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In reply to the discussion: Professor: ‘Follow your dreams’ is cruel advice [View all]HughBeaumont
(24,461 posts)73. The Onion: Turning Satire Off For a Bit . . .
http://www.theonion.com/articles/find-the-thing-youre-most-passionate-about-then-do,31742/
I have always been a big proponent of following your heart and doing exactly what you want to do. It sounds so simple, right? But there are people who spend yearsdecades, eventrying to find a true sense of purpose for themselves. My advice? Just find the thing you enjoy doing more than anything else, your one true passion, and do it for the rest of your life on nights and weekends when youre exhausted and cranky and just want to go to bed.
snip
Say, for example, that your passion is painting. Well, what are you waiting for? Get out there and buy a canvas and some painting supplies! Go sign up for art classes! And when you get so overwhelmed with your job and your personal life that you barely have enough time to see your girlfriend or boyfriend or husband or wife, let alone do anything else, go ahead and skip classes for a few weeks. Then let those paint brushes sit in your room untouched for six months because a major work project came up and you had a bunch of weddings to go to and your kid got sick and money is tighter than you thought it would be and you have to work overtime. And then finally pick those brushes back up again only to realize youre so rusty that you begin to question whether this was all a giant waste of time, whether you even want to paint anymore, and whether this was just some sort of immature little fantasy you had as a kid and that maybe its finally time to grow the fuck up, let painting go, and join the real world because, lets face it, not everyone gets to live out their dreams.
Not only does that sound fulfilling, but it also sounds pretty fun.
Really, the biggest obstacle to overcome hereaside from every single obligation you have to your friends, family, job, and financial futureis you. And Ill tell you this much: You dont want to wake up in 10 years and think to yourself, What if I had just gone after my dreams during those brief 30-minute lunch breaks when I was younger? Because even if it doesnt work out, dont you owe it to yourself to look in the mirror and confidently say, You know what, I gave it my best half-hearted shot?
snip
Say, for example, that your passion is painting. Well, what are you waiting for? Get out there and buy a canvas and some painting supplies! Go sign up for art classes! And when you get so overwhelmed with your job and your personal life that you barely have enough time to see your girlfriend or boyfriend or husband or wife, let alone do anything else, go ahead and skip classes for a few weeks. Then let those paint brushes sit in your room untouched for six months because a major work project came up and you had a bunch of weddings to go to and your kid got sick and money is tighter than you thought it would be and you have to work overtime. And then finally pick those brushes back up again only to realize youre so rusty that you begin to question whether this was all a giant waste of time, whether you even want to paint anymore, and whether this was just some sort of immature little fantasy you had as a kid and that maybe its finally time to grow the fuck up, let painting go, and join the real world because, lets face it, not everyone gets to live out their dreams.
Not only does that sound fulfilling, but it also sounds pretty fun.
Really, the biggest obstacle to overcome hereaside from every single obligation you have to your friends, family, job, and financial futureis you. And Ill tell you this much: You dont want to wake up in 10 years and think to yourself, What if I had just gone after my dreams during those brief 30-minute lunch breaks when I was younger? Because even if it doesnt work out, dont you owe it to yourself to look in the mirror and confidently say, You know what, I gave it my best half-hearted shot?
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I like the advice I saw recently here on DU (from a different commencement speaker).
Laelth
Jun 2013
#54
today's kids can forget about creativity, fun, passion, and dreams. They don't teach those things
liberal_at_heart
Jun 2013
#42
Hear, hear. We are witnessing what a sad and hopeless place the world is when
Egalitarian Thug
Jun 2013
#89
+1. working class kids are fed all sorts of unrealistic crap & thrown into the workplace.
HiPointDem
Jun 2013
#36
You and your son are likely to get another lesson in reality, I'm sorry to say. n/t
Egalitarian Thug
Jun 2013
#90
You're right, it doesn't eliminate capitalism (if only it were that simple), but we do it because
Egalitarian Thug
Jun 2013
#95
Fuckin' a right, hunter! I followed my dreams and my life is, and has been, total ass kickin'
Zorra
Jun 2013
#35
Another academic advocating for post secondary education's devolution into overpriced
Egalitarian Thug
Jun 2013
#10
well obviously she is right - at least for the overwhelming majority of people
Douglas Carpenter
Jun 2013
#25
I say pursue your interests... At this point, picking the "right" major is pretty much a crapshoot.
reformist2
Jun 2013
#40
She's right. And you dreams should have nothing to do with which degree you pursue. nt
Pragdem
Jun 2013
#43
It's the private college in Los Angeles where Barack Obama went from '79 to '81! n/t
alp227
Jun 2013
#99
Oh magical thyme (((hugs))). You know my husband was one of the "lucky few"
riderinthestorm
Jun 2013
#93
Good luck! I know many people make extra bucks with prospects that fall through the cracks
riderinthestorm
Jun 2013
#105
That is basically my situation right now. The other thing I would advise is...
stevenleser
Jun 2013
#102
"Is a dream a lie if it don't come true, or is it something worse?" -- Bruce Springsteen. nt
raccoon
Jun 2013
#68
Dynamic balance + Isn't it to be expected that a dysfunctional culture would produce inflated
patrice
Jun 2013
#76
"Follow your dreams" isn't only about getting a job, it is about living a good life.
cbdo2007
Jun 2013
#81
Without a roof over your head and food to eat, there's nothing to strive for either...
YoungDemCA
Jun 2013
#86
The issue is that we a society and system that equates happiness with wealth and status...
YoungDemCA
Jun 2013
#85