Today, Peter Hollens addressed the University of Oregon graduates as the keynote speaker at their commencement ceremony. First of all, how cool is that!?, second of all, he had some amazing things to say.
Just begin. Try. If you don’t try, you will automatically fail. And what’s worse, you will learn nothing. Most people think something to death. Yes, it’s good to dream it, but then do it… I encourage you to experiment and follow your most passionate instincts. Screw that; I demand it. You aren’t here on Earth to just go through the motions. If you love doing something, go after it. And go after it with every part of your being.
June 15, 2015
What sparks joy in my life? What are my most passionate instincts? Where will my dreams lead me?
I love sewing. Creating something out of nothing is exhilarating. Using something I’ve made is exhilarating. Seeing my daughters wear the dresses I’ve made them is exhilarating.
I love writing. I love sitting down, putting music on, and writing. Organizing my thoughts into words and sentences and paragraphs is exhilarating. Sharing those words on this blog is exhilarating. Knowing that people read them is exhilarating.
When I think about the whole end goal of having a super successful brand, it’s paralyzing. So I stop. I get caught up in having a schedule for my blog posts. I get caught up in trying to make things to put on CaroMade. I don’t feel the passion anymore, so I stop.
This is the problem for me. Where do I find the bridge that connects my desire to create, to actually committing to sitting down and creating? I’ve tried planners, I’ve tried setting aside time. I read about how everyone else does it – wake up early, stay up late, use this planner, use that app. “You don’t have to be the best, you just have to work the hardest,” was (and I might not have gotten it exactly right) another thing that Peter said today.
Comparing myself to everyone else won’t help. Looking at other people’s success might inspire, but it won’t help. The only thing that could help would be trying. Learning. Beginning. Doing.
So, instead of constantly writing about it (or reading about others), and feeling bad when I don’t get to the blog for a few days, I’m going to just go do it. I’ll check in here when I can, but I’m going to take the pressure out of the situation, making more room for the passion. And I’ll go after it with every part of my being, like Peter demands.
Thanks for this encouraging acticle. It really made me feel like i can get done everything, if only i have the courage to finally just start doing it ! (Which, of course, is not the case, but at least it gave some courage to start.)
By the way, greetings from Germany. I thought it may be motivating for you to see that people all around the world read what you write through the internet. Have a nice day ! 🙂
Thanks for reading, Jonas! The courage to start is tricky, but necessary, isn’t it?