It’s your story, don’t let someone else hold the pen.
Sometimes I make decisions and ask myself, “Is this the right thing to do? I don’t know anyone else doing that. Am I normal?”
There’s no such thing as normal. You are who you are. What makes you interesting are the unique things you say, do, and think. All those unique actions make up your unique story. All those unique twists and turns in your story make it worth reading.
Some folks search for happiness by making money, others by building bridges, others by finding love, others by saying mean things on YouTube. It doesn’t matter if they ever find it, as long as they’re choosing their own journey.
There’s no right or wrong lifestyle if it’s the lifestyle that makes you feel the most alive. You’ve been afforded very limited time on this planet; use that time wisely. Wisely for some may not be wisely for others, and that’s OK.
Once you determine and create your purpose, you may even find multiple roads to take you to that same spot. Happiness is a mindstate; I can find it while I’m onstage, and when I’m nose to nose with my niece, and those are the stories worth living, worth telling, and worth remembering because each of those opportunities rejuvenates our smile.
I don’t have to write music to enjoy my passion, I just have to write. It can be a two-liner, a paragraph, a full essay, or even a book. Sometimes I don’t even have to write, as I find the same joy in reading the writings of awesome other writers. I have realized on my journey that I love creativity, so now any path that brings me closer to creativity is a path I’m open to.
Simplify your loves and explore all the routes that take you there. That’s what’s going to make for an awesome story. Don’t bind yourself by the expectations of others; it’s not their story to write.