Write Your Next Chapter

It’s what many of us dream of – the freedom to do what we want, without worrying about money. In fact, the question – “If nothing is standing in your way, and you could do whatever you wanted, what would you do?” – is a fun exercise to do, but unexpectedly mind-boggling to many.

It seems like a perfect scenario. But when we’re handed that opportunity of a lifetime to write our next chapter, it confounds many of us. Surprisingly, being handed a white sheet of paper to write our own future is not the blessing we expected.

I’ve known many leaders who after building a highly successful career, can write their ticket to virtually anything they wanted. They spent years proving themselves on the world stage of business leadership making them highly desirable candidates to any firm, should they choose to continue their corporate career. Or they would fare equally well if they decided instead to test themselves as entrepreneurs. 

From my experience, roughly one in three are fairly certain about what they want for their next chapter. The rest struggle to imagine a future beyond what they’ve spent the last decade or two doing. At that very crucial moment, despite all our past successes, certainty vanishes in a puff of smoke. And confusion sets in.

So then, do we dismiss this idea of re-imagining our future as a frivolous, time-wasting exercise? 

Hell, no!

We need to Persevere till we find the answer. Because our life is far too short to spend it trapped living in a world of ‘shoulds’ and ‘buts’. 

We need to Plan our way to the future we want. The life that we had always imagined, but somehow lost ourselves along the way. 

And we need to give ourselves Permission to believe. Self-doubt will always be your enemy, but it’s an enemy that can be defeated with self-belief. 

Never forget how powerful you are, and always believe that a future filled with possibilities is within your reach if you choose to pick up the pen to write your next chapter.