By Scott Campsall
Sensei Jennifer and I produce a podcast called Uxbridge Beat. It features interviews with local personalities and it’s pretty much a labour of love. We don’t make any money from it. We do it because we love our town and the people who live here. Everyone has a story to tell but sometimes thinking of who our next guest will be can become a bit of a challenge.
It was on one of those rare occasions that we asked someone to interview us for a change. She did a fantastic job, but in the end, we decided that our podcast shouldn’t focus on us and so we decided not to publish it. One question she asked us was, “What is on your bucket list?”
We then realized that we don’t have one. That doesn’t mean there aren’t things we know we would enjoy doing, but if there is something that we feel we MUST do, we make it happen. We have traveled to different countries. Sensei Jennifer has run ultra marathons. I took up riding horses a couple of years ago and will be entering competitions this year. If we want something, we don’t think about it; we go get it.
It’s easy to get bogged down with over thinking when it comes to doing something new and we see it all the time when it comes to people asking about classes with us. Some are worried that they will be embarrassed or maybe even hurt. They let their fears stop them from taking the first step to begin. Others think they need a plan in place before they start their journey. They need the right clothes, or they need the right sports bag or water bottle. They may think they need to isolate a regular day to come to class. What they don’t realize is that what they really need to do is just start! All the time they’re thinking is stopping them from doing! How much closer could they have gotten to their goals if they just realized that the right time to begin is NOW!
Sometimes our brain can get in the way of our dreams. I know mine did before I investigated horse riding lessons. Thoughts like what if I get hurt. Meanwhile, I’ve only fallen off a horse once in two years and I only got a bruise on my inner thigh from the saddle when it happened. I could have missed out on two years of doing something I love if I let fear get to me!
What are you missing out on? Whatever it is, don’t intellectualize it. Do it. Take the worry of trying something new or different off your bucket list.