Choose to Take the Journey

“When you’re not practicing, remember that someone somewhere is practicing, and when you meet him he will win.”
-Ed Macauley

I believe most people have 2 goals in life. A professional goal, usually the one that pays the bills. And a creative goal, an artistic pursuit like writing, or music, or photography–what most people call their “dream.” While some people are lucky enough to live their dreams and get paid for it, those stories are regrettably rare. The vast majority of people either choose to become starving artists or eventually give up on their dreams altogether as the demands of the real world become too loud to ignore.

To live our dreams, we need to work at it. We must go through the motions regardless of how we feel and regardless of circumstances.

When we wake up to go to work, do we ever really feel like going? We do it because we have to make money and pay the bills. We do it because we are afraid of getting fired. We do it even if the world around us is in chaos. Because we have to survive.

We can bring the same hardened attitude to our creative endeavor. When play becomes work, things get done. We no longer play the game; we work it. This is when we dominate the competition, when workers leave players gagging on their dust. That feels great, doesn’t it?

At the same time, it’s also important to strike a balance. To bring some element of play back into our work. We have to put in the hours anyway. The least we can do is make the time more enjoyable. When I write, nothing beats a cappuccino on a Sunday morning or a glass of pinot grigio on a Wednesday night.

As for your hobby, keep it as is. Just a hobby. Something that you don’t have to be the best at. Something in which you never need to succeed. Enjoy your hobby for what it is–satisfaction without a deadline.

//How do YOU make your work more enjoyable?  I’d love to hear about it.  Leave your comments below.