See, the plan was to live a freedom-filled, successful life, fit for a creative. I saw myself as a humble, jet-setting hippie who lived in a gorgeous loft, answered to no one, but loved everyone.
By young adulthood, my dream shifted. I would be retired by age 35, being successful enough to sustain my creative lifestyle. Freedom, Success, Creative, Life; what a dream!
Anyway, 10 years behind on this goal, I felt like a complete failure. Although, I did all that was expected of me -- I played by the rules, I was good, went to college, stayed out of trouble, got employment, bought a house, payed my taxes.... I knew something was missing.
Were there things I could have done differently? I'm sure. I can list several reasons why my dream didn't come true, as I'd "planned", but in efforts to climb out of the hole of self-pity, I brainstorm. When all has seemed to fail, that's what you do; go back to the drawing board and re-strategize.
I ask myself:
What do I love?
Of these things, what gives me the most fulfillment?
Of these things, what comes easiest?
Of these things, which costs the least to scale into a business?
How soon am I willing to get started?
Am I ready to be focused and consistent?
What do I hope to get out of this?
If this is you, what easy, yet hard questions have you asked yourself? They may be similar, or entirely different depending on your struggles, ambitions, and the stage life has you ON. If you have not yet started this process, now is the time.
It took me three days to get out of my slump, with each day getting better and better. I needed that time to whine, cry, be a complete "bum" (it truly was a site), and to simply regroup. It's okay to allow yourself to wallow, veg out, and fall to your knees. Go ahead and let it out (and pray while doing so) -- give yourself that moment, then quickly get up, brush off, and get your LIFE. You got this!
In the grand scheme of things, it's not that critical; quite silly really. All will improve as you put one foot in front of the other. Big or small, steps going FORWARD is the move you make toward your ultimate destination. At the risk of sounding like a Nike ad, just DO it.
Oh, and remember to be kind to others.
T. James-Sykes
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