The reason why you should risk your significance

The reason why you should risk your significanceThe reason why you should risk your significanceYoure leaving academia. I cant believe it exclaimed a good friend and fellow law professor.No, I corrected him. Im not leaving academia. Im startinga blogand writing books for the general public. Thats all.But youre ruining your scholarly significance, he asserted. Youre going to become a laughing stock.This conversation happened two years ago. I was reminded of it recently when I interviewed the yoga teacherChelsey Koruson my podcast. During the interview, she shared this excerpt from one of her favorite poemsI choose to risk my significanceto live so that which came to me as seedgoes to the next as blossom.// Dawna MarkovaWhen we look in the mirror, we tell ourselves a story. Its a story about who we are and who we arent and what we should and shouldnt do.We tell ourselves that were a serious professor, and serious professors dont blog or podcast for the general public.We tell ourselves that were a serious 60-year-old, and serious 60-year-olds dont start a second career.We tell ourselves that were a serious lawyer, and serious lawyers dont quit their careers to teach yoga.Theres a certainty to the story. The story makes us feel significant and secure. The story makes us feel welcome. The story connects us to those serious professors, lawyers, and 60-year-olds who came before us. It makes us feel safe.But instead of us shaping the story, the story shapes us. Over time, the story becomes our identity. We dont change the story because changing it would mean changing who we are. We fear losing everything we worked so hard to build, we fear that others might laugh, and we fear making a fool out of ourselves.Like all others, the story of your significance is just that A story. A narrative. A tale. If you dont like the story, you can change it. Even better, you can drop it altogether and write a new one.Writing a new story doesnt risk your significance. Lets stop fooling ourselves about that. Were in this life for a momentary blip. Were making the briefest of stands on the pale blue dot called Earth, a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam, in Carl Sagans memorable words.But when we dont act- when we stick to the illusion of our significance- the risks are far greater. We risk leaving a story untold, a canvas unpainted, a business unlaunched, a popsong unsung.It was agonizing for me to dismiss the advice of my friend- who I know had the best of intentions. There were moments of tremendous doubt along the way where I thought I made the wrong call, that perhaps I should have stuck with exclusively writing serious academic papers. But you wouldnt be reading this article if I hadnt risked my own significance.Its only when you risk your significance that what came to you as seed will go to the next as blossom. The powerful play of life goes on, as John Keating fromDead Poets Societyreminds us, and you may contribute a verse.A new verse.Even a whole new sto ry.Your story.What will it say?Ozan Varol is a rocket scientist turned law professor and bestselling author.Click hereto download a free copy of his e-book, The Contrarian Handbook 8 Principles for Innovating Your Thinking. Along with your free e-book, youll get the Weekly Contrarian - a newsletter that challenges conventional wisdom and changes the way we look at the world (plus access to exclusive content for subscribers only).Thisarticlefirst appeared onOzanVarol.com