Making a Life, Not Earning a Living

What are you most passionate about? Does something come to mind right away, or are you having trouble? Is it something you do frequently, or something you’re always wishing you had time for? Have you shaped your life around what excites you the most, or do you rarely think of it? Do you have children; and do you know what they’re most passionate about?

These may seem like ridiculous questions, yet many of us will struggle to answer them, or feel too embarrassed to. We’ve grown into a world that deems these questions unimportant, but I think it’s crucial that we bring awareness back to them. We should always be asking ourselves what excites us the most, and constantly fostering that same passion within our children.

We were all little humans, at one point or another, and we felt that excitement bouncing around inside of us. Overtime, however, we were lead away from what made us truly happy. Whatever the reason was, we came to believe that “earning a living” should always be our top priority, and pursuing our passions is simply a privilege. Now, we spend more energy than we have, working on things that drain us, all the while suppressing what has the potential to lift us up!

Earn a Living.

Is it just me, or is it sickening to see the word “earn” paired with “living”? –life is not something that anyone should have to earn! And yet, it’s a phrase that is rarely questioned; a phrase that becomes engrained in us from such a young age. We grow up believing that we have to earn our life, and that’s only because we give our power away to others.

Don’t get me wrong… there is some level of earning that goes along with life –the fact that it requires effort for us to stay alive. However, in the world that has trained us, the work we do is so far removed from what we really need to live. To me, working to stay alive means growing food, making clothes, building shelters, raising children, protecting animals, nourishing the Earth and learning how to truly take care for ourselves. Sitting at a desk under florescent lights, typing numbers into a computer so a tech company can hoard their currency and pay you just enough to feed your family and heat your home isn’t really keeping you alive –that’s earning a living, not making a life.

Make a Life.

That’s where my passion lies… making a life instead of earning a living.

The most important lesson I have learned in my life so far, is that I have the right and the duty to create my own life –otherwise, I’m not really living. If I spend my time here without following my highest excitement or listening to the whisper of my heart, I will have lived a life meant for someone else, and it will never feel right; it will never be fulfilling.

I’ve always known that I am a writer –even when I had forgotten, the whispering in my heart could never be completely dulled. That whisper is now a roar, and my heart and soul are calling out for more. I’m being pulled down a path that I didn’t even know existed, until a few years ago, and it’s so different than the path I was told to walk. When I was earning a living, it felt like someone had a knife to my back –keeping me hostage in the life that was forced onto me. I’ve been able to step off that path though, and I can finally breathe without the blade in my backside.

As I stood on the edge of the beaten path with masses of emotionless marchers hanging their heads, I realized that I was free to continue in any direction I wanted to. I was no longer limited by the path set by those before me, so I ventured into the forest of infinite possibilities.

Live Life.

I realize that most of what I’ve said so far seems to be a little abstract; nothing clear or tangible. So I will bring myself back down and explain what I mean when I say, life itself is all the fulfillment I need.

The life I used to live was so far from fulfilling, so I am dedicated to creating a space where life is fulfilling all on its own: A space where I can grow my own food and raise my own children, without being dependent on industrialized farming and institutionalized education. A space where I can build a self-sustaining home, and not ask permission to do so. A space where I am meant to do whatever makes me happy, and all those around me do the same.

Maybe this still seems abstract and unrealistic to some people; but to me, it’s the only life I want to live. This is the life that my heart and soul are calling out for, and if I ignore it –as most people suggest– I will never be fulfilled, because I will always be searching for it.

My passion in life is to write, and to write about what I’m most passionate about. Being a part of Talking Trees’ Holistic Community means that I am creating the life I truly desire –the life that so many people are longing for. So before you go off and read another book or do another workout, ask yourself… “Is this really my passion? Or is it just a little patch over a big void that needs fulfilling?”

• Part 1 – Follow Your Highest Excitement
• Part 3 – Revolutionary Community Design