How to change the world...

I've never been an artist...

It feels like there’s a choice: doing something less personally satisfying for the ‘greater good’, or finding a more enjoyable career path.  I’m beginning to think the latter is better, and it’s not necessarily for selfish reasons.

The little blurb about me at the top right of this page (it’s up there, go on, have a look!), says I’m a ‘wannabe-activist’.  For a long time I dreamed of working for a charity, then of working for a charity I believed in.

Now, I do that very thing; I have pretty much become the ‘activist’ I wanted to be.

The reality, however, is difficult: the workload is stressful, vast and, at times, monotonous.  It’s tough to keep one’s eyes fixed on the reason for turning up each day (beyond paying the bills, of course).  I miss the far more creative work of my previous role, tailored specifically to me and my abilities, even though I wasn’t passionate about the raison d’etre of the charity itself.  And I feel guilty, as though I should nevertheless be satisfied I’m doing something I perceive to be ‘worthwhile’.

A friend of mine (www.goplacidly.com) once said she was giving up on trying to ‘change the world’ and instead was focusing on ‘being happy’.  And now I wonder...

If more people spent their time pursuing the thing they personally find fulfilling, that uses their unique talents, that they find stimulating and rewarding, and that makes them ‘happy’, then wouldn’t the world simply be a better place?

Imagine all the undiscovered painters, unpublished writers, would-be new-scientists, struggling musicians, frustrated architects, potential great leaders ... whatever ... able to do the thing they love, without having to sell-out a part of themselves to the daily grind just to make ends-meet.  What kind of a world would that be?

So go, find the thing you love, chase it, do it, and never give it up.  Because that’s how we can change the world.

(For more on this read ‘Two words that kill passion’– it’s a blog-post from Don Miller. He very eloquently says some stuff I wanted to about how doing what we want doesn't necessarily only lead to sex, drugs, rock n roll, etc...)