Being Unreasonable

Four years ago, when my husband and I signed an eight-month lease for a beautiful downtown apartment in Saratoga Springs, our friends questioned our decision. Why are you doing this? They figured if we wanted to go to Saratoga, we could drive up and back in the same day. It’s only 70 miles each way. Sounds reasonable. The status quo usually is. However, I was looking for more than a day trip. I was looking for a life change.

My interest in a long-term lease in Saratoga arose from feeling stuck and dissatisfied with my current living environment. I had lived in the same small town and the same big house for over 30 years. I never imagined my life story all in one chapter.

Author Seth Godin writes, “The only way to get out of the spot you’re in is to do something that feels unreasonable, that’s unreasonable in the short term, that a similar person in a similar situation would say is unreasonable.” My friends had already confirmed this point. And so, I decided I was willing to be unreasonable, at least for eight months, to challenge the status quo.

And do you know what happened? I got unstuck. 

If you want to do something more worthwhile with your life, if you want to get unstuck, ask, “Am I willing to be unreasonable, a least for a while?” And then go do it.

Copyright 2019. Patrice Jenkins. All Rights Reserved.