“If I were the last person on earth, would I still do what I do?”
This is a question posed by Steven Pressfield in his book The War of Art. In itself it is a simple yes or no answer, however when we delve a little deeper is when things get interesting.
Apply this situation to anything in your life to quickly sort through what is important to you and what isn’t. If you care about an activity enough to continue doing it even though no one else exists you can say with certainty that it matters.
For me, after going to undergrad and graduate school for a business degree it only made sense to get a job in the business industry. However if the world were to come to some sort of doomsday apocalypse I know for a fact that I would not be drawing up SWOT analyses or go-to-market strategies for imaginary businesses.
I WOULD however continue to pursue different fitness endeavors and experiment to see what works best for my body. This is one of the main reasons I am so sure that I was meant to be in this line of work.
So your homework is to look at the activities you spend the most time on in your life and apply this question. Dive deep and you may be surprised with your answers.
It might be a serious reality check and it might be the most valuable lesson you learn. It might be a roadmap to adjust your life path. It might be the reassurance that you need when times get tough.
Either way you will know yourself a little bit better when it is done. At that point it is your job to pose this question to someone else in your life.
Happy training,
Coach Joe