There is a quote that I love from Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard : “To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself.”
I love this quote, it always keeps me going through the changes in my life. It is not easy to leave a comfort zone and make important changes in life. The question is: What would happen if we don't dare to do those changes?
Last year I left my job and a bit later I left my country as well. Why? Because I felt deep in my heart that this is exactly what I need to do. I followed the call, my inner voice. It was not easy, but at the same time it was exciting and uplifting.
When ever I got doubts if I'm doing the right thing I read the quote above and I knew that this is exactly what I need to do and where I need to be. I could have easily stayed in my secure job and in my country where everything was very familiar to me, very comfortable. I would for sure be doing ok, but I would have lost a part of me.
My job was no longer making me happy and my soul started to long for a new home somewhere north, somewhere close to the see. It is very easy not to listen to our inner call. It is logical and secure to just stay where we are. If you have a solid job and a stable background why leave?
I knew one thing - if I started to compromise I would start loosing my self slowly, silently, step by step. One compromises happiness for stable job, then one compromises the dream of living at the coast for security of his home country, then secure relationship instead for risking to find a happy one etc.
We stay in secure jobs, homes, relationships, secure lives. We trade security for freedom and happiness. We trade our lives bit by bit until we do not know who we really are. Loosing myself would be much worse than leaving my comfort zone. Thank you Søren Kierkegaard for always reminding me of this.
Peter