At one point, you love candle making. Then later, you're into creative writing. Shouldn't you just stick to one thing and perfect it?! Um. No.
I am a Jackie of all trades, and I spent years feeling embarrassed and shameful about that. No, not years. Decades. I didn't have "sticktoitiveness", as one influntial person in my life once told me. I would always be on to the next thing, not giving the first thing enough time to flourish. That made me feel bad. I don't know if it is time of the passing years, or getting to know myself better (probably both); but I have realized that if I'm interested in something, I will give it a try. If I don't like it, I'll stop doing it. If I do like it, I'll do it until I either don't like it anymore, or until I feel like I've gotten the best I'm willing to get. Even saying that makes me feel like I'll be judged. It's a real thing that I deal with on an ongoing basis. But, the main point is, I do things that make me happy! If I'm happy doing something, I'll do it. If I'm not happy doing something, I won't do it. Okay, okay, let's get the caveats out of the way. I don't like doing chores. But I do them because I like how I feel after they are done. Plus, you know, being an adult and all. So, there are some things that I don't like to do, but they just need to be done. I was going to say basically the same thing about hitting a roadblock in any of the things I've done in my life that bring me happiness. Like, when learning how to use a router for woodworking, there were times that something hard would come up that I had to learn how to get past. Those hard times are not times that make me quit because I enjoy the process of learning more. IF one of those hard times hit and I didn't want to push through, it meant I was on the end of that journey. Really, I've tried so many things I don't remember them all. I got really good at a handful of them, enjoyed most of them, and hardly do any of them anymore. I just stopped finding as much enjoyment in them as I did before. Why would somebody keep doing something they don't like?! It baffles the shit out of me. BUT I can look back and realize what all of those things had in common. #1 They were fun! #2 They were creative! #3 Most of them involved using my hands. Not all, but most. For me, having fun and being creative are the hallmarks of a good time. They are what I strive for on a daily basis, in some form or another. And you know what, I LOVE living like this! It has been the journey of my happiness. Without knowing it, I've followed it. I feel sorry for people who don't allow themselves their right to live a happy life. I know things take up time: kids, husbands, bills, chores... life. But if we don't allow the time to explore our own happiness, what is it all for?! If you happen to be stuck in following the rules of society, the rules of your parents, or even the rules you have made up for yourself; and you don't have the time to do something that makes you happy, I implore of you to make that time. Allow your journey to begin. It's never to late. And if somebody says that what you want to do is "stupid", "worthless", or anything other negative thing, send me their email. I'll tell them what's what. We are not here to work our tails to the bone to pay for shelter and needs and be done. We are here to explore what life has to give us! We are here to create and find our happiness! We are here to LIVE. And live is what we shall do. :)
