March 5, 2010
the cost of doing what you love
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[“Successful”, which I sent out recently in the newsletter. You can get the signed print here etc.]
While writing the first draft of EVIL PLANS, I wrote about “The Hunger”- that primal drive we all have to do something meaningful with our lives.
The Hunger will give you everything. And it will take from you, everything. It will cost you your life, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.
What do I mean by “Everything”?
Well, pretty much what I said. Anything worth doing takes forever. And if time is all we have have, then QED, time is “Everything”.
Only you can decide if it’s worth it…
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The question is, Hugh, if The Hunger leads us to what we love doing or just leads us somewhere…
Often we work hard, do a lot, more that we can handle, often things we hate just to feed our hunger… but instead we just work to become successful and not to be HAPPY and fullfilled.
There are easier ways to do it. Start doing what you love in small portions… step by step.
So maybe the most important thing is WHO to feed the Hunger? Becoming successful doesn’t work anymore…
Should be HOW… sorry
I like “WHO to feed the hunger” better. Are you feeding it your best self, or people’s expectations of who you should be? If the latter, it will remain malnourished.
Susan, I like the way you added value to my spelling mistake
You are right, there is hunger (people’s expectiations) and the Hunger that Hugh writes about. In the last Rocky Sly also mentions about his Hunger to fight — one of the best part in the film.
Hi Hugh,
Great post. Reminded me of a conversation I had with my father about rock climbing a number of years ago. Now, I am a climber and have been for about 10 years, but no-one in my family is into this sport. My Dad seeing how much I enjoyed it asked my about the risks and the anxiety that he sometimes felt when I went out climbing. I explained to him that whilst there are risks I was not in the habit of doing things beyond my capability so was acyively managing the risks. I did acknowledge that something could happen but that shouldn’t stop us doing what we love and, ultimately, its not tragic to die doing something we love.
Just got your book ‘Ignore Everybody’ and am looking forward to a good read.
Thanks again,
Adrian
“Its not tragic to die doing something we love” — great title for a book
@Adrian, @Paul
“Love is perilous.” Took me DECADES to learn that the hard way.
It is perilous but isn’t it worst to accept status quo and don’t fight for what we love doing?
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I can never decide if I agree with you on this one, or not.
On the one hand I think doing what you love IS life, if that’s the life you’re supposed to lead, so it doesn’t “cost you your life” (by definition.
On the other hand, I think living the kind of life you’re really talking about is about being on or near the edge, all the time, sometimes falling right off it and being dragged back, etc. So you can’t do that and have what most people consider to be “a life” — 2.4 kids, house in the burbs, pension & membership of the country club.
But is that really a life anyway?
(Trick question– it is for people whose path is meant to go that way. But not for those of us who feel like square pegs in round holes when we try it.)
Alice, I think St Paul got it just about right:
“Without Love, I am nothing.”
An easy concept to understand. Much harder to actually believe.
[…] the cost of doing what you love | gapingvoid […]
Kind of reminds me of something Jerry Seinfeld said the other day in a NYTimes interview which I bookmarked:
“Ideas are a terrible obligation. Who needs something else to take care of? I have kids. I’d rather nurture them than another idea.“
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/arts/television/28marriage.html
Also, just finished Steven Pressfield’s wonderful little book, The War of Art:
http://www.amazon.com/War-Art-Through-Creative-Battles/dp/0446691437
Puts all this into perspective:
“The artist committing himself to his calling has volunteered for hell, whether he knows it or not. He will be dining for the duration on a diet of isolation, rejection, self-doubt, despair, ridicule, contempt, and humiliation.”
And that’s on a good day…
–jc
[…] the cost of doing what you love | gapingvoid […]
I really like your artistic style! The lines are intricate yet creative! Just keep it up! I hope to see more of your work in the next days. because, I’ll be coming back to check your latest work! LOL. Keep it up!
[…] the cost of doing what you love | gapingvoid […]
how true…
Very interesting. Felix Dennis, self made millionaire and prolific publisher writes that before you set off on the journey to become fabulously wealthy you need to decide if that is what you REALLY want. As he puts it, if you do, you will very likely lose you partner, your children and everything else.
As he puts it, wealth gives you one thig above everything else, time and choice.
I suppose it’s that fine balance.
My concern is that I started my business to create time and wealth, but now enjoy the process of business so much that I WANT to do it all the time