It may seem difficult, and really... it can be. But following your own path is crucial to becoming happy and fulfilled. For it is those who seek what they want that will find it. Lovely and philosophical it is, but so true. Finding your own true path leads to great happiness in life, the question is: how do you find it?
By living life we come to conclude the things we like, the things we love and the things we don't like. This forms our patterns, habits and our desires. For it is that you know what you do want if you know what you don't want, there really is no other way to define what you want from life without living life.
Some people find these answers early on, same later... mostly depending on the experiences of the individual. The secret however (which is not really a secret) is to combine the things that you love doing and create a "job" out of it.
As we spend most of our time "working" or in other words: providing value to the community. It is very important to do the things you love to do OR you will gradually become "un-happy".... maybe not at first but in the long run it's inevitable. Most of our time our instinct signals us when this happens, may we listen we can adept and move to the thing that feels better.
BUT "it's not always that easy" for example: you just signed up as an employee for company X, you have been working there for three months but have come to the conclusion this is not the place to be. What do you do? You can't just leave after three months, so you stay. Is this the right decision?
Who knows, maybe it is...truly there is no "right" decision, in the end you just create more desire to find the thing you really want, living in the place you don't want to be. But what could be the real right decision there (if there were to be one), you likely already know the answer.
So why is it then that we procrastinate on this, is it fear of rejection, fear of standing out, the judgement of changing your mind quickly? (which is a strength) the answer to this lies within you, and only you can answer it.
Do however know that people really don't care that much about what you do or decide for yourself, at least not in the long-term. people could be aggravated or irritated that you made this decision for whatever reason. One of those reasons could be that you do what they wanted to do for a long time but simple did not dare.
Hurt people Hurt people. You never know what is going on in someone, so don't define what you think they think about you in the moment. Feel what you feel about you in the moment.
Like I just said, life is mostly about providing value for the community. No matter what shape or form, that's the reality we live in. You can make art to enhance the interiors of customers, you can provide your expertise to a company that needs it as an employee, you can design symbols, packaging and websites to help companies communicate, you can help design a house as an architect... the possibilities are endless (of course I tend to focus on creativity related topics).
So how DO you find the things you want from life and give back to the community. Sadly I can't give you a direct answer but not so sadly there is great benefit in that for you.
Simply write down the things that come into your mind with ease. (This could be swimming, filming, drawing, writing, going to the beach, playing video games, creating artwork, socializing, communicating etc.. )
Think about what you would want to do daily, to make a living. Write down why you would want to do this daily, and imagine how it would be living that life. (Maybe you can even combine some elements with each other to create something unique)
Maybe you have imagined this life before, but have not yet found a way to go on this journey, that's completely fine. It is important to make the decision that you will, and you can move from there. That's why we leave the how and when out of this equation, that will only cause resistance. For now it is important that you know what and why you want this.
If you have not been able to conclude what you really want, don't worry. Remember or go back to this list when you feel inspired to do so.
Let's say: you love to film as a hobby and you love to play a lot of videogames. What could you do to make a living out of this?
This subject is perfect for the time I am writing this, because the internet is full of possibilities, and this is the perfect example.
Nowadays people can make a living by playing video games in many different ways: it can be by making playthrough video's of new games, livestreaming on platforms, making game tutorials on Youtube, commenting or reviewing games, starting a podcast around gaming, becoming a pro player... the possibilities, again are endless.
You can create content and communicate with a specific audience that is attracted to this, create a following and move up the ladder from there. The internet deleted the word impossible.
AND the internet is full of content that helps you execute on this. You just need to type the right question in Google.
I myself have used this powerful tool to learn web-development, design and the basic branding skills. Accompanied with books written by the experts in these fields you should have all the information necessary to develop your skillsets.
However, don't forget you have to translate this information into knowledge by experience. Doing the things you learned in the real world. Which, from my perspective.. is the most fun part. Seeing the skills you have learned "by yourself" develop over time, experimenting with different subjects and communicating with your clients or audience.
It's Great.
This truly counts for any expertise and hobby, there are so many people sharing their best information for free in blogs, on Youtube, Skillshare and many other platforms.
Throw the word impossible into the trashcan and never look back, believe in the possibility of your dreams. Opportunity is everywhere as long as you know where to look and ask the right questions.
Start with the concept you have laid out, experiment and define if this is the thing you really want to do. Only experience will tell you and listen to your gut feeling. Maybe the subject itself is perfect, but the defined thing you are doing within this subject is not your style. If you notice this, redirect and adept.
There is no single way to success and accomplishing what you want to achieve. Learn something about the subject at hand and apply it, and go on from there. You don't need to learn everything at once, just start and take baby steps. Overtime, when consistently applied you will grow in knowledge, experience and will to succeed, naturally.
Those who choose to walk down a different path are the ones that gain the most, in some cases that is. But is it truly about walking a different path or is it just about following your own? No matter what you do in life, you are the only one who truly knows where the next step should lead to. So, lead you own way.
All the love, all the power.
