Author’s Note: This begins the fifth chapter (sixth if you count the introduction which I’ll be writing last) of the book I’m working on, Going Mild: 7 Ways to Lead a Life of Quiet Inspiration. Please forgive me for the lack of easy navigation. When this rough draft is done, I’ll be adding all of that. I hope you enjoy.
To me, the title of this chapter, Live Your Life, means two things.
Living Your Life Means Being Authentic
It’s first about being authentic, being who you really are despite the opposition. Being someone you’re not in order to keep the peace seldom works.
Others might like it if you keep your mouth shut and do what you’re told, but your heart will form layers of depression and resentment that keep you from fully living and loving. The people you think you’re keeping happy will, in many ways, be kept at a distance since you can never let them know what you’re really all about.
Living Your Life Means Being Whole
Living your life is also about being whole. You’re not just one thing; you’re many things and it’s a good idea to give yourself permission to be all of them.
Arguments about art for art’s sake versus creating in order to make a living fail to take into account the whole person. If you commit yourself to just one of these things, you could be denying a portion of yourself, either the part of you that needs to express yourself without concern for the marketplace, or the part of you that needs to eat. I think this is unnecessary.
I also think it’s unnecessary to sacrifice everything for your art. I doubt it will make you a great artist, but I’m pretty sure it will make you a lousy human being. Destroying your health, your sanity, and your relationships for the sake of your art doesn’t make you brilliant; it makes you a jackass.
What It Means to Be You
So, in this chapter we’re going to take a look at what it means to be you, all of you. We’ll talk about the artist in you, but also the lover in you, the family member and the friend in you. You have a need to create, but you also have a need to eat and sleep and exercise. You have a need to pay the bills, to love and be loved, and every now and then, you have a need to get out, hit the streets, and mix and mingle.
So, if you’re ready, let’s take a look at your life and decide how you’re going to really live it.
