One of my greatest fears in getting married at an early age is that my wife and I will make less than enough money, compelling me to work endless hours, and finally, forcing me to forget my dreams in order to support our family. Don’t get me wrong, I am more than willing to do this because my family is my first priority.
But, I’m not one to believe that life circumstances should be opposed to following your passion.
I have a friend who told me that once he got married, he gave up his passion in order to support his family. I believed this was noble. We only have so much time in our day. There was no way he could balance both.
But then, I have another friend for whom this was not the case. When he saw that life was pushing down on his family, he chose that time to work harder for his dreams.
When I saw these two friends, the gears in my mind started turning. Maybe, I don’t have to give up writing when life gets harder.
Maybe, the best time to pursue your dreams is when life adds pressure.
When more responsibilities are thrown our way and when life gets difficult, the only thing that is affected is our time. We have less time to do the things we love.
But time and capability are not as related as we imagine them to be. When you ask for help, your capability grows exponentially, making your only trouble to be time. And time, when you think about it, can be managed. It isn’t greater than you. You can wake up earlier or stay up later. Let your free time be poured into doing what you love rather than checking out.
Now, I don’t have a family yet, so I’m not speaking from experience. And this also might sound like my primary focus is my work, and doing what I want. But if you look closely, you’ll see that I’m more concerned about the wellbeing of my family.
I work harder for my dreams because I know I need to support my family.
You see, I never want my sons or daughters to grow up in an environment where their father gave up on his passion. I don’t want them to have a cynical and bitter father who is disappointed he gave up his passion because he wasn’t willing to work harder for his dreams when the time came to it.
I want them to cultivate a conviction that they can rise above life’s circumstances and pursue their dreams when time came for that to happen. I want them to know that our dreams are not subservient to our money; it’s rather, the other way around.
If we ask for help and look to something greater than our own ability, we all have the time and energy to accomplish our dreams when life adds pressure. In the end, the only thing that’ll matter is the strength of our passion, and whether we’re determined enough to reach for the impossible.
Photo Credit: Ellie O. Photography via Compfight cc