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“You can’t think forever. Sooner or later, you gotta make a move.” — The Governor
“The Governor” is just one of the villains in the popular series, The Walking Dead, which is now in its 10th season.
He first appears in Walk with Me, episode 3 of season 3 and his actions are clearly suspect right from the start.
As season 3 continues, “the Governor” shows Rick, his group of survivors, and those of us watching, the genuine danger following any kind of crisis, in this case a zombie apocalypse, will in fact, be other people.
To the credit of the show’s creators, they tried to show us how a person such as the Governor might come to exist.
The Governor experienced an abusive childhood and the loss of his wife and daughter due to the apocalypse.
He believed so much a cure to the zombie infection would be found, he kept his young daughter, now a zombie, chained in a closet.
He only brought her out occasionally to brush her hair and try to interact with her.
It was clear to viewers she was no longer his daughter, but he loved her and just couldn’t let her go.
TWD creator’s used this villain to portray how someone could do horrible things to others and yet actually feel like they were doing a service to those around them. While in fact, they were inflicting terror and destruction.
“The Governor” truly thought he was doing what was needed to protect those around him.
He felt those who didn’t know how to protect themselves needed him, or at least he believed that in the beginning.
With the state of the world today, we are seeing first-hand the unpredictable threat other people can be to our survival.
Anti-maskers, especially those not experiencing COVID-19 symptoms themselves, may not actively and consciously seek to cause harm to others.
But the potential for their actions to harm those around them is there.
Our nation’s capital was attacked this morning, not by an enemy from outside our country but from those within it who believe their cause is just.
The Governor’s “move” involved violence resulting in death and destruction.
And just like the Governor, they may not see or fully recognize the long-term destruction and pain they are causing to so many others.
But that impact is there and it’s crystal clear to others.
The words in the quote above were spoken by a fictional villain.
The move he made spelled danger and later heartbreaking death and loss for our beloved TWD survivors and for the Governor.
But in fact, his words couldn’t be truer for all areas of life.
“You can’t think forever. Sooner or later, you have to make a move.”
I’d wager there are those of you reading this post, who have been in “thinking” mode for several months, maybe even years.
No shame in that.
It’s so easy to get caught in thinking mode. I was there for the longest time.
It doesn’t matter what the project, task, or decision. You can’t think forever.
It could be anything.
It could be less consequential decisions, such as what color to paint the wall in the baby’s nursery room.
Or which route to take for your morning commute to avoid a traffic jam, or the title for your next book.
It could be bigger decisions such as whether to take a chance on a new relationship or give up on an old one.
Perhaps you’re trying to decide what niche to settle on as you launch your freelance business or whether to quit your 9 to 5 job so you can devote more time to your music.
Maybe you’re trying to choose between staying in the city or moving to the country.
Or it could be more consequential decisions like whether to consider stockpiling supplies or simply continue the status quo for a little while longer.
No matter the decision you need to make, it can be good to think things through.
It’s good to do your research and due diligence before starting something new or changing something in your life.
But don’t think too long.
To survive, whether it’s in a fictional apocalypse or in real life, you must be able to make a move and adapt when needed.
That’s never been more true than right now, in the midst of a pandemic that started last year.
Delaying a decision can be a decision itself, especially for situations involving deadlines, new opportunities, or unpredictable risk and outcomes.
Don’t let fear stop you from identifying next steps and taking action.
This past year has involved a lot of decisions for most of us.
Some of them have been small decisions whereas others have been life-altering.
What are you waiting for? Shove that fear aside.
Think about what your very next step is toward making a decision or pursuing your goal.
Take one tiny step at a time until you can make a decision.
Like the fictional governor advised, “you can’t think forever, sometimes you just gotta make a move”, but let’s leave the violence out of it.
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