Ever heard of that saying “You only live once”? Or “Carpe diem”, “There’s no time like the present” or “just go for it”? I hear that little voice when I decide to randomly indulge in a new pair of shoes which are in the sale or when it comes to paying an extra tenner for drinks on a night out.
You’re probably like me, great at applying that saying for a good time or embracing your youth. But not so great when it comes to what you’re truly passionate about – that being the things that you really want but you’re scared to pursue.
For a long time I’ve been battling between going after what’s safe and stable and what really drives me in life. I’ve fallen into that trap of thinking if I achieve what is safe and have everything stable then I will finally have the time and deserve to do what makes me feel content and like I’m fulfilling my purpose.
That’s until I eventually realised I had it the wrong way round this entire time. After countless pitfalls and rejections from jobs that would be safe and stable and many frustrating experiences, I had realised I had mis-prioritised my life and forgotten the most crucial rule of life. The biggest investment I’ll ever make in this life is where I invest my time. It’s like in marriages, we think carefully before pursuing one because it’s a massive decision to spend the rest of your life with someone.
It’s not about chasing money, the comfy decor you’ll finally be able to afford, the pension plan or the holiday allowance. It’s about whether it’s worth investing our life in, is it worth building a life with, does it fulfil our emotional needs, will we still want to invest our energy into something that we can build an empire and leave a legacy with and does it inspire us to become a better version of ourselves? That’s the same way we should look at pursuing our careers. For a long time I’d fallen into the trap of thinking I had to chase stability because it’s what is safe.
Then, I had to face the reality that I was never designed for the safe life. The longer I kept trying to make it fit and be naive that once I had it I would then feel I could pursue my creative passions, the longer I kept miserably feeling and feeling less authentic within myself.
The most successful entrepreneurs and trailblazers such as Oprah Winfrey, Malala Yousafzai and Demi Lovato all have one thing in common. They all risked it all and lived on the wildside. They had no backup plan or safety net when it came to going after what they felt purpose in, or any set idea of what the outcome would be. But they did know that they were chasing something that was real and authentic to them and celebrated who they were. And that wasn’t sourced from money, recognition or perks. Yes, the rewards came later and the flashy highlight reel you see today but at the beginning they were no different than you or I, and just people working hard at what they were passionate about with no set outcome of what life was going to give them in return but believing it was leading them to be exactly who they were always meant to be. And that’s exactly what you are seeing me start to do.
A couple of days ago, me and the big guy upstairs had a deal – I was going to spend a year to fully put him first, pursue my own vision of what felt unshakeable and authentic to me (which is this little baby here), even if it scared me but I wasn’t going to chase safe anymore, I was going to live on the wildside. Considering that’s where my best work and biggest achievements took place, but there was this unnerving fear holding me back. But I realised that if I was going with God, then I really wasn’t going to regret it no matter what happened. This week is the first week of my contract with God and so far started off with the first two days crying but days like today I’m feeling more confident and ready to move forward.
Best,
Tasha
Espire21 