My Next Five Things

I had a very big realization the other day.

For most of my life I've operated under the assumption that, if I wanted to be Happy-with-a-capital-H, I had to be something. I had to have an occupation or a hobby that defined who I was. (I am an actor, I am a carpenter, I am a hopeless sci-fi geek.)

Looking back over my life, I realized that the things that had brought me the most long-term fulfillment were not the big, goal-oriented, ego-driven things, but rather the small things. The chance encounter, the unexpected relationship, the time I locked myself in my room and didn't come out until I knew how to juggle.

So I've decided to run a little experiment on myself. What if, for the next little while, I stopped putting pressure on myself to achieve "big things", to "be somebody" and instead concentrated on following my little impulses. What if I chased down my whims and found out what was on the other side of them?

What if I stopped trying to "be somebody" and instead started fully being what I already am, right this minute?

So here it is. For the next few months, I'm going to pick five of my current whims and follow them through. Each time I'm done with one, I'll replace it with another.

These won't be the big things in my life, like "build an eco-friendly home" or "travel around the world", at least not right away. Instead these will just be the next things in my life.

My Next Five Things, if you will.

I hope you enjoy!