I’m sure you’ve sensed it, maybe you’ve never been able to put it to words. But, there’s a certain amount of heartache that comes with doing what you love.
To pursue what makes you happy, means suffering for it. Because people who are too scared to do it themselves will resent you for it, and some will even hope you will fail. Embrace that hate. It means your on you’re on the right path (link to the Road Less Traveled).
Embrace The Hate
For example, I was chatting to a musician from the Middle East a few weeks ago on Facebook. He was talking about the frustration he felt from this very thing. The conversation went something like this:
Him: I’m different.
Me: What do you mean?
Him: What other people like I don’t like. My teacher asks me what I want to do and I say ‘drummer’ but they say ‘I don’t think it’s good to be a drummer. You can choose doctor or engineer’ but I don’t want to be a doctor, etc.
Me: There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m the same way. People that think differently change the world. Know what I mean?
Him: Yes, but I can’t find anyone that thinks like that. I think you have a good way of thinking about this.
Me: It’s the truth. If you believe your purpose is to play music, then you got to do it. You’ll make the world a better place. Most people listen to the advice of your teacher and look back on their life and realize it was wasted.
Him: Thank you so much, bro!
And I knew exactly what he was feeling.
I Know What You’re Going Through
When I left my job, I knew what people were saying. That I was irresponsible, that I was leaning on my wife to do all the work while I stayed at home and played around. They didn’t know that I worked 14 hour days, sometimes 48 hours straight, paving the way for her to leave her job, too.
They’d ask questions, aimed at seeing if what they were betting on happening would happen. That I made the wrong decision and should’ve played it safe, stayed at my job and gone back to school to get a degree.
They wanted to validate that the fears they use to justify not doing what they love themselves were true. They we’re wrong. And everyone who’s ever criticized you was wrong too. Make sure it stays that way.
You Gotta Pay The Price
When it comes to “doing what you love”, you gotta pay the price. Not just with enduring the attacks and criticisms, but with the pain you’ll experience while recreating yourself. You’ve got to be constantly learning new things and applying them; letting go of your old beliefs, habits, and the way things “ought to be.”
“You must unlearn what you have learned”
~ Yoda
You gotta learn to solve your own problems and make things happen for yourself. Don’t wait for anybody to do anything for you with the hope that you won’t have to learn new things or get out of your comfort zone.
That’s not paying the price. And everyone else will have been right about you. Don’t give them that satisfaction. Let this be your mantra: “if it’s meant to be, it’s up to me”.
Make “doing what you love” your only option. Then put all your energy into making it happen.
And above all, when something goes wrong, blame only yourself. Don’t dare point a finger at anybody else. But don’t beat yourself up.
Learn from every failure instead and never repeat it. Do that, and your success will not be a question of if, but of when.
Will It Happen Quickly?
I don’t know how long it will take you. It took me 15 years of failure before I became humble enough to learn from my mistakes instead of blaming others or making excuses.
I learned 3 lessons. Had I not learned them, I would still be crawling around in attics everyday for a paycheck. I share what I learned in my eBook: Turning Failure Into Fuel – 3 Essential Lessons To Play Music Full-Time. You can download it by clicking the link below and entering your email address.
Download The eBook
Who knows. This time next year, you could experience what it feels like to wake up every morning on your own terms. Instead of snoozing the alarm clock and wishing for the weekend. I can tell you, waking up to do what you love everyday, man, it feels great.
