The funny thing about starting a new pursuit in life, is where to begin. You know you can’t go back. You feel awkward in the place you are standing. Yet still, you have no clear indication of where you are heading…you just know that you are heading somewhere, someplace; new. I read a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson that in nutshell says, “Whatever you do you need courage…” There is more to the quote but bottom line: nothing gets done without courage and you taking your first step.
The journey of life isn’t just about the destination but more about the motion, the movement, and no journey begins by standing still.
Of course we can let others paralyze us with fears, imagined or perceived. We can allow their critical eyes to cast doubts on our own convictions. I have found that when other people tell you why you should not make waves, tell you how to follow your heart, condemn your desire to follow your dreams, it’s not because they are worried about the mistakes you’ll make. Everybody makes mistakes. They are actually voicing their own fears, misgivings and regrets for not doing the same; taking action, following their own dreams or convictions, or remaining in a place or place in their life, that they know they’ve outgrown or were never welcomed, in the first place.
For whatever reason, they found themselves in a rut; a comfortable, predictable rut and stayed there, and how dare you find the will, the courage to chase your dreams! You can empathize, really. Maybe they wanted to be a ballerina but let someone tell them they didn’t have the body type for it. Maybe they wanted to start a business, but let someone tell them they didn’t have the education for it. Whatever happened to discourage their own attempt, they got caught off guard by the questioning of the individual or individuals that lacked the courage to do their own thing, and allowed those voices to dim the hope they nurtured for themselves. They might have got caught slipping, but you nor I have to.
Even with all that background noise, it’s never too late to start over, start fresh, turn a page or turn a corner. If the thought of chasing your dreams feels uncomfortable then good; at least it feels. It means you are not numb. Living a life without feelings isn’t living. Emotions can be a great motivator or dictator, whichever you give in to. It is okay to feel something: anger, sadness, anxiety, hope, love, understanding, compassion and yes, sometimes, fear. However, out of all the things you may find yourself feeling, the one emotion to look out for, the one feeling to stand up against, is hopelessness.
Once you start down a road that leads to hopelessness, then fear and doubt will want to tag along and those two will feed off of you until it becomes an incessant, consuming hunger. So how do you combat hopelessness in the midst of your journey?
If you have a passion in life, do it. If you don’t know where to begin, start with a book about the subject. Ask others that are following their passion. Strive for it. Don’t give up. Your critics will always have something to say, but it’s not what they say, it’s what they do. And if all they are doing is trying to discourage you from following your own path? They aint doing shit…just full of it. Actions have and always will speak louder than words and will always say more about the person or people you surround yourself with.
So, put away anything that does not nourish your soul, or your dreams. Surround yourself with positive inspiration and positive people. You will find that you can be your own worse critic so why be bothered with any other critical assed folks? Instead, feed your heart and mind with creativity…and whatever you do: don’t quit your daydreams.
Mimi Tulane 