(Alternative Title: Why Screwing Lingerie Models is NOT Why Kids Love Athletes)
“Dream as if you have forever. Live as if you only have today.” – James Dean
How often do you do what’s best for you? Do you do what you’re supposed to do or do you do what you want to do? Where do your life dreams fall into that?
In life, we are constantly being influenced to be something we don’t really want to do. The sad part is that we usually fall for it too. Does the following chronological life sound familiar…
How awesome does that sound? (Sarcasm for those who didn’t pick it up)
What we should be addressing is why it is so apparent to so many that this is wrong, yet few actually address their dreams the way they wish they would.
In the recent George Clooney flick Up in the Air, the main character fires people for other people. There’s definitely more to it than that, but I just want to identify one point he makes. Here are the lines that struck me the most…
Fired Employee: I don’t know. Cause they screw lingerie models.
Clooney: That’s why we love athletes. Kids love athletes because they follow their dreams.
Fired Employee: Well, I can’t dunk.
Clooney: No, but you can cook.
Fired Employee: What are you talking about?
Clooney: Your resume says that you minored in French Culinary Arts. Most students, they’ll work at the fryer at KFC, but you bussed tables at (Fill in name of French restaurant I couldn’t understand) to support yourself. And then you got out of college and you come and you work here. How much did they first pay you to give up on your dreams?
Fired Employee: $27,000 / year
Clooney: And when were you going to stop and come back and do what makes you happy.
Fired Employee: Good question
Clooney: I see guys who work at the same company for their entire lives. Guys exactly like you. They clock in, they clock out. And they never have a moment of happiness. You have an opportunity here Bob. This is a re-birth. If not for you, do it for your children.
(By the way….it’s a great movie so rent it)
George Clooney’s character is that little voice in the back of your head telling you to stop doing what they are telling you to do and start doing what you love. How often do we really listen to that voice?
One major reason many people do not listen to this voice is because people are scared. They are scared of the unknown. They are scared of insecurity. They are scared of being uncomfortable. All in all, people who stay at 9-5′s they hate are scared. I have been a scared person too. I have also been able to pull myself from the grasp of undesired conformity to accomplish the things I love. One action that definitely helped was knowing which direction I was going at all times. By knowing this, I never forgot about my dreams even when I was still doing what I just liked.
If you love the 9-5, then do that. If you love something other than that, than stop doing the 9-5. Just don’t be scared either way. It will all work at one way or another.
To set one’s self up to have the opportunity to do what they love, they must sacrifice…a lot. There are times you may have to go without the comforts of the steady paycheck, but by doing so you become a stronger person that is able to accomplish your dreams. Letting go of the things you somewhat like feels great when you are starting a new career as a Sports Illustrated body painter or .
The Simple Path
A way to do the things you love is to start simplifying and minimalizing the things you don’t. This includes the stuff you just like.
You can start by taking the physical items that aren’t unnecessary in your life and ridding them. However, the physical items are usually not the major issue. The major issue is the approach and attitude one takes in life. For example, I can throw away each one of my possessions and still have a mentatlity that causes me to re-consume stuff and waste time and money on things I don’t love. So, addressing the issue of clutter and chaos within will lead to a lifestyle that breeds success.
Taking a simplistic approach in life may sound like you are having to give up everything you have for one thing. This is absolutely not true. The things I do own, I love. The increased time I have by eliminating unnecessary actions allows me to have more of the things I love. It all comes back to the act of reducing the like’s and maximizing the love’s. You have to find the key to your own happiness.
Don’t Just Follow, Live Them
This post would not be of any value to you if I didn’t point a mirror at you and tell you to say the following:
If your dream is to be a world class fisherman, then at the least, put everything you have towards living that dream for some period of time. If you gave it your all and it doesn’t work out, then go and live the mediocre life you already were living. At least now, you can say you did everything you could to live your dream out.
In the Four Hour Work Week, Tim Ferriss discusses the worst case scenario theory when it comes to dreams. It goes something like this…
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the happiest), if you are a 5 right now, whats the worst thing that happens if you put a full faith effort towards following your dreams and you fail. You maybe fall to a 3 on the scale for a short period of time, then go back to doing what you were doing prior to the leap of faith and get back to your happiness level of 5. But, assuming you live out your dreams and make a career of it, now you are at a happiness level of 9 or 10 for the rest of your life.
What’s it going to be? Are you going to continue being ‘Just a 5′? Or are you going to do everything you can to be the happiest 9 or 10 there ever was?
David Damron
The Minimalist Path
Click here to get a copy of PROJECT M-31: Simply Your Life in 31 Days
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