We get asked the question of what do we want to be when we grow up from an impossibly young age. When we are really little our answers are usually extraordinary. I want to be a blue boat. I want to be a princess. I want to go to space. I want to make delicious gluten free desserts (ok, maybe not). The older we get the more expectations tend to be put on us. Go to a good school, get good grades, go to a good university, graduate with a decent ( or better) GPA, become a doctor, lawyer, business person. Become an accountant. Set your goals so you can do all these things then perhaps marry another doctor, lawyer, business person. If your lucky, marry an accountant. Better yet, a civil servant. They have amazing pensions. Buy a house with 3 bedrooms for your 2 kids and get a hypo-allergetic dog. And this is OK. This is great. IF and only IF this is what truly makes you happy. This is what truly lights you up.
I had never really heard of following my bliss until I spent 200 hours with a tried and true blissologist. I had always felt uncomfortable and un motivated by expectations I didn't place on myself (but allowed to perpetuate by goal setting). I had always put off this lifestyle saying " oh i will go back to school after taking a year off", "I will be a lawyer but first I just want to try a few things on". Previously people had started to help me open up to the idea that there was more than just one way of doing things. One night we were sitting around the blissology table talking about 'what lights us up'. i was frantic with worry that I didn't have a 'good one'. People were passionate about a lot of things but I wasn't sure. I wasn't sure what really got me fired up. It came to me as a sudden winter storm on the ocean. I was truly living in the moment, truly inspired and happiest when I had a camera in my hands or I was inspiring others. These things got me talking with my hands, a sure sign that I am more excited than I can even let on through tone and facial expression. The more we talked about our bliss the more I could see people's true purpose in life. I could see what they were truly meant to do here.
To further my study of following my bliss I picked up a copy of Joseph Campbell's Power of Myth. He, as someone truly living bliss, or doing what he was meant to do, puts it all into perspective. His teachings put into perspective and added a level of academia to the discussion.
At the end of the day living a life following ones bliss is meaningful, it's powerful, it's FUN. And when all our goals align with our passion then... well then we almost have it figured out. Don't you think?
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