pursuing the dream or being more practical

[Beeflamb]

I asked this question on reddit but generallly not a fan of reddit so thought i would get some higher quality answers here.

And that is... How do you choose between living a practical life, and a magical one where you pursue your wild dreams?

I've been a teacher for the past 7 years. It pays the bills, I can live somewhat comfortablely, I can go to school and whatnot to up my qualifications but it is not fulfilling. I dont enjoy the work and it isnt in alignment with my highest calling.

What fills me with purpose and joy is creation. Online content, videos, editing, sharing spiritual insights on TikTok and whatnot lol. I know some people have success with this and can actually monetize it but im pretty much starting at zero. Its a wild dream but I love it.

So the problem is. Im 31 years old. My attention is always split between wild content creator dreams and furthering my teaching career and making some money.

This fight back and forth between the practical and the crazy dream vision is challenging, because I dont know where I should be focusing my attention. I know I can technically do both but I feel like my energy is not enough to pursue both things at the same time. I perform better when I have a single focus with a clear vision.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you go all in on your dreams? Or do you come to terms with the matrix games we have to play in order to eat, sleep, pay the bills? How do you find your balance. I am interested to hear your thoughts.

[LastThursday]

My take, is that you transition over time to what you love and what excites you.

Changing direction takes effort though. In the short term you're going to have to work more and concentrate on two different things at the same time. However, you're already an expert at being a teacher, so there's no extra effort required there, just maintain that status quo.

Once you get some traction with your crazy dream vision, it will be self-sustaining. If it's exciting enough you'll find the energy. If it's not exciting enough, then drop it, try something else. You can then start tapering down the hours of teaching (I'm sure you can go part-time). You may even have to take some sort of financial hit in the short term.

In summary, there's no magic bullet. 

[Basman]

If I was you, I would make a plan for how to transition to living off your passion. The risk is well worth it IMO. It's better to do what you love with the kind of lifestyl that is congruent with your values, even if it means you'll earn less overall than if you took the conventional path. As long as you earn enough to keep you and your family afloat. 

Keep in mind, that it is possible to work for what you are passionate about in an indirect way. For example, if you are passionate about fotball you don't have to be a fotball player. You could be a coach or work in admin for a fotball organization. If you love games, you don't have to be a game dev. There are many who live off discussing games on Youtube.

There's no one right answer to how you specifically should lead your life. But there's more than one way to skin a cat.

Edited December 15, 2022 by Basman

[Aaron p]

Don't need to make any drastic decisions...start some creative stuff while working. Leo's LPC is good, with some very good points...death is a good motivator. Your about 30? You'll probably have health and energy till about 65 so you only have about 35 years left and in 65 years from now your Gona die, and that's it...forever. so might as well live to the fullest

[Bob Seeker]

Easy balance is the formula by Bashar.

I've been following the formula and it makes me feel safe taking actions that seem risky but are rewarding.

It is like a navigation system for following your dreams and passions.

 

[Byun Sean]

You don't need to yolo on this brolo immediatly. 

 

Take your time and pursue a healthy amount of practicality as a foundation and work on your passions/ dreams on the side until they make you enough money to take the top position for how you make your living.

Thats the most solid way ive seen people do it.

You can also level your career that isn't your passion down to part time freeing up a bit more time for passions while still making money on the side if that is financially possible.

Edited December 15, 2022 by Byun Sean