Yeah yeah, everyone says “follow your dreams,” “chase your dreams.” I say, don’t follow your dreams, don’t chase your dreams, BE YOUR DREAMS. BE YOUR F**KING DREAMS. Conveniently, all dreams start right in the middle of something, like right now. Relax and get familiar with your environment. Let the rest come to you.
Because what do you gain from chasing? You just pass up all the other opportunities that you could be focused on if you were already living your dream. What do you do when you follow? You don’t lay out your own path that your dreams need to breathe. Don’t follow. Don’t chase. Live.
For the people who are just graduating (or anyone in general), I challenge you to try your own thing – even if it’s on the side. Being like everyone else won’t do you a damn thing, and it’s the last thing you need in your career. And (2nd worst case, because it’s worse if you don’t even try, but) if you FAIL, you can fail fast – when the stakes are low, when you don’t have a family to take care of, when you don’t have a house you need to pay off, and when you still have time and energy. It’s the best time to fail. If you DO have a family or other responsibilities, use these responsibilities to propel your dreams. You can have your aspirations revolve around your family or house in whatever ways you like. This way, your dreams follow YOU.
There’s always a vantage point found in the midst of any roadblock you encounter; use your mind to creatively think and uncover these hidden Easter eggs. Also, you can use any moment as an excuse to accomplish something… “I’m going to use getting groceries today as an excuse to go paint this picture I’ve been wanting to…” it doesn’t have to make sense for you to be productive, and you don’t have to have it all figured out. It’s impossible to have it all figured out. There’s too many unexpected roadblocks. So if you can adapt and see how these roadblocks can be used to your advantage, you can maximize on the experience in the time you had and better yourself exponentially. It’s not “the glass is half-full,” or “the glass is half-empty.” It’s “What is this glass filled with, how can I use it in this situation I’m in, and what can the glass itself be used or combined with to make better?” Once you can see these new ways of thinking, roadblocks add to the fun, and besides, who wants a path where everything is laid out for them? The people who win the lottery and instantly tear down all roadblocks to get everything they’ve ever wanted are some of the most unhappy people to walk the Earth.
So if you have big dreams, start living large. I know there’s plenty of things out there that you like yet haven’t explored. Today is your ideal time to go out, play around, and give something a shot no matter what obligations you may have tomorrow. If your obligations are soooo extremely pressing, try something new on the way. Listen to new music, listen to old music, listen to a 10 hour trap remix of Charlie Brown’s Grandma talking. That’s how I ended up with this picture… (listening to old music, not Charlie’s grandma. Pretty sure the song that had this speaker slappin was On My Level by Wiz Khalifa – just another example of the potential of a moment when you’re on your level). You never know what adventures may await you, so it’s best to live them while you want to.
