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Courage to do what you love

Updated on September 20, 2010

This life is the greatest gift that you’ve been given and it’s yours to shape and create in whatever way you see fit. But for so many of us, we let others opinions decide the way we lead our life. In that sense, Kids are great. They always do what they love and other people’s opinions or societies labels don't bother them one bit. As adults, we should try to be a little more like them , but unfortunately social programming has gotten the better of us and so will it of our kids, if we don't set an example and show them that you've got to have the courage to do what you love and go ahead and just do it.

I know people who’d rather be teachers, officers, dancers and musicians but instead, they end up becoming engineers or doctors or bankers or professionals in a field that they aren’t keen about. I’m not saying it’s wrong to be an engineer or doctor or anything of that sort or that it's wrong to get a degree. I regard these professions in the highest of esteem. Where’d we be without our doctors and engineers?? The Stone Age?

  It's something like what Kanye West said in one of his interviews that a college ( read degree) is something you go to, to help you enhance your skills for the profession YOU WANT, not to develop skills for a profession you don't want and especially not because others want you to do it or social pressure.

In my heart, I know that I want to be an artist (not like a painter) but the type who does work of a creative, expressive nature. Making music, writing a book, film making, traveling…my goals are wide spread :) But that’s not what people want of me. Unfortunately, I’ve let my fear control me and went with the herd and had gotten myself enrolled in engineering (I’m from India, where almost everyone is made to aim at either becoming an engineer or a doctor) It’s times like these that are the critical points in our lives, where we have to choose, between living life as per our own rules, or the rules laid down by someone else. At the time, my parents told me to do engineering. Friends, uncles, aunties and relatives all were of the same opinion that getting a degree and a secure job was the purpose of life.

Come to think of it, it’s reasonable and justified conclusion that they have drawn. But the motivation behind this choice is not of self actualization, job satisfaction or anything of that sort; rather it’s based on fear. A fear of insufficiency, a fear of lack, a fear that going for anything different is unsafe and that it’s better to stick to the traditional process of getting a degree and getting a 9 to 5 job.

All over the papers and TV were ads for coaching classes and I found myself drowned in a sea of very biased opinions. But what truly hit me hard was my own fear. I was afraid to express myself, unable to express what I really wanted and longed for. Afraid of whether I had it in me to achieve those goals.  It’s when we lose faith and trust in ourselves that we lose all self esteem and can never grow in character.

I know there are many people out there, who are dissatisfied with the work they do and the keep drowning out that voice that tells them “ there’s got to be more to life” and that feeling of discomfort that creeps in , with it. LISTEN to that voice and feeling. It’s telling you something, it’s telling you that you need to stop this and do what feels right. Life is about growing and experiencing all the wonderful things it has offer. Trust me when I say this:

“Life is more than just about making a living!
Life is more than just about making money!
Life is more than just about power, fame and authority!
Life is more than just a race to be better than the other guy!
Life is more than just about proving yourself to some one else!
Life is more than the PETTY ISSUES and TROUBLES you're facing , that you exaggerate in your head!"

“Life is about -> anything you want it to be.
It’s your life after all – YOU DECIDE WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY AND DO IT!”

And when you eventually decide. Let go of the past and be free to focus on the future. Know that in the end, it all starts from nothing and ends in nothing, so it doesn’t really matter what happens. What matters is “did you enjoy the time you had here?”
By compromising on our desires for so long, we have become numb, insensitive and uncaring for the most important person in our life – Ourselves.

There is a universal truth that When you’re actions are done in love (that is, you love your work, you love what you do) then all the wealth of the world will flow to you in abundance. So isn’t it the obvious choice to do what you love? What else are we here for??

working

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