Day 163 - Do What You Love

“The struggle of doing what you Love far outweighs the comfort of settling for anything less.” –The Daily Love
It’s been said that we are most alive when we are living in our purpose. And while this sounds like an ideal suggestion, the fight just to survive day to day tends to overshadow the idea of being fulfilled. In fact, the idea of being fulfilled seems like an elitist’s privilege more than the right of every living person. As much as I appreciated “Eat, Pray, Love,” I took issue with the fact that she had the means to take a year off and skip around the world to find herself. Anyone can be fulfilled with money to burn and time to figure it out. When you have time to reflect and be introspective without having to worry about paying bills or doing homework or feeding children, then of course, you can find and live out your passion uninhibited. I’m not negating the bravery it took to leave her marriage and her life, but I am saying that money goes a long way in that journey.
But I’ve since come to realize something – we are all born to do something great, and deep down, we know that. The question becomes one of whether we will fight to do and achieve that thing. Granted, economic restrictions, unsupportive environments, people’s expectations, and other factors can play major roles in why so many people miss what they were created to do/be, and these cannot be discounted. Of course, there are many famous people who have come from some extreme circumstances and overcome odds to become wealthy and successful… but what about the average person who doesn’t become Oprah or Obama?
In asking this question, I realized something else – you don’t have to be rich and famous to be fulfilled and live in your purpose. Today’s quotation speaks to that reality. If I’m supposed to be a writer, but I become a corporate lawyer, because I want to make $100K a year, I will make the money and be successful in that aspect, but my life and heart will still be empty. Is writing always a lucrative career? No. But because of my understanding of self, I would rather be happy writing than miserable making millions. Becoming a lawyer may not seem like settling, but if my purpose is writing, then doing anything else is settling.
Of course, this type of thinking takes trusting yourself (knowing your passion and being confident enough in your gift to use it) and trusting God (believing that the passion is God-given and that God will provide through said gift). Money is important – I would be lying if I said otherwise. But sanity and peace of mind and fulfillment are more important. Ask the miserable rich people who have amassed great wealth but still feel empty or battle depression or spend their lives searching for things to fill that ache in their souls. Now, talking about money as secondary in a recession may seem a bit ludicrous, but I have come to understand that one of the best ways that I can love myself (and the world) is to do what I was created to do and offer it to the world. Will there be times of struggle? Yes. Will I have to do other things as I pursue my passion? Possibly. But in the end, I am chasing my passion and not my paycheck.
I admonish all of you to examine the path of your life. If the guiding force and end goal are not your primary passion and purpose in life, I would rethink why you do what you do. It may take risks and it may not be easy, but you owe it to yourself to at least consider how you can incorporate your passion into your life. Even if it’s a weekend hobby instead of a full-time vocation, it deserves your time and attention. I know that part of being an adult is about being “responsible” and understanding that you can’t do everything that you want to do, but I still don’t believe that you have to be miserable or that your passions have to be dreams that get thrown out like yesterday’s trash just because you have bills.