Pursuing More In My Life
“You’re allowed to want more for yourself, if for no other reason than because it makes your heart happy.”
This quote comes from none other than Rachel Hollis, who serves up my morning dose of motivation while I drive to work. I read these inspiring words a few months back in an article that was written about her in Success Magazine, and it struck me to my core. I instantly was flooded with memories and flashbacks of all the things I loved to do as a young girl all the way up through my teenage years. I danced, I played soccer and tried gymnastics, I played the piano and the viola, I sang, I drew, I wrote. I was adventurous and curious, and I didn’t care what other people thought of me. I did these things because I enjoyed them, because they made my heart happy. I keep this quote at my desk at work, which means I look at it often. I think about what “more” looks like for me and the desires that are on my heart. If I’m being honest with myself, all of those things that I just mentioned still light my soul on fire when I think about them. And if Rachel Hollis has taught me anything, it’s that those things I’m called to are not on accident!
I whole-heartedly believe that our Creator has given each one of us unique talents and gifts to share with others, and if I’m constantly thinking about these things, why am I trying so hard to push them away? I think as we get older, we lose some of that uninhibited child-like joy and curiosity. We realize it’s time to grow up, get a job and take on more responsibilities. I fear we’ve forgotten the importance and value of partaking in activities and hobbies that bring us joy and happiness. There’s so many articles on the internet about courses you can take to help you learn skills to land that promotion, or how to become better at networking to make your next career move, or how to enhance your resume—all of those are great things! But what about doing things that you enjoy that have nothing to do with getting a promotion or landing that new job? I certainly haven’t made pursuing hobbies a priority in my adult life (aside from creating this blog), but I’m eager to do better.
I walked out on a limb last night and did something I haven’t had the courage to do since March. I found my former vocal coach on LinkedIn and I reached out to her to see if she still offers vocal lessons! It was such a simple thing that only took me 3 minutes to type up and hit send, yet took me 3 months of fear-filled “what-ifs” to hold me back. What if this is a mistake? What if I’m not good? What if I make a fool of myself? I have no idea if she will even get my message or respond, but that’s not the point. Stepping out on that tiny mustard seed of courage and faith is exactly what I needed to continue pursing my passions. I have so many things I want to do in this one life I have to live: I want to travel the world with the love of my life, I want to dance again, I want to sing, I want to write, I want to create meaningful content that impacts and inspires others, I want to build a business with Freddy, and above all I want to glorify my Creator in all that I do. I don’t expect to excel in all of these things I want to pursue; failure is part of the process, which can be scary. But perhaps what’s even more scary is not getting back up again when you fall.
“Don’t let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.”