This past week on campus was the Imagine event featuring Donald Miller and Tom Brokaw. Each speaker had great things to share, but Donald Miller really challenged the 30 of us who showed up. For those who don’t know, Donald Miller specializes in storytelling. He has written close to a dozen books and is the CEO of Story Brand, a marketing company. Through his experience, he shares what it looks like to live into a great story.
Donald Miller emphasized that great stories start with “What if?”
“We all want to be a better version of ourselves. That starts with ‘What if?’ and living into that story.”
Ask yourself, “What if?”
What if I went and served instead of sitting around?
What if I traveled to another country?
What if I asked that girl out?
What if I wrote a blog?
What if I wrote a book?
What if…….?
I started thinking about what holds us back from following the ‘what ifs.’ I think it is a combination of a fear of failure and a fear of change. We are afraid of trying, but also afraid of achieving the result. Failure is a natural fear and one that I constantly struggle with. The biggest thing that helps me overcome it is knowing that if I try and fail, I will be in the same position as if I didn’t try at all. A fear of change prevents us from wanting to try something new. We have goals that we want to reach and live into, but we don’t want the in-between where our lives are different. We don’t want the suffering and uncomfortableness that comes with stepping into a new story. Every author wants to have a book on the market, not every author wants to give up his or her relaxing nights to write for years.
Imagine what you want the movie of your life to be like by the time you die. A good movie has a goal to reach, a sacrifice, and conflict. Your movie gets exciting when you follow “What if?” Recognize your goals. Be willing to sacrifice. Face conflict head on.
Write down your “What ifs?” and live into that story.
Step outside of your comfort zone.
Be willing to face the fear of failure. Be ready for the necessary transition to reach a goal.
What if we all started living into a goal this week?
I appreciate you.
-JP