The Secret to Following Your Dreams

man following his dreams by dressing a pet rock in a homemade costume drawing by David Borden
Working on pet rock costumes
Following your dreams? Yeah, right! Let's get one thing straight up front. I'm not selling you a workshop on how to find your passion. And I'm not going to exhort you to quit your job and sink your savings into that Pet Rock Costume business you've been aching to start.
I have a more measured, realistic approach.
Like me, you probably have to work in order to pay the bills and feed yourself. However, what I've realized is that you can rethink how all that works. See previous article "Getting off the Career Ladder."

So, what's the secret to following your dreams?

The secret is that there's no secret, just choices: 
1. Surrender.

2. Come to terms with your current life and decide to find joy in it, 
3. Redirect all that energy you previously devoted to complaining, whining, and/or wasting time to make a change.
4. Do a little of both 2 and 3.
 For me, I chose option 4. I started drawing and writing again. I reconfigured my day job so I could get off the career ladder and find sanity. What's worse than not becoming a vice president... becoming a vice president and surrendering your soul to the job.
You see, my first daughter, Savannah, suffered a traumatic brain injury at birth. She had multiple significant disabilities and was medically fragile. I invested much of life into caring for her. In return, she taught me a lot about myself and the world… especially depression, grief, and perseverance. She also taught me about compassion and hope. But more importantly, she taught me that most of what we think is important, really isn't. 

And, thus, starts a new chapter of my life. 

Savannah unexpectedly passed away in 2015. I spent about a year mourning and re-configuring. I labelled that time the "Year of the Phoenix" (read about the journey here). After reemerging from the ashes, I founded ScribbleFire... a place for me to experiment with writing, art, and storytelling in a way that connects directly to people.  ScribbleFire is a place where anything is possible. Our motto is: what starts with a scribble ___ (you fill in the blank). 
Visit my website: www.ScribbleFire.com. Download my free ebook on rediscovering the joys of Snail Mail letters (no registration required). Check out my newest art and writing project: Letter Stories. If you like what you see, request a free sample

Please share this story, like and share the ScribbleFire Facebook page, and tweet about it. Thank you.

Connect with me on Twitter @dsborden

Send me some Snail Mail and tell me about your own personal journey to follow your dream:
David Borden
c/o SribbleFire
PO BOX 200512
Austin, TX 78720

Or, leave a comment below. Thanks for your support.

#followyourdreams #inspiration #snailmail #art #writing

Comments

  1. Dave, did you ever get my letter about your story? It is not like you to not write back. I realize that one of the drawbacks to snail mail is if you don't make a copy before you send it, if lost, your words are toast.

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    1. Oh, I got it Bev. In fact, the delay in responding is that I wanted to piggy back my letter with a proof copy of the graphic novel. You had said you wanted to be a beta reader. Well, I hope to get it in the mail today. Thank you for your support. You've been a great friend for so many years in good times and bad. Thank you.

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