Following your heart can be hard to do, especially when it feels like the world never seems to be on your side. Society constantly reminds us that we may fail, we may get rejected, something may go wrong down the line that destroys absolutely everything we’ve worked for thus far. Maybe listening to our gut could be the wrong decision. This could be the wrong path, this isn’t the lifestyle for me, this isn’t practical.
This isn’t practical.
Maybe at this point you think I’m writing another “cheesy, satirical follow your heart” story and maybe I am. But maybe I’m not. Maybe I’m writing a “new year, new you” story that preaches the idea of making this enormous change in your life the moment 2016 starts and all is fine and dandy and you somehow find your calling after reading this. Maybe I’m writing a “one time I followed my dreams” story that ends in me giving you a fairytale ending and you’re so heart warmed that you decide to get up and follow your heart and expect the same ending. Or maybe I’m writing a story that starts at the beginning of such a journey, and I’m in the same boat as you. I have no idea what could happen if I follow my outrageous dreams.
I want to be a writer, I want to write a book someday and along the way I want to inspire just one person with my words. I want someone to come to me before I die and say that my writing inspired them and changed their life, and if I can influence at least one person so strongly I will be satisfied. I don’t quite know how to do that, however, seeing as I just became a legal adult recently. I have my drivers license but I still don’t know how to make scrambled eggs that my roommate will eat without spitting out in disgust. I live on my own but I still wait until the morning I wake up without underwear to decide that it’s probably time to do my laundry. But I still dream of graduating college and getting a job and getting married and writing stories that eventually succumb to a novel and walking down the street and being recognized and told that I inspired someone.
This isn’t practical.
But in the 1800’s do you think that Thomas Edison was described as “practical” when he invented the lightbulb? Do you think that in the 1700’s Sir Isaac Newton was characterized as “practical” when he ran around describing gravity after being hit in the head by an apple? Probably not, but certainly the Wright Brothers were practical when they presented the idea of a contraption that flies in the sky carrying people, today called the airplane. Even more practical than that was Bill Gates sitting in his garage building something called a computer that would eventually connect people all over the world in the internet.
Totally practical.
Not.
Amazing things and amazing ideas come from amazing people who aren’t afraid to stand out. Revolutionary changes and movements happen when people embrace their words and passions and trust in the crazy ideas that flow through their brain each day. Extraordinary results do not come from ordinary people. People like these are talked about so often because they were one of a kind, and they weren’t afraid of the chains of society dragging them down. Thomas Edison failed about 1,000 times in inventing the lightbulb. Bill Gates’ first attempt at a computer failed. But imagine what type of a world we would be living in if Thomas Edison had given up at attempt 999, or if Bill Gates had stopped trying to build a software called Microsoft because it didn’t work and people laughed? Do you really think these people cared about being impractical?
It’s so much easier to speak these words and listen to these stories than to actually follow the example that they set, obviously. If it were easy to live this out imagine how much more thriving our world would be. Imagine the type of society we would live in if out-of-the-box ideas were embraced and no one was self-conscious about bringing their own new words to the table. What if we didn’t shut people down? What if we cheered for failures as much as we did successes just to keep people going? Maybe thats the way we need to live. After a failure, look in the mirror and smile and scream proudly to the world that you failed because that means you’re just one step closer to succeeding. The further you dig the closer you get to the diamonds, and who doesn't love diamonds?
God spent so much time planning your life, so trust him. If you’re feeling compelled to call that girl, do it. If writing music gives you butterflies in your stomach, do it. Do everything with extreme passion and believe in the power of God to create a marvelous life for you. Maybe you think He didn’t plan something that spectacular for you but I promise He did. I promise that no matter what you will end up on the path you’re supposed to be on, but you don't know what that path is. And the only way to find out is to take the chances that are put in front of you and try saying “yes” once in a while. Try being spontaneous and having faith in what lies ahead. Even the smallest choices get you to where you’re supposed to be. And even the worst things that happen to you, the things that tie your stomach into knots and cause tears to flow for what feels like an eternity, those things are supposed to happen because they still lead you to where you’re supposed to end up. If you have a feeling about something, go for it. It’s okay to not always be sure if the butterflies are right. Just trust it. Find the journal you wrote in as a kid and go be the superstar of your world. Do what you’ve always loved and define yourself by the things that make you different. Write down all of your ideas and never forget about the things that make your blood flow a little bit faster. Go out into the world and never do tedious work, instead do what gives you endorphins because I guarantee if you love what you do then you will never work a day in your life.
That isn’t practical.
Forget practical. It’s time to replace practical with passion, and replace ordinary with extraordinary. Color outside the lines and speak what’s dwelling in your heart. I can’t promise that it will be easy, but so far, the effort has brought so much more joy than doing anything normal.
“Go be the you I created,” whispers God, as He nudges you toward your dreams.
