I often catch my classmates asking their friends which university they want to go to, what course they want to take, or what job they want after college. Most of what I hear is “Oh, I’m going into business!” or “I want to be a doctor!” There’s nothing wrong with that—I think that’s absolutely wonderful. It just gets a little bit awkward when somebody asks me the same question and I respond with “I want to go into Creative Writing.” I’ve gotten comments like “That should be your side career,” or “Okay, what’s going to be your real job?”
This is where I get stuck. This is where a lot of people who want to choose the creative lifestyle get stuck. Your career doesn’t seem “realistic” or “practical” to a lot of people. I know it means I may not earn a lot of money, I know it means I may have to take on another job while I try to write a book, but if it’s something I really want to do, I think it’s worth waiting for.
We get torn between artistic and realistic. We’re confused, trying to figure out what we want to do. We’re at a crossroads trying to decide on a university we want to go to. We’re stuck.
Now how do we get unstuck? How are we supposed to choose between passion and practicality? How do we choose a path to take?
As it is CET (College Entrance Test) season, it seems appropriate to give this piece of advice: CET your goals. (Yes, I’m very punny.) You have to keep a goal in mind—and you have to stick to it. It can be anything you want it to be. Maybe like myself, you want to publish a book. Perhaps you just want to get better at writing antagonists. Your goal can be anything in the world that you are passionate about. Your goal could even be your desire to become unstuck.
The key to becoming unstuck is working towards a goal. The world is full of opportunity. At this point, there are several ways to further your education, to earn a living, to stand on the shoulders of giants and find your place among the stars. Being unstuck doesn’t mean you have no obstacles standing in your way. Unstuck means you will try to get past them.
The only reason you are stuck is because you don’t want to try to get unstuck.
I asked myself a long time ago whether I really wanted to publish a book. I couldn’t separate myself from my passion for the written word, and I couldn’t picture myself in a future where I didn’t have at least a part of the creative lifestyle coursing through my veins. Do I still want it? Can I choose between what is more practical and where my passion lies? If you are in the same situation, can you?
The choice now is up to you. What goal are you working towards? Are you willing to face challenges and make sacrifices? There is no problem with choosing one over the other. Will choosing one over the other still help you get even baby steps closer to your ultimate goal?
I was stuck because I was unsure of what I wanted to do—and I’m stuck now because I doubt, and I question, and I wonder whether things are going to work out in my favour.
I will be unstuck soon because I know that I will be trying to get there. Unstuck doesn’t mean there aren’t twists and turns on the path, nor does it mean you don’t have to jump any hurdles every now and then. Unstuck is following the twists and turns, trying to jump the hurdles, slowly but surely approaching the finish line.
Image Attribution: “Untitled” by Colleen Saint Yves is licensed under (CC BY-NC 2.0). The image has been cropped and enlarged beyond its optimal size.
