When I left law, I had no idea what I wanted. So, I thought about what my younger self loved:
Writing stories and silly songs
Wandering outside looking for sticks
Making rose-petal potions
Visiting museums and bookshops
Organizing my collections
Dressing up as monsters and Disney characters
This led to writing gigs, marketing roles, and—eventually—where I am today, currently working in public affairs, writing this blog and learning to be a mindfulness coach.
There are many ways to build a fulfilling life. Black-and-white thinking is an autistic trait, but life is full of possibilities.
Social media, however evil it's touted to be, can actually be so helpful. If like me, you have a poor social imagination and can't easily imagine things you can't see....thinking about it, this is something I've read about as being an autistic trait, but I'm not sure anyone can do this- I just we're more honest about our limitations.... I digress, social media can give you great examples of things you would like to be do.
Full disclosure, I love a bit of woowoo new age, spiritual 'pseudoscience', absolutely love it, and many of those teachers will tell you that the envy you feel when you see someone else's life is GREAT thing- because it helps you identify the things you would rather be doing.
Maybe it won't look exactly the same, maybe it wont be as polished as someone else's insta (let's be real, it almost certainly won't) but it will be your version, your fabulous, messy, weird version of whatever is.
Whether that is being a personal trainer, a dog walker, a life coach, a pet stylist, a cook, a DJ the list is really endless...and despite most of my teenage conversations consisting entirely of lists, I will stop there.
The tricky thing, I've found is the how- and let's be real, if you've never done something before it's highly likely you are going to need some help. The brilliant thing is that most people love talking about themselves and will happily chat to you about how they got where they are today. Think about who you know and who they know. Have you ever played the game 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon? There may well be someone in your circle who at least knows someone who does want you want to be doing. LinkedIn is great for this, because it tells you if you have any mutual connections with the person you admire - you could then ask for an introduction. If you can't think if anyone, then reach out directly. The worst that will happen is that they will say no, and you will feel a bit icky- but you will have done it!
If all of this has made you clench your bum hole in discomfort, remember 'normal' people do this kind of thing all the time, so no-one will think you're speaking out of turn. OK, it's scary, but you can do hard things, and you can experience momentary discomfort if there is something great on the other side.
Lift as We Climb
If you make it. If you end up living something even close to your dream life, you can be that person for other people. I will caveat it with this- don't give all your time and energy to helping others and if you have a business for goodness sake protect your IP- but a coffee and a chat every one in while- even if its one a year- will be so helpful for some baby beautiful little weird just like you.
Comments
Post a Comment