Whenever you decide to make unconventional life decisions, polarization occurs. Some people will be inspired by your decisions and give you unconditional support. The rest of the people scoff at your ideas. There isn’t much middle ground.
The inspiration group isn’t difficult to figure out. Generally, this group is made up of society’s dreamers. These are the people that are never quite content with the status quo and spend their time imagining exciting adventures. They see life as a finite sliver or opportunity to learn, grow, enrich, and give. Life is to be lived. This group has a high tolerance for change, even if it is fear-inducing.
The skeptical group is a little more difficult to figure out. This is the practical group. This group will toil away at the day-to-day tasks that make up our lives, busying themselves with things that provide very little substance. They have an aversion to change, even if they are in a situation that provides little happiness or excitement.
Over the last few months, Shelly and I have been pretty guarded about our plans. First, we’re bad planners and didn’t have many details. Second, it is difficult to deal with people’s reactions if they belong to the second group.
Our plans have a degree of inherent risk. We’re planning on doing many things we have never done before. For us, that is the reason we’re doing it. We’re okay with taking the risk because the cost of inaction is far greater. The status quo sucks and there is no indication it is going to improve. In fact, all objective indicators predict it is going to get a lot worse. The ship is sinking fast, and we have a pretty good life boat.
When we share our plans with people, they have one of two physical reactions. Some people lean in, their eyes open a little wider, and they begin really listening. These are the dreamers. They want to know the details because they immediately begin thinking about doing the same thing regardless of practicality. I love sharing with other dreamers.
Other people lean back. They cross their arms. Their eyes narrow. They stop listening. Mentally, they are formulating arguments why we shouldn’t be doing this. They want to know the details because they immediately begin thinking about why they couldn’t do the same thing. The conversations always go something like this:
Me: We’re planning on selling all our stuff, moving into an RV, and living on the road for several months with no definite timeframe or long-term plans.
Practical skeptic: Oh, that sounds interesting. What are you going to do about X, Y, and Z?
Me: Well, it’s not a big deal. This is our plans for X, Y, and Z.
Practical skeptic: I couldn’t do that because [insert excuse usually related to material possessions or a fear of change]
The practical group is difficult because we end up having to justify why we’re doing what we’re doing, which is never pleasant. The practical skeptic will continue digging for information until we’ve provided enough for them to satisfactorily build a case to ease their own minds. They want just enough to convince themselves why they have to maintain their own status quo.
These different reactions certainly inhibit the desire to discuss our plans. While I love inspiring others and sharing plans for grand adventures, I don’t like helping people justify why they can’t be dreamers, too.
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Robillard Adventures 