Why is it that our society clearly celebrates the chance takers, yet we rarely encourage one another to take chances–especially those people closest to us?
Almost all your favorite artists quit the traditional to pursue their dreams. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates dropped out of college to pursue their passions. Regardless if you wanna be in art, or film, or accounting, or a pro athlete, the story is the same.
Go tell your husband that you’re quitting your well paying job to pursue a career in video and film. Or go tell your parents you’re dropping out of college to pursue photography full time and see what they say.
I’m not saying quit your day job on the spot. But I do find it strange that our culture by-and-large celebrates those people who have taken non-traditional paths to success, but yet it rarely encourages people to take those same paths when success is only a distant dream.
What is wrong with us?
Take that chance. And encourage others in your life to do the same.
Brilliantly insightful post Chase. I thought of this the other day aswell, and still being a high-school student myself and I’m considering pursuing my passion of photography after graduation… It seems that society is against me, constantly urging me to take the less adventurous but more stable path and to get a degree to work a well paying job that probably won’t bring me as much satisfaction.
Work is called work for a reason. Get a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.
I love this post. It couldn’t have happened at a more appropriate time as I contemplate this very action!! Is the Universe telling me something?
I’m 24. I left a $1000/week job to study full time. I survived on tinned tuna and instant noodles for about 3 years.
Now I work for a major newspaper as a staff photographer. I have been approached by two other papers with possible job opportunities.
Go for it. But it’s a dog eat dog world. I’ve seen many people fail. I still can’t believe where I am. I take nothing for granted.
Great post Chase. For those of you who are down and a bit afraid right now I can tell you from experience that Failure is Never fatal. In fact what people call failure is not failure at all. I’ve been flat broke twice, survived cancer and lost every member of my family by the time I was 35. The only way you can fail is by quitting.
The reality is that other than your very close friends and family no one in the world cares about what you are doing. They don’t! So who are you trying to fit in with, or impress, or make happy?
As Johann Wolfgang von Goethe reminds us:
“Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it.”