All courses of action are risky, so prudence is not in avoiding danger (it’s impossible) but calculating risk and acting decisively. Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. Develop the strength to do bold things, not the strength to suffer.
- Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince

If you told me a year ago I would be spending four months abroad with my husband in Barcelona, I would have been incredulous. Yet as I sit typing my article in a café, I am immensely grateful for this experience of getting to write in such a beautiful city.

What are your dreams? Do you have goals you’ve set for this year which you haven’t started on yet, whether to look for a new job, get a bigger house, lose weight, learn to play the piano, etc.? What’s holding you back?

When I met with some friends just before departing, they remarked at how calm I seem, with little remorse or regrets. To them, the news seemed sudden and surprising, especially since they knew how much I loved my job. There was much soul searching to determine what I most value in life. It is my hope in sharing some of the issues I needed to resolve that it will help make the seemingly impossible possible for you.

Everything Is Possible
Last year around this time, my husband and I were on a week-long vacation in Spain enjoying a couple of glasses of sparkling cava and delicious tapas in a noisy, bustling bar off a small plaza in front of a gorgeous medieval church. So when an opportunity came up for my husband to teach an entire spring semester in 2008, we jumped at the chance.

I loved my job and the people at Frager’s Hardware and was torn between wanting to go but did not want to give up a good thing. The timing was all wrong. The semester falls half way through preparations for the gardening season. I resolved to have the best of both worlds. Spend January & February in Barcelona and return in March to prepare for the spring season. I had little reason to complain, two months abroad would still be amazing.

Get Out Of Your Own Way
I had difficulty shaking off a nagging feeling that I would be missing an opportunity of a life time. How many times in our marriage would my husband and I have to be away for this long together? It was an impossible riddle, and I agonized for months.

While I loved my job and enjoyed the company of coworkers at Frager’s, I started thinking “what if.” What if I never write the book I’ve always wanted to finish, or what if I never take advantage of this travel opportunity? If you’re unsatisfied with some aspect of your life, who or what is really standing in your way? Ultimately, the answer more often than not is you. In the John Mayer song “Something’s Missing” he aptly muses, “I can’t be sure that this state of mind is not of my own design.”

Are You Prepared To Do The Hard Work?
Part of the heavy lifting necessary for real change is the mental calisthenics required to stretch your thinking. Envision all the crazy scenarios. I’m a pretty ordinary person who’s enjoyed more than my share of extraordinary fun such as being a radio DJ, getting married in the Vatican and leaving behind a corporate job to get paid to garden for a living. In each situation, my first step was to picture myself in my desired situation.

Try this dream casting. Then ask yourself if you’re prepared to do whatever it takes to achieve your goal. In “How to Plan a Great Second Life” by Gordon Burgett, he asserts the most insidious commitments are when you say “I’ll try” or “I’ll do the best I can.” They are self-deceptive pledges which carry “the winds of conviction and the breath of potential – but at heart it’s just hot air.”

Move From Possibility To Action
Out of all your desires, which ones are you are really committed to doing whatever it takes? Take yourself out for a cup of coffee and in no particular order, list every possible thing that needs to be done to accomplish your goal. Don’t worry about having to think of everything because more things to do will keep coming up.

Ask yourself daily: What are the one or two most important things you can do today towards achieving your goal? For example, one of my action items was to evaluate our finances and develop a budget to determine if we could live off one income while in Barcelona. If you get stuck, it’s probably too overwhelming an action item, so break it down into smaller less intimidating steps.

Be Prepared To Meet Challenges Head-On
No matter how much you prepare, know that it is inevitable that roadblocks and challenges will come your way. Realize what’s most predictable is the unpredictable. As an example, even as we enjoy the fabulousness of being in Spain, harsh realities have set in. I’m frustrated because my wireless internet doesn’t work, and the lease on our apartment fell through at the last minute.

So all is not perfect, but we are prepared to do whatever it takes to move ahead. The ultimate pay-off is that you don’t just sit back and let life happen to you, instead you choose a life well lived.

Until recently, Adrienne Jenkins was a manager of the lawn & garden department at Frager’s Hardware. She is currently on a four-month writing sabbatical in Barcelona, Spain, with her husband, Eric, who is a professor of architecture teaching students from The Catholic University of America. You can check out their blog at adriennejenkins.blogspot.com. Adrienne can be contacted by e-mail at adriennejenkins@verizon.net.