The Passion of being Alive

Isn’t is funny how in a world of so, so many people, everyone is unique in their own way. We are born with different callings and desires. They say as children we know clearly what we want. Sadly, as we grow and become adults, these things somehow drift away from us.

There is something about our passions, that despite how everybody dreams of very different things, we all seem to have in common that we believe that what we most want is out of our reach.

When I finished school, I wanted to travel the world. I thought it would be difficult to save the money to do so, but I hadn’t known or expected how harsh the disapproval of my outside world would be. People told me I shouldn’t travel, because I would get so used to enjoying life that I wouldn’t come back to study and find a job that I could do for the rest of my life. For a seventeen year old, this was some really harsh ideology that people were trying to stuff down my throat. And to this day, I find it to be a weird concept of life. I am thankful that I had the strength to not believe the lies these people did believe.

I wonder why it is that we think that true accomplishment is unachievable. It really doesn’t make sense, given the fact that most things we are capable of envisioning, are already existent in some way or other. So our dreams cannot be completely unrealistic.

When we put a lock on our dreams and decide that we will never attain them, it is impossible to completely remove your passion from your heart. This will lead you to living in fear of happiness and despising anything that you may actually want. Living by somebody else’s blueprint doesn't guarantee your success when you have disabled your own inner calling. When we decide to abandon our dreams, we live a life of disappointment, jealousy and negativity.

They were right when they said I would get used to enjoyment. But that is the only thing they were right about. I got so used to enjoyment that I decided that wherever life takes me, I will make happiness a priority. Yes, I did travel for a lot longer than anticipated but that never negatively affected me, on the contrary..

Everything that is worth having requires a certain willingness to take a risk. Taking a leap and discovering what comes after what you were familiar with is highly rewarding. Because seeing your own visions turn into reality is the most empowering thing ever. And even though it’s so cliché, never having tried is far worse than losing.

After nearly 2 years of backpacking, I realised that I now wanted something else. With much appreciation for the experience I decided to tackle my next dream which was to become a professional dancer, and after one term at dance college, I realised that it still wasn’t exactly what I wanted, but what I did want was now more clear to me than ever. With much appreciation for the experience I decided to tackle my next dream.

I’m not going to lie. Sometimes our dreams are very difficult to pursue, sometimes it’s the wrong time and place. I don’t believe chasing dreams means you have to risk everything and be prepared to lose it all. But it does mean to keep your dreams alive, being prepared to move towards your goal whenever the possibility arises. And most importantly, being able to adapt. Sometimes opportunities present themselves in ways we never would have imagined. It’s a problem when you declare the things that spark happiness to be impossible.

I am no expert, wizard or fortune-teller. I am not particularly old or wise either. But let me asure you, that there is no correct way to live. Life is uncertain and everybody is on their own personal quest. People are so quick to give us advice about the cruel reality, without understanding that they may be true, but only for them. We have no better option than to follow our own hearts, to be optimistic, maybe even a little silly. At the end of the day, everything will work out some way or other.

The possibilities and opportunities I have had, just for being at the right place at the right time, combined with a little bit of my personality and positivity, is something that was never written in the books. Let your heart guide you to the meaning of your life.

Thank you very much for reading this. I hope you feel empowered to make yourself happy. If you know somebody that should read this, please send it to them. I am very grateful for your support. With Love, Gabriella.