“The Template Life” is a contradiction in terms.
What are some of the watchwords we use to describe the template life?
Overworked… Underpaid… Under-appreciated… Unhappy… Bored…
We’re taught to strive for this, under the guise of much more happy wording:
Structured… Safe… Secure… Stable… Normal…
Down with Normal
All of these words combine to form an existence so dull it’s not interesting enough to be called miserable. Think Edward Norton in Fight Club. The man’s life was so incredibly dull, he didn’t get stimulated enough in the 16 hours he was awake to get tired enough to sleep.
News Flash, People of America: “Normal” sucks. This isn’t even “living,” it’s more “avoiding death.”
Close your Eyes, Hold Your Nose, and JUMP!!!
Why are so many people afraid to take that leap. To throw their boring life aside and do something that they enjoy?
Simple, fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of judgment, fear of ridicule, fear of failure. Whatever the reason, it’s that fear that keeps us from taking the plunge? Part of that fear comes from that fact that we think in contradictory terms. Good vs. Evil. Light vs. Dark. Black vs. White. We leave ourselves very little gray area with things.
There’s more than Gray in the Middle
For example, in America when a child pulls petals off of a daisy, they say, “He loves me/He loves me not.” It’s either total admiration, or complete rejection. In France, however, they pull the petals off and say, “He loves me a little/a lot/passionately/madly/not at all.” They have an entire spectrum of ways to viewing the same situation.
People often assume that anything they might consider doing is either going to be a raging success, or a total failure. This leads to a large group of people going through the motions of safety, afraid of falling should they take the leap.
There’s Something you Want to Do, So Do It!
If you want to be an actor, give it a shot. You probably won’t win an Oscar, but you might get to have some fun in a local production.
If you want to be a photographer, go for it. You might not be the next Annie Leibovitz, but you might be able to bring in a little pocket money taking pictures for friends’ weddings and graduations.
Let’s not forget, these might not be incredibly lucrative jobs, but remember that money isn’t the only thing in life. If you can bring yourself to take that leap, you’ll get to learn new things, meet new people, and have a lot of fun in the process.
You have to take the chance. End the fear, take the plunge. Taking the chance is not a guarantee of total failure, and even if it is, taking a leap of faith and landing on your face is still the better alternative than standing still and sinking into the quicksand of mediocrity.
The poet John Greenleaf Whittier said:
“For all sad words of tongue and pen, The saddest are these, ‘It might have been’.”
It might not work out, but at least you’ll know.
Brandon, was reading your bio. You write “trying to put your English degree to good use.” What exactly is it you are trying to do, or want to be?
Copywriting, Screenwriting, Ghostwriting, you name it. Basically something that lets me put my creativity to good use, and makes that English degree something more than a $30,000-a-year babysitter.
As far as what I want to be, I’ve written manuscripts before, but considering I got a rejection in less than twelve hours, I’ve realized that I need to come up with a different idea. (The story that I submitted was written when I was 14, so I was kind of expecting it.)
Cool Brandon. At least you got a rejection within 12 hours! Some don’t even bother to respond!
Best,
Sam
The Yakezie
It sounds great and I agree with it. But I feel like it’s easier to say than to do. I’ve been trying to talk myself into taking the leap into self-employment for months, but fear, logic, and more fear are tough obstacles to actually work past.
I understand, but you mentioned logic as well. There’s definitely a difference between brave and foolhardy. Am I going to up and move to another town with no job prospect, no money, and no place to stay? No. But I did finally muster up the courage to submit a script treatment to a TV network and manuscripts to a few agencies.
Also, sometimes diving in headfirst is a helpful strategy. If you leave everything else behind, you have no choice but to make it work.
Great post…and totally agree with you!!!
Cool. Just one thing about fear. I think it’s a great emotion to have which tempers some of the craziness we might have. As long as it tempers and doesn’t stifle, I think it’s doing its job. When it begins to stifle, which for so many it does, it becomes a pain. So I don’t disregard my fear – I just learn to read it and to see if it’s tricking me. 🙂
Sir, I have to say you hit a HomeRun with this one. You have put in words what I have been trying to say to several of my colleagues for a couple of months now. Thank You!…totally sharing this .
Thank you! It’s always nice to hear that things that make sense in my head actually make sense to other people.