“Follow your passion, be prepared to work hard and sacrifice, and, above all, don’t let anyone limit your dreams.”—Donovan Bailey
I realized I was a hypocrite. I was listening to an interview a former student recorded with me. He asked me, “What message would you want to deliver to your kids.?” I responded: “Just go forward and fail.” I tell them frequently to go out and fail. If they fails, they are growing. Advice I stand by. At the present time, my son is preparing for college. He had for the last year or so been planning to major in Mechanical Engineering. Safe. Something he would be good at and could make a living at. Over the last few months, however, he has talked about majoring in English. English! How could he make a living in English? Okay. He could minor in English, right? He could double major. I would not pay for an English degree (unless he majored in something more lucrative, as well). I was being a hypocrite. If literature is his passion, I should let him follow it.
My son has a passion for literature. We have had some powerful conversations about literature. He reads and comprehends what most have never explored. He read Beowulf (Seamus Heaney’s translation—and he wants to read other translations, e.g., J.R.R. Tolkien’s) just for fun. He wants to learn Finnish to read Nordic mythology in the original text. He should study literature. Landing the lucrative career might be difficult, but he may find that he is the Tolkien of his time.
I forget that my dad felt much the same about me switching from Mine Engineering/Geology to Exercise Physiology (and I had years of financial struggle before I found my path in exercise physiology). My dad even got a good chuckle when I brought up the realization of my hypocrisy.
So, I have told my son that I support whatever he decides. I just ask that he go forward with wisdom. I also ask that fear of failure also not play a role in his decision of whether he wrestles in college (he has the opportunity and will likely see much failure before he succeeds).
If we have a passion for anything (and we must if we are going to truly carpe momento) we must be willing to fail. Failure is inevitable when we are pursuing our dreams. If not, what is the real value of that for which we are passionate. Be passionate and don’t let anyone limit your dreams.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!!