George Romero started something big when he produced Night Of The Living Dead back in 1968. Not only did he create a legacy for himself and develop a new horror sub-genre, but he also refined the term “zombie”.
Pop culture zombies are exactly what you know them as: infected or cursed, flesh-eating, lifeless, half-alive, reanimated corpses that serve and have no purpose. One good shot to the head, and it’s game over.
But that’s not the zombie I’m talking about.
I’m talking about the zombie in you and me. The part of you that…
1. Keeps hoping, wishing, and dreaming
Dreams happen in REM sleep. If mine were to become reality, we would be in a real zombie apocalypse holding baseball bats in our fists.
As for hoping and wishing – it has merit. They’re abilities we have to forecast and conjure up what we desire.
But ultimately, hoping, wishing, and dreaming translates into time wasted. Time that could have been spent producing and doing (vs) consuming and waiting.
Quitting your job. Starting the business. Making the phone call. Signing the check. Asking the tough question.
The perfect time isn’t going to come. No divine intervention, no re-alignment of the planets. You have to stop hoping and Make. It. Happen.
Because you will run out of tomorrows. But you’ll always have an abundance of now.
That thing you want to do? Just do it. Now.
2. Does what you’re supposed to
You intuitively know what you want. You have audacious ideas and game-changing thoughts that can leave a lasting impact.
Yet, you’re still running in place. You allow your fear, doubt, and uncertainty of what is mask what could. And that sucks.
Because there’s mojo inside of you that needs to be brought to life. You know it.
3. Does things without purpose
The 400 page fiction novel you just read and the entire season of that TV show you watched on Netflix? Sounds like a good time, but what’s the purpose? What’s the return? What now?
If you want to live on purpose, feel fulfillment, and know that you’re work is greater than your title and job description, you need to DO things that have lasting, astronomical purpose.
The idea of “killing time” isn’t a good one. Not to say that your days should be packed with work, but more so that your days should be spewing with meaning.
And the first step to finding your purpose? Find out what you want to feel. Ask yourself what you need more of and less of.
4. Doesn’t feel connection or appreciation
It’s easy to feel a deficiency or lack within yourself when you don’t allow yourself to receive that thing you need.
Compliments, thank you’s, and other tokens of love + appreciation we get aren’t meant to be brushed off. It doesn’t have to be some cliche, small-talk, moral obligation to spit something back out.
Are you really thankful? Do you really feel the gratitude that comes with those compliments? Do you have the passionate mojo in you to share with your partner?
Take a moment to consciously hear and accept what you and others are saying. Make eye contact. Say “I”, not just “love you” or “miss you”. Own what you’re saying.
5. Doesn’t do what scares you
It’s easy to chase stability and comfort. Often times, that seems like the end goal.
The job. The relationship. The bank account. When they hit a certain milestone, it’s “right”.
When an area in your life has reached a point where it’s no longer challenging or progressive, it’s an indicator to keep going – not stop.
Your fear, doubt, insecurities, and uncertainties? They’re the symptoms of doing big things. Things that produce a return and make you a better person. They’re not signals to stop, freeze up, or run away.
We’re all heroes. That’s a fact. But even the strongest of heroes have villains. And for us, it’s the zombieness.
The thing though? You don’t need to be a zombie. It’s time for you to embark on your heroes journey. And you don’t have to wait.
You do start at any time.
Like, now.
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Written on 8/1/2013 by Tim Frie. Tim Frie is an idea incubator, launch genius, and brand strategist for people who want to launch their big, audacious, and heroic life and business. He is hell-bent on eliminating ‘zombieness’ from the planet and turning people into the heroes of their lives. You can find him at www.timfrie.com, where he writes about how to come alive and take action in life and entrepreneurship. |
Photo Credit: Eric Parker .