Pursue Your Happiness

“Ignoring your passion is slow suicide. Never ignore what your heart pumps for. Mold your career around your lifestyle, not your lifestyle around your career.”

Feeling bored in your nine to five job, stuck at a desk all day that is slowly killing your soul, leaving you empty at the end of the day? As each day passes do you struggle with the ability to get out of bed in the morning to get to your job? Are you thinking “I’d rather be anywhere but here” at all times of the day? I have been in those jobs where I have ignored my own passions, leaving my creative self to wither and die. I’ve felt incomplete, like something in my life was missing, but I never looked internally to find out what it is I wanted.

While, some individuals enjoy those types of jobs, and they leave them fulfilled, and happy, and living their best lives, it does absolutely nothing for others. I have always been a writer, but have never thought to pursue it because I knew other writers who told me that writing wasn’t a career, and it would never get me anywhere. I wanted to write scripts for TV shows and movies, to create beautiful stories, and to write articles in newspapers or blogs, as I am doing now. A career though? Internally I told myself “HA! That’s impossible! It will NEVER happen.” So I left those dreams on the shelf, and stopped living for ME, and just took menial jobs to try to support myself. These jobs were not lifelong careers, and I was dead inside. My heart yearned and ached for something more, a purpose in my life, and more freedom to live the life I deserve.

Musicians, writers, painters, and artists of all sorts are always told their passions will not make them money, or that what they do doesn’t really matter. We’ve been taught that we are to make as much money as possible, and to live a life that is not meant for us in desk jobs, or other such endeavors that push our creative selves into the shadows.

A singer or musician or songwriter who doesn’t sing or play music on a daily basis may start to feel unfulfilled or unsatisfied, as they work menial jobs while trying to break ground and move up the ladder of success in their careers. I look at these individuals as inspiring, because they are pushing themselves through rejection, writer's block, doubts, and the chance that they will not be received as well as they think they will. It is hours of love, and tears, and heartache, but they know their struggle is worth it, because creating a song that makes a connection with a listener is more important than their fears and insecurities. They know what they do might matter so much to someone that they keep going.

We are called to be who we are meant to be, but how do we dive deep into ourselves, and discover who we are? How do we make a life for ourselves in these creative careers? In my own endeavor as a writer, I know that it will not be easy. I started to think that pursuing this would be crazy, and I wanted to give up before I got started. I started to doubt myself. I question how important this is to me, but then I looked at my current circumstances, and realized I was living a life that was killing me. In the morning I felt nothing. It made me sick to force myself to go to work where my role was constantly questioned. I was bullied and felt insignificant and invalidated. I left work crying on a daily basis.

Are you a creative person locked in a career that doesn’t suit you? Are you a writer seeking more control over your life? Are you a singer/songwriter/musician trying to make your dreams come true? What does fulfilling you dreams, and being successful in these careers mean to you? How will it change your life? What do you do on a daily basis to push yourself through your doubts?

These are all of the thoughts that run through my own head. How do I break down my daily tasks into simpler tasks without feeling completely overwhelmed? There is no magic bullet that will push me towards fulfilling my life’s purpose. I know myself more than anyone else, and I know that I am the only one who can wake myself up and fall in love with life again.

If you are struggling right now, I get it. There are so many things that we are supposed to do each day. We are pulled in 50 different directions with people calling us, texting us, telling us we need to be here, and we need to be there. It is hard to pull it all together and push yourself towards living a more fulfilling life. There are only 24 hours in a day, and some of those hours are meant for sleep, and to recharge and refuel.

Take this time now to put yourself out there, and GO FOR IT. You want to feel alive, free, and loving every minute of this life. We all have dreams that are seemingly unrealistic, but how will we know what can happen if we never pursue them? A writer wakes up and writes, looking for inspiration wherever they can find it, a musician studies and practices their craft as much as they can, and other creative people do whatever it takes to make their dreams a reality.

I do not want to wake up every morning feeling dead inside, rushing to a job that doesn’t breathe life into my soul, fuel my fire, and make me happy. I want to feel like what I do and say matters. Let your passions make you uncomfortable. Start small. You don’t have to write a best-selling novel tomorrow, get a recording contract, have your art displayed in a museum, or your film made. None of these careers ever happen overnight. Push your doubts aside, and do not let the critics tell you your dreams are impossible. Hang around the doers, and the believers, and other creative people you can get feedback from. It will help you start where you are, and get to where you are going.

It is a constant struggle to feel like you are pursuing something you are truly passionate about and love. If you are like me, you are probably just living to please others, or do what your family or others want you to do. Write your novel, sing your songs, create beautiful stories that inspire, paint or draw, etc. Whatever you decide to do, do it with love.

If you relate to this, or have any other thoughts, please feel free to leave a comment, and let me know what you are pursuing, and how you are achieving these goals. I want to hear from you. And if you read this and were inspired, then I met my goal. Either way, I hope you found this helpful or informative.

Constructive criticism is valued and appreciated. I have nowhere to go but up. I’m at the bottom, working through the writer’s block, and pushing my own fears aside to pursue this insane dream.

Until next time.