In a recent trip to San Francisco, my wife and I were walking to breakfast when we saw about 100 people in a park practicing Tai Chi together.
It was a pretty cool site to see. Everyone was spread over the park, with their eyes closed, but still managed to be in sync.
There was no official instructor, there was not an ambulance in case someone got hurt, just a community of people coming together to exercise.
I mentioned to my wife, that I wonder how this tradition started.
If I were to start something like this, my first thought would be to go to a town meeting and ask if it’s all right to use the park. They would probably explain to me that it’s a liability because no health official will be present. If someone got hurt, they would be liable.
They would probably mention that everyone who participated, would have to sign a waiver. Plus, the area would have to be roped off in case anyone else wanted to use the park.
Eventually, I would probably get fed up with all the legalities and stop before I started.
Although I don’t know this for sure, I assume the tradition of Tai Chi in the park began when just one person went down to the park and started practicing. Followed by a close friend joining him. Followed by another friend. Then friends of friends began to practice.
It was something that just started naturally. They didn’t have to go to any town hall meeting. They wanted to practice Tai Chi in the park, so that’s what they started doing.
Something similar to this…
So what the heck does this have to do with personal finance?
A lot of times in life, were looking for permission to do something. Permission that we don’t necessarily need. But we look for to delay action.
We’re trained from a young age to ask permission to do just about everything. From going to the bathroom to speaking in class.
When we get older, we have to ask our bosses to take a day off or a financial planner something as simple as how to pay off debt.
This pattern of looking for permission continues on. It becomes a great excuse to delay meaningful choices in our life.
What’s something that you always wanted to start saving for? Or a goal that you have always wanted to achieve? Yet, you have hesitated for one reason or another to pursue this path.
Take action today. You don’t need to ask anyone. You don’t even have to tell anyone that you are doing it.
It could be something as simple as practicing Tai Chi in the park or a bigger project like starting a blog.
The key is to recognize that you’re in complete control of your life. Once you realize you can do anything, there are no limits to what you can do.
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