What Happens Next?

Okay. So, now what?

I’ve been trying to figure out what happens next. You’ve launched that project, you’ve finished that course, you’ve done that work. If I’m being honest, and slightly naïve, I thought it would get easier. Try not to jump down my throat just yet, I knew that it would be hard. But I, definitely, thought it would be easier. It’s made me question entirely, how I define success.

I suppose I was always under the impression that the real battle, was getting it going. That’s certainly what it felt like when I was creating it. Every time I managed to take two mediocre steps forward, I was shoved one damaging step back.

But boy oh boy, is life not but our faithful teacher? Life continues to teach me, no matter how unwilling I may be, that humility is my key to success but only if you choose its definition.

Success: “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.”

We’ll double back to the idea of success further down, I promise.

Meanwhile, on Our False Starts, we’re all about changing the narrative. We, as a society, spend so much time of our lives working to fit the story, but I think it’s about time we make the story work for us.

When I started writing this piece, I was convinced it was going to be a bit of a downer and I was very okay with it – it happens. I was feeling low on energy and motivation, convinced that I had just publicly embarrassed myself by creating this platform in its entirety.

The thing about starting in on a project, or a goal is that there’s a sort of energy and anticipation that builds as you go through the steps. Essentially, it’s easy to find success in a task oriented goal.

But what comes next?

In, what will probably go down as the most self-help thing I’ve ever said – only you have the power to change the narrative. Only you have the power to take back control.

Granted, that’s a lot easier said than done. Life has a funny way of making you feel powerless. In the grand scheme of life, where the Earth revolves around the Sun and you are but a mere passerby in the evolution of the universe – you have no power.

I hope that doesn’t seem like a hopeless statement, it’s just a fact. But I remember reading about this term, I don’t remember the name of it (maybe one of you can remind me) but it simply explains the concept of us living life through a first-person narrative. So, while we may be but a blip of time in the concept of the universe, we still have some semblance of control.

The goal here is to argue, that if we control our mindset and our outlook, then we manage to take back that control. That makes sense, doesn’t it?

Let’s work that thought.

The textbook definition of success is the accomplishment of an aim or a purpose . Therefore, if we choose to control our narrative, we would oversee the definition of said aim or said purpose.

And therefore define success.

I think on the banner on my homepage it says, “I think the key to life, is simply to live it.”

By those standards, I’m alive and I’m trying. Does that mean that I’m successful? Is it, really, that easy? I mean, I’ve created this platform. Is that success? Or is success found in the masses?

I’d like to think I’m not the only one struggling to define success, especially at a time like this. I know of a few entrepreneurial individuals that have either been in the business of defining their success for quite some time or have begun a journey of defining what success means to them.

You’ve got the friends in Toronto saving the world one form of sustainability at a time, with subtle reminders to be kind to the world around us. And strangers across the pond, motivating us to continue to be our best selves. But at least, whether its appreciation for the world, or appreciation for yourself – your options are covered.

Whether your goal was to start a business, or simply to get out of bed this morning and do a workout – is it really as simple as saying, I’m successful because I tried? Is the act of defining success really that mundane?

I would love to think it’s that easy, I would. Truthfully, a part of me does. But sometimes, I get a little lost in the sauce. I take in too much noise. I let myself get influenced by life’s damning lessons.

Let’s work this thought some more. If it were truly that simple, then what even is a goal? So, if you set goals and don’t achieve them – would that not be deemed unsuccessful? Or are we meant to find success through the lessons learned? Is that a scape goat? Our go-to cope out, to dull the ache of a failed endeavour. Or, is it justified to rewrite our failure as a lesson, and find ourselves successful for the pursuit of knowledge?

Success, over at Our False Starts, will always be found in the pursuit of knowledge. In the pursuit of a fresh perspective. The collective has one clear goal, one clear mission. The individual, however, gets lost every now and then.

Perhaps it’s at that time when you find success in your purpose. In the mission to share a story, or a voice. Perhaps, again, it truly is up to us to determine success.

Set the goal. Understand its purpose. And find success in the exploration of that purpose. How it unfolds, how it manifests.

For Our False Starts, it’s community. And there’s a chance, that we get lost in the search for success only because we fear its existence.

How very frustrating.

At the moment, we don’t know the answer but I think one day I’ll find them. Perhaps I’ll even get to choose them, but we mentioned that changing the narrative was much easier said than done.

Anyways, welcome to Our False Starts. There are times when you’ll leave with an answer, and times when you’ll leave with more questions than you came with. But above it all, I hope you always leave with a thought.