Making do with what you have is a virtue. It allows you to be in the now, to not be stopped by lack or lack thinking, to keep moving forward and to be living rather than regretting. Great! But what if you have plenty? Why would you make do when you have other options? Why would you make do if the path to plenty and right and enough was in front of you?
Yet so many people do that. I have worked with several clients recently who offer me what they see as the two options they have in front of them. Both viable career options, both full of happiness and plenty of work and good rewards. But when I look at them, one has all kinds of caveats and addendums, is a lot of work for short-term rewards and no long-term progress, and basically keeps the client in the same place they are now. The other requires them to make changes, do things differently, do different things, and to accept their new identity as the person they want to be. One is making do and the other is the path to the life they want. To me it’s a no brainer, but for them it’s really a question and they are almost always leaning towards making do. It’s what they’ve always done, it’s safe, and it doesn’t require them to commit to their dreams. Those will happen someday, right?
I can’t make choices for anyone but myself on any given day, but I do point out that there is a clear choice and it’s not about what job is better. It’s about making do vs. become dreams. In one case the options were between taking an online degree or committing to a full PhD program. To me the options were simple. Do you want to make do cobbling more pieces onto the life you have and having not much for all the effort but patchwork, or do you want to be Doctor (name here) in the new few years with connections and job offers and opportunities you have no means of knowing about yet opening up before you? Similar amount of work, two completely different outcomes. Making do might be a virtue but living your dreams is a blessing. The choice is yours.
