Do you ever feel like you’re running your life like its in beta test mode? I’ve been seeing it all too much lately.
My bf and not one but two of my best friends are seriously thinking of going back to school, and while I generally tend to side with people like Penelope Trunk on the value of degrees these days – that’s another post entirely!
Suffice it to say that people trying to change their lives for the better is a wonderful thing and I’ve told each I’m behind them 100% – just as soon as there’s something to root for. The problem is, all three of them are stuck.
They’re afraid of picking the wrong path. Do they choose the practical route or take the one they dream of but have no safety net for? They (understandably) see the mountain of debt and years of their life and take pause, but it made me see something else for once: the cost of beta test time.
Beta testing – it’s fancier than procrastinating – it’s that time in between making a decision and actually following through. Where you’re kind of trying on the idea to see how it fits. You haven’t paid for it yet but you already start to own the idea of your swanky new life while posing in the mirror.
It’s dangerous because even though it hasn’t happened yet, the idea is just substantial enough to provide an acceptable plug-in to the horrifying question we all constantly face: “so, what do you do?”
In fact I sometimes think that the relief of being able to provide an answer to this question overrides the satisfaction of an actual job well done – at least for awhile.
My friends Do have tough choices to make for sure, but I realize now that living in a beta state can be even more costly than making a mistake. It’s how I’ve come to write a blog but not tell anyone about it: I can say I have this awesome project – but it’s not to much pressure and I can quit anytime because no one reads it.
What is THAT!?
Well I’m done testing the waters. If I’m going to do this – it’s time to do it right. Instead of “what do you do” I want to answer this question instead – ” Are you Good at what you do?”
Ladies and Gentlemen, I have a blog. It’s not perfect but I write for it every single week and I have a great time doing it.
You can also follow me on Instagram #CurrentlyCarrie
Currently Carrie 
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