I’ve been struggling the past few days with the concept of following your passion. In the pursuit, you will gain so much in return but the journey will also be very lonely since you will be doing much of it on your own.
I’ve been discovering just how lonely this pursuit can be. I don’t go out drinking with friends. I practice for hours on my own. I go on long trips by myself. From the outside, people see my accomplishments and are proud of me and are happy for me. But what they don’t see is just how much you have to give up in order to achieve something.
I’ve always loved sports and most of those sports were team sports. You achieved something together – you could celebrate victory together or mourn defeat together. But, when you choose to go out on your own and do what you truly love, who is there to cheer you along and celebrate with you?
I am starting to see why celebrities and athletes at the top of their game will do things that others deem wrong. When you do so much great, it’s a hard fall on those down times. The highs are very high and the lows are very low.
I’ve had a few things in the back of my mind. One is a quote and the other is a scene from a movie.
The quote is:
It’s ok to think about what you want to do…until it’s time to start doing what you were meant to do.
I’ve always known what I wanted to do. Play sports. That’s never been a question in my mind. But as to what I’m meant to do – I don’t know. I feel like the past 10 1/2 years I’ve been floating around sort of lost. Losing my mom in 2001 was the hardest thing that could have ever happened to me. I feel like the past year I’ve finally been able to start feeling more “normal” again but it’s a very difficult process to go through something so sudden, so unexpectedly and at such a young age (I was only 18).
The scene from a movie is from Men in Black:
Kay walks over to Dee, who sits sullenly. Dee says that it didn’t use to happen. He looks up at the stars and says that they’re beautiful. Accepting his imminent retirement, he tells Kay that he’ll miss the chase, Kay gives him presents for retired dads because that was what he was for him. Kay puts on his sunglasses, sets the neuralizer to 1961, and replies, “No Dee, you won’t”, and then flashes the neuralizer.
Have you had a moment like that before? When you look up at the stars and see beyond them – realize that there is so much more out there that you’re capable of and could be doing? Or do you look up, see them for their beauty and go back to your life, being happy in what you’re doing?
I tend to overthink but at the same time, it’s gotten me where I am so I don’t regret it.
However, I’m curious how you approach moments like this in your life?
Funny… I can relate. But following your passion doesn’t have to be lonely. For me it just means focusing on a few key people who’re there with me for the long haul. Whether I’ve been caught up with following my dreams, taking a break to recuperate, whatever, there are a handful of folks in my life that haven’t left my side. From recovering from my bro’s death in 2004 to making the changes in my life that are putting me on a similar pursuit, I do my best to make sure that the people that matter… those that are cheering me on along the way, also make their way into the list of things I’m passionate about… and thus, it’s a whole lot easier to still live passionately without feeling like I’m doing it all by myself. Because I’m not… and neither are you Rob.
Very well said Wendy :)I can honestly say that you are one of the people I consider to matter in my life and sometimes I find it hard to involve people that matter in what I do but I’m going to get better at it – by inviting them out and sharing with them what I do :)I also feel that we can connect because we’ve both lost someone close to us and until you go through that, it’s only something that you can get a sense of by watching movies. In real life….so much more difficult.
@wjpeters I agree…just tough figuring out how to balance it all. And plus, I do love throwing so much that I do it on my own a lot of the time – it’s like my form of meditation :)When I’m back…blueberries and raspberries for sure 🙂
I have been prone to overthinking – paralysis by over analysis – but have started to trust my gut feelings more.
@Charlotte74 Yes, I have had moments in life where I find I have to step back and try to just let things flow…like water…instead of over analyzing everything.
Sometimes I dream big, but to realize later that aiming for more makes my life miserable. Trying to reach something I am not bound to get. So I just let my life live the way where I find happiness. Simple life brings happiness in me.
@LauLau81 If I’ve learned anything, it’s that although it can be scary at first, doing what you love and following your passion will have its setbacks along the way, but ultimately, you will be rewarded with so much more than you ever dreamed possible…the proof comes from doing what you believe to be good work and what makes you happy 🙂
I’ve spent the last few days creating a mission statement for my life. Out of it, I’m also examining a lot of the words in my current vocabulary. Take “setbacks”, for instance. To me, a setback connotes something negative, something that’s standing in the way of where I am and what I want. But what if it’s merely just a learning experience? It’s another tool to show us where we may need to create more support or shows us something else we didn’t realize is an important part of our journey when we first started out (or an excuse for us to remain distracted). Anyway, there are lots of different ways of framing it. I guess for me the question then becomes: “Do I choose to have my path be hard and full of struggles? Or do I choose to live my life passionately, with ease and grace?” Neither is right or wrong, but there’s definitely one that resonates more with me than the other.@ultimaterob @LauLau81
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