You can do it. Do it now.

Had the pleasure of speaking with two people, a former colleague and my mechanic's dad, about dreams they have. One wants to be a snowboarder and the other wants to travel through China for 4-5 months to see his homeland (he moved to the US when he was 7).

The funny thing with both conversations was that they both have the means to do what they want. The former colleague is in a DINK (dual-income no kids) situation where both earners make six figure incomes. The mechanic owns his own shop, sets his own hours, and has a son that has already taken over a great deal of responsibility in the business. They both expressed their desires so vividly and clearly that there is no reason to doubt their veracity. So from an objective standpoint, the only thing preventing both of these fine people from enjoying the life that they want is simply choosing that life. So the question arises, what is preventing them from making that choice?

There are two main elements: inertia and fear of change. Let's start with inertia. Imagine that your life is akin to a pod traveling on a frictionless rail. There are many elements that provided the initial impetus. It may have come from your parents (pressing you to become a doctor / lawyer / engineer), your friends (everyone is doing it), your educational choices, what society deems appropriate / suitable, or just plain habit. There are countless reasons, but they all do the same thing, they set you on a path and keep you on it.

When you ask people to reflect upon their path, there are quite a few that are dissatisfied. In fact, if they know what they want, they may even clearly elucidate why they want a different path, or why the path they are on is bad for them. But this conscious realization rarely results in action. That's because the inertia is subconscious and powerful. The insidious part of this system is that it takes no effort whatsoever to continue along this path, to maintain the status quo.

To add to the challenge, the fear of change exponentially compounds the power of inertia. The analogy of a rail was chosen for this reason. It takes tremendous effort to come to a stop, extract yourself from the current rail, build the new rail that you want, and make the transition. The fear of change may be societally enforced (what will X think if I quit my job and become a ski bum), and it could also be genetically enforced. Studies on animals delve into the genetic expression of unconditioned fear responses as well as possible alteration of elements such as dopamine receptor density and occupancy. What's important is that the power of choice is yours, regardless of these challenges. Alternatively, think of it this way. Each day you continue on your current path is a day you choose to deny your ideal life.

You can do it.
Do it now.