The wish list I wish I didn’t need to write

“I’d gladly trade a long life for a life well lived.”

— James Garside

Fear is the only thing standing between you and the life you want. Hesitation in the gap between knowing what you want and having the nerve to go after it.

This is a list post. Which I hate. Ok it’s less a list and more a confession with line breaks. I mean that in a good way.

Written years ago. Back when the gap between who I was and who I wanted to be was so wide you could lose a horse in it. Several horses even. So it could just as easily have been last Tuesday.

What would you do if you weren’t a fraud or afraid? Spoiler alert: In my case quite a lot. Apparently. Including moving to Japan, paying my taxes, and brushing my teeth twice a day.

Some of these things have happened. Some of them haven’t yet. I’ll leave you to work out which is which.

If you’ve ever made a list of excuses instead of actually doing the thing then this one’s for you.

This episode is brought to you by:

Nobody.

Links:

Original: If I Wasn’t a Fraud or Afraid

Substack: jamesgarside.substack.com

Medium: medium.com/@jamesgarside_

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@jamesgarside

Web: jamesgarside.net

Chapter 23 by James Garside. A regular series of irregular thoughts. Could be anything. Mostly rants. Warning: May contain traces of sarcasm. Chapter 23 is a multimedia project by James Garside. Journalist, Author, Writer. Part-time vagabond, full-time grumpy arse. Would you care for a cup of tea? I write about everything from art, culture, and politics to tech, travel, and the occult. Sometimes in ways that get me into trouble. I’m also funny — I probably should’ve led with that. I help writers and artists to do their best work. Let’s be part of each other’s stories. More at: jamesgarside.net

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