Thursday, September 01, 2005
Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow
All the gurus, including moi, tell their clients, and themselves, to, according to Marsha Sinetar, “do what you love, and the money will follow.” This idea has a great sense of power and truth. Joseph Campbell said, “follow your bliss.” Tom Peters talks about passion. The difficulties arise, and there are a few difficulties, when this becomes a should.
“Don’t should on yourself,” I tell my clients. I should be living my passion and following my bliss; and so should you. See what that does? It immediately takes something that’s supposed to be joyous, natural, flowing and unrehearsed and makes it into an obligation, a task, a goal, an objective. It’s like that famous joke about spontaneity 101 – taking a course to learn how to be spontaneous. Duh! Isn’t that a contradiction? It’s no wonder so many of us aren’t following our bliss. We’re confused. We don’t have enough time. We’ve got enough shoulds and projects now; who needs another one? Only a masochist, a self-help masochist, wants another, and clearly endless self-renewal project.
The key is in the love, bliss and passion. These are the non-project aspects of being alive. The thinking, analysis and project aspects of living have a place but first comes the love, bliss and passion. Catch yourself enjoying yourself. In between the constant tirades of your inner critic, the fault-finding, guilt, grief and anger, catch yourself at peace, having a good time. It might be re-arranging your desk, kitchen, workshop. Or daydreaming; or writing; or talking with others. The simple pleasures. It begins with these.
“Don’t should on yourself,” I tell my clients. I should be living my passion and following my bliss; and so should you. See what that does? It immediately takes something that’s supposed to be joyous, natural, flowing and unrehearsed and makes it into an obligation, a task, a goal, an objective. It’s like that famous joke about spontaneity 101 – taking a course to learn how to be spontaneous. Duh! Isn’t that a contradiction? It’s no wonder so many of us aren’t following our bliss. We’re confused. We don’t have enough time. We’ve got enough shoulds and projects now; who needs another one? Only a masochist, a self-help masochist, wants another, and clearly endless self-renewal project.
The key is in the love, bliss and passion. These are the non-project aspects of being alive. The thinking, analysis and project aspects of living have a place but first comes the love, bliss and passion. Catch yourself enjoying yourself. In between the constant tirades of your inner critic, the fault-finding, guilt, grief and anger, catch yourself at peace, having a good time. It might be re-arranging your desk, kitchen, workshop. Or daydreaming; or writing; or talking with others. The simple pleasures. It begins with these.
