Don't Let Society Suck Away Your Passion
Having a surplus of gifts and talents seems cool and
exciting. You’ll never get bored, you’ll always have something new to talk
about, and you’ll always have something to look forward to. It is a dream come
true for some people but how are you going to follow the advice, “Focus on you
passion,” when there’s just too many things you want to do?
For most of us, this is an inevitable phase in high school
or college when you’re exploring a lot of things and deciding which one is
worth your time and energy. Some will be able to decide a little later and will
give up on all the other things they thought were their ‘passion.’ A few will
realize later on that they want to do more than one thing in their lives and
leaving something behind just isn’t an option.
“You have limited time.” “Focus on what’s important.” “Why
are you wasting your time in something that’s clearly just a hobby?” You must
have heard these a million times and you must be tired of hearing these things
already. Irritating, right? You’ll initially feel offended. These muggles will
make you feel guilty about what makes you happy. You’ll be conscious whenever
you put a blank canvass on your easel or take out your quill to set the mood
for your weekly writing session. After several gazes of disappointment and
suggestions on how you can use your time ‘more productively,’ your excitement
will falter and be overridden with anxiety. It will be harder for you to find a
conducive place to be creative because you’ll feel the stares of people around
you. You’ll eventually reach the dangerous place of actually believing these
people— that you’re wasting your time.
I only have limited time in this world. Indeed! That’s the
point. You have limited time in this world. Do you really want to spend it all
doing a single thing just because society tells you to? Your time on earth is
numbered but life isn’t exactly short, either. If Bill Gates has time to read
50 books per year and if Richard Feynman has time to draw portraits in between
his works as a theoretical physicist, then you have just as much time to pursue
whatever it is you want.
But I won’t improve if I keep dividing my time. Probably.
But there’s one thing more important that the amount of time you spend on
working. Dedication. Dedication to still pursue your passions even if you only
have ‘limited time’ for doing so. Cheryl Strayed, the author of “Wild,” said
that if you write once a month, you’ll have 12 days to write. And you can make
a lot of beauty in 12 days. Life is always hard and your schedule will always
be hectic. Not being able to paint every day doesn’t mean you’re not an artist.
Not being able to write a song in months doesn’t make you a fake musician.
Building a habit to work on something you care about is crucial but a habit
doesn’t need to be done every single day. It’s a matter of being true to
yourself, setting time for your craft IF AND WHEN YOU CAN, being true to that
promise and doing your best to pour your heart out on your art with the
‘limited time’ you have.
Don’t let the muggles in your life suck out the magic in
you. Life offers a lot of random shit. It offers platters of challenges, bills,
failures, screaming children, so in the rare occasion that it gives you the
chance to work on something you love, grab it and leave all the doubts behind.
See you all tomorrow.
Buh-bye.
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