Quote:
Originally Posted by cdn2wheeler  Fellow #1 was determined to be a musician. Quit school, practiced-practiced-practiced, toured and toured and toured... and now he's living the dream life with a dream wife in a dream house on the California coast enjoying the fruits of his labours.
Fellow #2 set a goal of being a race driver. Put 100% of himself into it. Practiced-practiced-practiced, did all the right things, made the connections, spent scads of money on cars and training. It ruined 2 marriages, he's declared bankruptcy once and is close to going through it again. And he has yet to set wheels onto a track in a race. |
Both options seem fabulous to me. You imply that #1 is better than #2, but that doesn't ring true for me. Life just doesn't work that way.
I did the sink-into-debt-pursuing-your-passion-and-go-bankrupt thing, and I also went through the get-convicted-of-a-few-crimes script. Now I seem to be doing the wealth-and-abundance thing. These have all been wonderful and amazing experiences that I wouldn't trade for anything.
I remember when I was arrested for grand theft sitting in the back of the police car, handcuffed, about to be taken to jail. I actually laughed out loud. The officer in the front seat gave me a look like I was nuts. But I thought to myself, "In this moment I am fully alive." On an ego level, getting arrested sucked. But on a soul level, I knew it would be an amazing growth experience.
The real risk is getting stuck with option 3:
Fellow #3 never got clear about what he wanted. So he just drifted through life in a fog. He played it safe instead of taking big risks. He earned a modest living, paid his bills on time, had an OK marriage, and played by the rules. But with each passing year, the feeling he was missing something grew louder and louder, but he drowned that voice with distractions: a job he didn't care for, watching TV, and idle conversation with people who didn't challenge him. He couldn't muster the courage to look deep inside that background feeling of dread. The closer he got to death, the more he feared he'd made a really big mistake.
I'd pick #2 over #3 any day. #2 may look scary, but it's an awesome ride if you don't fight it.
Also, if I had the choice of spending a day with fellow #1 or #2, I'd pick #2. That guy sounds like he has some serious tenacity and won't let a minor problem like money stop him. He must really love racing. He's a really lucky guy to be so clear about what he wants. He's already a massive success, despite what the external world has to say about it.
It's far better to lose all your stuff, go bankrupt, and bust a few marriages than to lose the inner connection to who you really are.
Option #1 may seem like the best outcome, but really option #1 and #2 are about the same in terms of their potential for growth. If anything #2 is a little better in that department. But option #3 trails so far behind, there's just no comparison, since option #3 is basically choosing a slow death.