TL;DR: I’m not going to talk about fear today, or self esteem, or imposter syndrome. Instead, I’m going to show you how I transcended all of those things, and how you can, too. Raise the stakes and you will find yourself. This week’s article will show you how to find yourself by choosing an Audacious Goal. It’s simpler than you think.

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Find Your Life’s Work in One Step

Years ago, I took a big step forward in my life when I applied for a dream job.

It was the fabled “Renaissance Camp” in Santa Cruz, California, and I was going to teach children all about music and science at a park in the redwoods.

The pay was more than double what I was making at my current job, the location was closer to my home, and the work was way more fun and rewarding.

But the invitation to the interview almost stopped me.

I was supposed to prepare and deliver a real, interactive lesson to a group of kids and a panel of teachers.

“I’m not a teacher,” I told myself. “I don’t have any knowledge that they’re going to be interested in. I can’t do this. I’m afraid. I have to cancel the interview.”

Luckily, by this point in my life I was already learning to “reality check” that harmful self-talk.

So instead of cancelling right away, I went on a bike ride and thought it through.

The Audacious Goal Adventure

Have you ever been in a situation like this?

I’m not going to talk about fear today, or self esteem, or imposter syndrome.  

Instead, I’m going to show you how I transcended all of those things, and how you can, too.

My biggest hope is that you’ll go after an Audacious Goal. I talk about Audacious Goals a lot, so let’s look at what that really means.

An Audacious Goal is a goal that breaks the rules.

It’s something you’ve never done before, something so challenging you have doubts about whether you can do it, or even if you’re allowed to.

You might not even think you deserve it.

That’s what makes it audacious. It violates your internal status quo.

An Audacious Goal is something so big that once you pull it off, your life will never be the same.

For me, at the time, that job at the Renaissance Camp was an Audacious Goal. But today it doesn’t seem like a big deal. And that’s the life-changing part.

Just pursuing an Audacious Goal, whether you achieve it or not, you’ll develop new skills and have new experiences. You’ll expand your beliefs about what’s possible and what you can do.  

Very few people ever pursue an Audacious Goal. Most people just don’t care. They’re contented with their lives, and they have no interest in growing exponentially across multiple dimensions.

If you’re reading this, I’m going to guess that’s not you.

But you might have the other common problem: Not knowing what to do.

Choosing Your Audacious Goal

I spent a lot of my 20s saying to myself, “I don’t know what to do with my life.”

Many people do nothing because they can’t decide what to do. And there’s an easy cure for this. Just make a wish.

Imagine a djinni pops out of a bottle and said, “Your wish is my command.”

You make your wish, and then the Djinni says, “It is done, but I forgot to tell you one thing. We don’t do free delivery anymore. You have to go on a journey to pick up your wish.”

Your Audacious Goal Adventure is the journey you have to take to get your wish.

If you have trouble making a wish, the trick is to put more emphasis on the journey than on the wish.

You’re going to go through some stuff as you chase after your Audacious Goal. You’re going to learn new skills, overcome unimagined obstacles, and face your fears.

But at the end of the journey, when you achieve your Audacious Goal, you’re going to know yourself better than you did before. That’s the real reward. Your Audacious Goal gave you a map to bring you closer to knowing what you really want.

Part of an Audacious Goal is having the audacity to simply choose and commit, knowing that it might turn out to be wrong for you.

I wasted years saying “no” to all kinds of amazing opportunities because I thought, “This is cool, but it’s not what I want to spend my life doing.”

But when I started saying, “This isn’t my life’s work, but I would love to try it for a month, six months, a year or two,” I unleashed extraordinary magic beyond my wildest dreams:

+ I moved to Italy and lived/worked there for 3 ½ years

+ I made an audacious, no-compromise intention to meet the woman of my dreams (and it happened quickly once I set that clear intention)

+ I left a comfortable life in the city to buy a few acres of land in the Pacific Northwest and start a farm

Just make a wish.

And then be open to the possibility that you’ll eventually have something even bigger and better.

Upgrade Your Thinking

You’ve heard the saying, “The thinking that got you here won’t get you where you want to go.”

That’s not just intellectual commentary. Artificial intelligence is going to replace you in 24 months. You could be imprisoned or murdered for your political views.

If you survive all the emerging socioeconomic pressures, you still have to deal with hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes and tsunamis that are becoming both more frequent and more intense.

But how do you upgrade your thinking?

Well, if you’re meant to be a saint, you could probably get there by praying and meditating all day, but that’s not possible for most people.

There’s a much bigger opportunity in knowing your true self.

Authenticity is how you’ll stay employable, connect with other people, and tap into the resources you need not just to survive but to thrive in an uncertain future.

You get to know your true self by choosing and pursuing Audacious Goals. When you feel driven to approach something new, there’s a powerful lesson in that new thing. You’re going to learn a lot about yourself as you get closer to it, and when you achieve it, you’ll be a different person.

When I got that Renaissance Camp invitation, I went out on a bike ride and promised myself I would pretend I had everything I needed. I would act as if I deserved the job and was qualified.

I reframed it as an adventure, and I promised myself I would have fun doing the interview.

I was in a vocal jazz ensemble at the time, and I took one of our warmups and turned it into a musical improv game. Almost everyone at the interview was into it.

Not only did I get the job, but my boss also told me that the teachers on the panel gave me the highest score anyone had received.

It was just a summer job, and when they offered me a full-time year-round position in the fall, I turned it down. I knew I was destined for bigger and better things, and I knew I was ready.

There’s a quote from Alex Hormozi that I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. “The end of the rainbow isn’t a pot of gold. It’s you. The real, authentic you.”

The Audacious Goal Adventure is how you’ll evolve. You’ll break through all the petty distractions that keep you small and enslaved, and release the powerful, authentic being you have always been.

Tool of the Week: Just Choose

Imagine a djinni is offering you one wish, but you will have to work for it.

1. Choose something that goes beyond your current capacity and beliefs

2. Let go of the need to choose the best possible wish available. Trust that you’ll get other wishes in the future

3. If your wish is not inspiring, life-changing, and a little bit scary, make it bigger and better.