Many of us define our successes in terms of what other people have. As a rapper, I can pick a handful of artists whose careers I want to emulate. That’s cool, it’s healthy to aspire, but we can easily fall into the trap of trying to follow a beaten path.
Now, this isn’t a hipster mindset of being original (which ends up being even less original), it’s more of an understanding that it’s in our nature to find the path of least resistance. If someone found success creating a certain path, you can be sure that path will be clogged with people trying to follow in their footsteps.
When you pave your own road, there’s less traffic.
Now, our goals are all pretty much the same. We want to [insert some goal] so we can be happy. Many of us have achieved goals only to still remain unfulfilled, and so we create new goals. This repetitive exercise can keep us busy until we die.
Today I had an awesome conversation with an awesome friend who has been traveling around the globe in pursuit of his happiness. I told him about the bazillion things I have going on and he asked, “What do you want life to be?” I didn’t have to think about it; I replied, “I want to be able to ride my bike every day and bring my ideas to life.” He then told me to stop doing everything that doesn’t help me get on that bike and bring those ideas to life.
The beauty of that conversation was that he prompted me to share my very unique vision of happy. It’s much different from “I want to be rich and famous,” because a lot of people want to be rich and famous. We’re all saying the same thing, though: “I want to be happy, and this is what I think will get me there.” For me, happiness is sunshine, pretty women, bike rides, and creativity. That requires some money for the bills, but I can skip all the other bullshit that comes with the rat race.
I think the more unique and clear your happy vision is, the more clear and unique the path you need to pave to get there will be. Happy visions will change as time goes on because our priorities will change. What was important to you when you were ten changed when you were fifteen, changed again when you were twenty, and will change again when you’re twenty-five, thirty, thirty-five, etc. Don’t be too attached to them.
Also realize if you don’t choose to find happiness with what you have, you won’t find happiness with what you get. That’s how I see ambition, and that’s cool too. We can find peace in the fact that there won’t ever be peace as well.
The more you know yourself, the more unique your adventure will be for you. There’s no need to follow the herd; what makes them smile won’t necessarily be right for you.
Because you take the time to read my shit, I wish nothing but the best for you. I hope you have a happy vision and wake up with energy to chase it 1,000 percent every day.