Eventually, you will have to make peace with the version of yourself you will never be.
With your childhood dreams. With what your family wanted for you. With what you never liked and got inculcated with anyway simply because you were born there. With what has changed and will not come back.
It’s a huge challenge, probably one of the biggest one you’ll face.
What you are not, you simply are not.
If someone would look at you now, what would they see?
If they would check on you while you are working, relaxing, exercising, parenting, leading, what feeling would they be left with?
If they would have a chance to take a peek at you when no one else is watching, what would they learn?
This is the compassionate responsibility to try and be your better self at all times, it is not the merciless burden that makes you give up.
And it does matter.
When you do something praiseworthy, you will get approval.
The feedback you get is going to make you feel good, and possibly you will set out to do some other things that will be worth the praise of your peers and audience.
Are you in it for the doing or for the approval?
That is a silly question to ask, because most likely you have mixed motives.
The question to ask, instead, is: would you do it anyway if there was no approval?
That’s how you define passion.
One of the biggest and most painful mistakes you can make is to believe it is about you.
Things happen all the time, people have thoughts and feelings that make them behave one way or the other, words are said and opinions expressed more than we can appreciate. And it is not about you.
Making it personal is the opposite of committing. It is a way to hide, to postpone, to not do.
It is also a strong instict, as each one of us is the main character to their own story.
Just keep it under control.
Having a path to follow, something you dedicate time consistently, does not mean you will not have doubts.
There will be times when you will question your choices. There will be plenty of alternatives. There will be many reasons why you should change. Actually, there will only be rare occasions when you will feel completely convinced that what you are doing is exactly what you should be doing.
Unless your doubts turn into pain – physical or emotional -, or unless they prove real – with data or facts to support them -, the best thing you can do with it is embrace it. Doubt is part of doing. More often than not, it tells you are on the right path. It can be additional motivation.
You can’t eradicate doubt, so try to make friends with it.
You've got this 