wake up one day having arrived in the quagmire that is mediocrity. They grow into it. Day by day, Unnoticed at first until they don’t even recognize themselves.
Ask yourself what values are the most important to you? I suggest making a core value list and see which ones jump out to you. Ask yourself how those core values were planted inside of you? What stories do you remember telling friends on your graduation night of the things you’d do? Then remind yourself: this is who I am. This is what’s important to me.
Then get to building. Build the life you dreamt of as a teenager. Craft the experiences and lifestyle you wanted for yourself back then. Make yourself wealthy and go after the independence you’ve always talked about.
And when you see you’re clone on the street, you’ll say – “Hey, I recognize you! You’re so happy and content. You’re living the good life. The financially free life!”
Be free. Nothing else is worth it.
P.S. Why aren’t you wealthy yet? It’s because of something you don’t know. Otherwise you’d already be rich. Isn’t it time to learn what you don’t know? Consider signing-up for my newsletter below, to help you build wealth faster.
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Ready for more tips on how to achieve the free life? Check-out more articles from the blog archives below:
Most People Believe That Capitalism Does More Harm Than Good, Until They’re Faced With This!
Here’s Why “Go To College And Get A Good Job” Is Advice For Those Who Just Want To Get By In Life
Don’t Like The Financial Story You’re Currently Living? Here’s How To Write Yourself A New One!