Carving One’s Path
Life can be deemed as meaningless but that depends entirely on us. Our perception of the world is what ultimately shapes it. We can view the world as being unfair and full of despair, falling into a trap of confirmation bias, actively looking for proof to support our belief and disregarding all the good coming into our life. Calling it luck instead of seeing us as deserving of the good. Or we can view it as the opposite. A place with endless opportunities to do what we can. By adopting such a mindset, doors will continue to open to these endless possibilities. Yes, there will be bitter days, but these days won’t last forever. There is always good waiting – good news, good friends, good days. It’s this belief, that good is waiting, that will make the bitter days more manageable.
We must not close ourselves off when we face these bitter days, full of obstacles in our path. I have a tendency to look at the events in my life as “signs”. When I first arrived to Sweden, everything that could go wrong went wrong. I automatically started viewing it as a sign that I shouldn’t be here, that I should go home. However, after talking to my father, who has a tendency to talk some sense into me, I didn’t continue holding on to this negativity. I moved forward and I’m glad I did. Facing obstacles and challenges isn’t a sign that you’re on the wrong path, it’s just a part of life.
But who can say whether we’re on the right or wrong path? Again, that depends entirely on us. We’re the only ones that can say what ignites us, where our passion lies. Figuring out what our purpose is seems like a great feat, when really, our purpose is to live and to live well. However, living well, in this society, also coincides with money (unless we go completely off grid and become completely self-sufficient – even then it still requires money to begin with). We are forced to choose early on what we would want to do for the rest of our lives, when we don’t really know ourselves yet. Often, we are pushed to choose something that is considered “safe”, that could make us money at the cost of happiness. However, that shouldn’t stop us from pursuing what we actually want to do. Sometimes, the road to where we want to be, means having to do things we’d rather not do. I’m still in the process of learning this but that means continuing to be present and taking pride and finding joy in the work now, and not wishing I was somewhere else. Everything we do matters.
When I find myself struggling with the future, of what I should be doing, I like to think about my childhood, and what made me happy back then. My first career aspirations, which were inspired by the children’s books I read, was to either become a letter carrier or deliver milk to doorsteps. You could imagine my disappointment when I found out no one really delivered milk to doorsteps anymore. I found my passion elsewhere – in the movies that I worked on for hours that only my family would get to see, in the notebooks full of stories. To this day, that still ignites something within me. I genuinely enjoy putting clips and configuring sentences that flow together, telling some sort of story in both. Now, I’m also interested in technology and how that’s influencing our world daily – both the science and morality behind it. The most important part is continuing to strive towards a goal/dream/hobby every day, little by little.
I often faced this dilemma of finding a balance between taking it slow, enjoying the simple moments throughout my day, and working relentlessly towards my goals. When I took it slow, I felt as if I should be doing more. When I felt like there was a lot on my plate, however, I thought about taking a break to just lay on a field and do absolutely nothing (maybe read). I’ve gotten better now and figured out what works for me: incorporating both work and rest throughout my week. Rest, as I came to realize, is a crucial part of chasing one’s dreams, even more so when one is haunted by this notion that time is running out.
We don’t know where life can take us. We can make calculated guesses but there’s really no guarantee in anything. So, we must do what we can now. If there’s a dream that’s worth chasing (and any dream is worth chasing if it means something), then it can’t be forgotten. There are endless opportunities if we choose to see them. We have everything we need.
