One of the things I hate about living in this capitalistic world where money is the only goal is that it stunts people so much. I remember when I was growing up, I wanted to be a writer so, so bad. I would come home from elementary school and power up one of those chunky, ancient dell computers, and would write little short stories about whatever I wanted. I invented people, places, and adventures, and it was revolutionary to me. I loved every second of it, and I wanted to feel that way for the rest of my life. Then, reality hit me. As I grew older, more people began to inquire about what I wanted to do, and let me tell you, everyone seemed to have an opinion on my future. They would tell me that editorial careers weren’t the best to go into, that I wouldn’t be making a lot of money, and that it was an unrealistic career choice. I had to grow up and figure out that I couldn’t always do what I wanted. The thing is, why can’t you?
Contrary to popular belief, a lot of people aren’t driven by money. Sure, money is an essential part of life since we need it to pay bills and such, but money shouldn’t be your reason to live. There are so many other wonderful parts to life, like family, friends, adventure, and passions. If there is something that you want to do, whether it be travelling the world, or starting up a music career, or building a career in writing, or anything, don’t let the world tell you that you can’t do it. Yeah, maybe people might think that it’s silly, or may laugh behind your back, but you are doing so much more than they are. You only have one life, shouldn’t you make it the best it can be? As long as you are smart about it, and plan ahead, you can do whatever you want to. How do you think people like Shakespeare, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Babe Ruth, and so much more became household names? Through commitment, passion, and courage to follow their dreams. Don’t let the world fool you, don’t let capitalism fool you. Even if it doesn’t work out, you will always know that you went for it, and that says more about you in terms of courage than most.
Now that I’m wiser and older, after many identity crises on trying to figure out who I am, I realize that decision isn’t for anyone to decide but me. I still deeply enjoy writing, and know that I want to write my own book one day. I also love music, and really want to dip my toes into that side of the spectrum as well. It makes me happy to have autonomy over what I want to do, and being able to tell people that no, when I think of my career, I’m not only focused on money. There’s more to life than that. While I make my way through college and my classes, I always have my passions in the back of my mind. No longer pushed away, no longer ruminating on the what if’s, but the next steps I’m going to take to accomplish my goals. So that thing that you like, that maybe you do during your down time but have always low-key wanted to do a little more than just during your downtime? Do it.