Follow Your Dreams Because They're What You Want

WARNING: This blog is a little more of a rant than an actual blog, but I still make a point.

Acting has always been a passion of mine. (The following is not bragging, it is an introduction. I swear)I believe I was in my first real play in 4th grade, but I do not remember what it was. The plays that hold the fondest memories for me are Once Upon a Shoe and the musical You're a Good Man Charlie Brown. I have won awards for acting and backstage work in various productions. I act, I am a stage manager, I can push buttons (may not be able to tell you what the buttons mean), and I have directed a few small productions. Everyone agrees that I am good at it. But it's not what I want to do in my life. (Introduction over)

As a student going off to college, I am facing a time in my life where I will be discovering who I am and what I want. I already have a few goals. I want to major in math, another passion of mine, and find out if I really have the mental capacity to do it. I want to minor in something, probably psychology, because it seems like a useful thing to have. I want to explore new options. Hopefully, I can join some sort of book club. I want to play the flute. Acting, is not the highest priority. 

People that know me will often ask, "Are you going to do drama in college?" I tell them I might but I do not have any plans to do it right now. Their response is always, without fail, "You should do it. You're so good at it." Maybe I am wrong, but I feel like their logic there is a bit flawed. Just because someone is good at something does not mean they want to do it. Take any movie about a person forced into following their parents dreams. They most likely have a huge talent for whatever their parents want them to do, but the child does not want to do it. 

I believe that wanting to do something should have nothing to do with your ability to do it. The idea of "people should want to do things they're good at" seems to stem from the idea that "everyone wants to be successful." The problem with connecting those two concepts is that success means something different for everyone. For one person, success could mean successfully raising a child without ever being called by the police. For another person, success could mean having a six figure salary. For the man whose goal is to be a father, being good at singing certainly does not mean he should try to keep doing it. For the woman who wants to be rich, singing could very well be the best option if she is talented enough.

So everyone thinks that I should keep acting even if I do not want to right now. I think that a part of me will always belong with the theatre, but my goals in life lie elsewhere. I will never lose the respect I have for people that participate in any aspect of drama, but I am ok not being the one who is receiving respect. Following your dreams is all about knowing what you want to achieve and figuring out how to do it. It is not about knowing what you want and doing things you're good at that may have nothing to do with your goal. So when you encourage people to follow their dreams, make sure you are encouraging them to do what they want, not what you think they enjoy.