Experiencing life to the fullest

I am learning to live life closer to the edge and not be so timid. Having the desire to shake things up and want to experience a more radical life. Learning to follow through and explore my dreams and not settle for thinking "maybe some day." Over the last six months or so, I feel the perfect storm has happened in my life. I feel I have drastically changed or probably a better definition is that I am becoming more of who I was created to be. Lots of who I am has always been there - the questions asked to better understand and challenge, the desire to have real relationships, the desire to challenge the status quo, wanting to be a better husband, dad and friend, the love of learning new things. All things that been a part of me for a long time, but the change is the way they are displayed in my life. What created this perfect storm? Hard to say what all has influenced it but a few things definitely stand out - the start of it was my changes in jobs. It seems my creativity (which is limited especially compared to the creative people I am surrounded with in my life) was freed up tremendously once the stress of my old job was removed. I want to do things in ways they have never been done before. I want to meet new people and challenge those who say things can't been done a certain way. Another huge factor was the influence of certain people in my life. I am challenged, humbled, motivated and extremely blessed by the impact of those friends. I know what transparency looks like, I know what humility looks life, I know the fun that can be had, I know what patience looks like, I know what "doing life together" means. Another part is the desire to expand my view of the world. This has been shaped by the books I read, the blogs that challenge and inspire me, the friends who are constantly refining my perspective. I see the homeless differently, I want to make a difference in our community and foreign places, I want to write, I want the Church to be what it was created to be, I want to lead even though I don't feel qualified, I want to be labeled a radical, the main thing is I don't want to settle. I don't want to settle for mediocre friendships, I don't want to settle for "that is the way we have always done things", I don't want to settle for it can't be done, I don't want to settle for the American dream, I don't want to settle for being an average husband or dad, I want to challenge, push, and love differently than the norm. I still have doubts, I question what impact one person can make, I don't feel qualified or even have a clue what I am doing a lot of the time, but I want to live this one shot at life passionately and with purpose. I want God to say that is what I created you to be all along.