Head First
For most of my life, I knew I should follow my head. I consistently made the practical, safe choices. I did what I was ‘supposed’ to do. Went to college, got a good job, built good credit, didn’t get arrested, avoided any major mistakes. I remember thinking in my early twenties, wow, I’ve done so well, I did everything right. The problem was that I had a good job that I didn’t really like and the thought of doing that for another 30 years was unbearable. I was really bored with life and constantly seeking distractions. Didn’t feel passionate about anything. I wanted more out of life, but I was afraid of making any mistakes. I wanted my own business but didn’t have the passion to start a business.
The heart follows
My friend always followed his heart. He wanted to be an artist and studied 2D animation at a time when 3D was exploding. He attended one school’s art program and quit after the first year because he didn’t like their program, I thought he was crazy. I think one of the teachers had told him not to focus on 2D animation and that upset him. Then he went to a really good art school for a semester but couldn’t continue because he had gone into debt and owed them money. Then he got into another really good art program and continued there.
You’re making a mistake
I remember watching all this and telling him, he should just get a degree, any degree. You can’t make a living as an artist. He struggled for so long, but he was passionate and didn’t give up. I was so excited for him when he graduated, but then he struggled to find good work. For some time he would work graveyard shift at an entry level wage converting 2D film to 3D, get laid off every summer and then rehired the next year.
For years he struggled, going from company to company, getting laid off every year. Trying to teach himself new software that would allow him to get hired at another new company. Now he is a very talented visual affects artist who works on feature films. All those years of struggle and following his heart eventually paid off. I see his success and wish that I had the courage to follow my passion when I was younger
Head vs. Heart
So, do you follow your heart, do what you love and risk having to struggle or do you follow your head and risk having no passion and doing something you don’t enjoy? My view on this has shifted completely over the last decade or so. Life without passion is empty and meaningless. There is no worthwhile goal that doesn’t involve a lot of struggle. You have to have a lot of passion to push through the struggle and you have to follow your heart to find passion.
I believe that our hearts are our best guide and that we must follow them courageously. Our heads keep us in check, but we can’t let them get in the way. We all have to find that balance for ourselves. I think the key is to challenge yourself continually to get out of your comfort zone and keep growing. If you have the passion to start a business but your head says no, check in with yourself and figure out what exactly is holding you back.
Living courageously
I felt stuck for so long. I couldn’t quit a good job, but I didn’t know what else to do. When I got laid off from my job after several years, something shifted in me. I was no longer afraid of failing, I was afraid of never trying. For the first time, I felt that I had been set free and given a chance to try something different. I took a huge risk and opened my own business.
It was completely out of character for me and it’s the best decision I ever made. I was finally doing something for my soul, I finally felt alive. I had the passion to start a business and I was finally able to see a path to doing actually doing it. Embarking on that path unlocked my desire to grow and learn everything I could about personal development and learning how to live my best life.
How to get started
I don’t think you should necessarily quit your job and follow your passion, it’s important to be responsible. It’s also important to feed your soul and realize that life is a journey. Thinking that you’ve ‘arrived’ or ‘made it’ is akin to thinking that your journey is over, that’s no way to live. A good way to start is to just get in the practice of challenging your limiting beliefs.
Everytime you catch yourself saying, ‘I can’t do that, I’m not athletic, I’m not outgoing, I’m not that type of person’, pause and challenge that belief. Realize that you may not ‘be athletic’ because you haven’t developed your athletic potential. You may not ‘be creative’ because you’ve constrained your creativity for many years. You may not ‘be the type of person’ who can do what you’ve always dreamed of doing because you’ve allowed fear to hold you back.
I spent so many years learning about starting a business, It wasn’t until my mindset shifted that I actually followed through and did it. There is so much great information available. I recommend finding a good program and checking it out. The program that Jeff Lerner has put together is really good. You can check it out at the link below.
