“Why would you trade in what you really want to do for what the odds are in favour of?” — John Mayer
From where I’m sitting, I see two basic approaches to life.
We could call these:
- Survival; life as a struggle to get ahead (because if you don’t, someone else will).
And…
- Creativity; life as a creative playground (where the only limitation is your artistry).
The first one is a race to the end, with strict rules that are only enforced by the fear of what might happen if you break them.
The steps are simple:
Get good grades, get a degree, get a good job, get married, etc.
No creativity required.
Just make sure you check all the boxes before you cross the finish line, ’cause oh man:
What will happen if you don’t?
(seriously, what will happen? worth thinking about…)
The second one is a game where you are both the creator and the creation:
Design your life, design yourself, and get to work building whatever the heck you wanna build, ’cause oh man:
Why on earth wouldn’t you?
(seriously, why on earth wouldn’t you? also worth thinking about…)
And hey:
If you think real hard about it and still decide on the grades-job-and-marriage path — have at it.
Your life, your choice.
(and the only “wrong” choice is the one you don’t actually choose for yourself)
On the other hand:
If you wanna travel the world, build a Maui compound, create a world-changing business, fly to Mars, or just read some good books and live a quiet life…
…The freedom is yours, and the only limit is you.
In the creative paradigm, you’re Player One:
The controller is in your hands.
Of course, most of society screams that it’s not that simple.
(yeah, no kidding — this is a 500 word email, not a textbook)
And, that it’s “hard” to break free of the survival paradigm.
(also no kidding — that’s why almost nobody does it)
But it’s also not that complicated, or that hard, either.
It just takes some vision, some willpower, and some (ahem) cojones.
And, like Johnny said up top:
“Why would you trade in what you really want to do for what the odds are in favour of?”
One final thought experiment before we wrap:
Imagine lightning strikes your crown chakra (jokes) and lights your reality up.
All at once, you realize you’ve been Player One all along.
You look down at the (metaphorical) controller in your hands, and realize for the first time that you have total creative control.
What changes do you start to make in your life?
Now, toss aside the cheap video game analogies, and open your eyes:
The world you see is shining with creative potential that far surpasses any video game ever made.
This ‘aint Zelda, this is the Universe itself.
What will you do with it?
- T