Follow Your Bliss
After 33 years of experience as a teacher, this is the best advice that I have to give to any student, or person, for that matter…
Follow your bliss!
What makes you happy? What are you drawn to? What do you see yourself doing in your dreams? (And for you movie lovers out there) What completes you? (But it should not be another person. We’re talking about YOU remember?)
The late author and mythologist, Joseph Campbell, wrote, “Follow your bliss and doors will open for you” and I believe this is true.
We should direct our students and children to what their aptitudes are not for what WE want for them or for them to be, to complete US.
Happiness is the thing! Happiness is the key. All of us who are older and who have been around for a while all now want the same thing. We want to be happy. We want to pursue and be around those people and things and activities that make us smile and feel joy. We would trade everything we have and everything that we’ve accumulated for happiness.
So we should direct our children towards that which brings them joy; that which fills their heart with a love of life, whatever it may be. There can be no substitutes. When we make substitutes and sacrifices, when we say that this “isn’t what I want but it will do”, when we make decisions based on compromises we close that door little by little until it seems as though there is no turning back.
But I will say this to anyone at any age. It’s never too late to turn around and open that door and follow the path that is right for you. The door is always there and it’s always open, even if just a crack. It never locks.
How would you follow your bliss? Take a moment, put your feet up, sit back, relax and think about it.
Do it now! Happiness awaits!
ipledgeafallegiance 
At this point in my life, doing nothing works well. Dinkin’ around the house and playing internet. Occasional trips both local and out-state. Relax! 🙂
I am actually doing it now, writing every day.
Excellent advice. I taught high school and college for 40+ years even though I did not set out to be a teacher. Serendipity made my life a blast.
On my last “BIG” birthday, I decided that I didn’t want any more regrets or missed opportunities. I wish someone had told me this a long time ago. I hope young people will hear it and believe it NOW !!!
Hi G,
I’m sort of in the middle of what you’re writing about today. And what I’m finding is that instead of the term “happiness” I’m substituting “interested”. I’m a pragmatic guy for the most part and I’ve re-found my joy and passion for learning. My brain is engaged in several ways daily and it’s very energizing. Some of the learning makes me totally happy while other parts frustrate me and challenge past beliefs…..not “happy”, and I’m pretty sure not every day is going to super-duper. But cool nonetheless. My goal is to keep myself interested. If I’m successful with that, what I may perceive to be “happiness” just might show up. Make any sense?
Absolutely! Keep learning every day 🙂
I can only partially agree with you on this. What about the student who says, “I enjoy video games. I don’t have any interest in developing them – just playing them all day.” Should playing video games take precedence over academics because it makes him happy? Is that something that makes him happy in his teen years going to make him happy in his later years?
Well, I’m talking about that which the individual can sustain on his/her own when moving into adulthood, not while endlessly being supported by others unless of course someone wants to endlessly sustain them.
Your message can’t go out enough, keep it comin,’ in as many ways as you can think of. Thank you for stopping by.
Great advice and I’m thankful that I am following my bliss–I teach dance and love it! It is a joyful activity and makes me smile. It’s not a get-rich-job, but it has so many benefits; keeping fit, great brain training, therapeutic and I get to listen to music that I enjoy and meet people who like to dance. I have no stress!! 🙂
I love this! Not enough people have the courage to take that leap of faith to follow their dreams. Great post!!!
Thanks Nikki and thanks for reading 🙂
I was JUST having this conversation with my best friend this weekend. We were talking about the need for more money but the desire to have a career that makes us happy. I told her that I love to research, I love blogging, I love teaching, I love writing…but so far the money hasn’t been there – – I want more. The thing is that I can’t simply move on to another “regular” job just for the money. That would be miserable.
I appreciate your post. It reminds me what’s important.
Oh. I’m going to reblog this if you don’t mind.
Thanks so much! I know that money is important but happiness will last a life time so keep pursuing what you enjoy the most. It will work out 🙂
Reblogged this on A Daily Journal of my Comp/Rhet Dissertation and commented:
Follow Your Bliss is so true. We all are under so much pressure to do what society deems is “successful”. But really, the important thing at the end of a life is to be able to say you found happiness.
Working on this right now, that’s what the move home is all about! Making myself, my husband, and my kids happy is at the core of our reasons to take this big leap.
Best of luck and enjoy! 🙂
Thank you for this blog! It took me a long time to find my bliss because I was looking for what felt like tangible activities: cooking, dancing, writing etc and not attending to the things that I loved but took for granted, like talking to/helping people, or brainstorming on how to solve a problem. I wish our young people can be directed to think more broadly about bliss.
This is great advice! Unfortunately, most young people want to be rich, famous or both. I was stuck in rich/famous mode for well over a decade, thinking that it was my bliss. I finally had to live with the idea that my life would consist of drudgery, working jobs that I hated. I did this for another 10+ years. I finally had to hit rock-bottom to realize that money and stuff do not provide happiness and that I really didn’t want to be rich and famous anymore, but rather, I just wanted to be happy. THAT is when I started figuring out what my true bliss was. If we could only teach this to our young people much earlier than the age of 40, provide them with some critical thinking skills and perhaps, deprogram them from the consumerism and materialism that we program them with in our society, I think most of us would look forward with anticipation to our younger generation taking their place in adult society.
It is always good to be reminded of this…sometimes the everyday challenges get in the way of achieving goals and it’s important to know our “bliss” is still there to strive for again. So good to have you visit and the “like”~thanks.
Reblogged this on CREATIVEINN and commented:
I strongly recommend this!!!
This is fantastic advice! I know so many people who are in jobs they hate and are miserable every day of their lives. I don’t make as much money as they do, but I have a job that I love that makes a difference in the world.
A friend’s daughter is entering college in a few months and was trying to decide on a major (which I think is ridiculous actually – asking 17 year olds what to major in and then often locking them in to those programs with elaborate hierarchies of pre-requisistes, but I digress.). She wanted to be a teacher or an occupational therapist in a school. Her father told her that if she liked children she could volunteer to teach at Sunday School but shouldn’t build her career choices on something that should be a hobby. *cringe!* His suggestion was to choose a career where she could make more money. He is fortunate that he has a high-paying job he enjoys …. but if her heart is on working in a school system, then why would he try to dissuade her? I simply don’t understand.
Life is not a dress rehearsal! If you “wait” to be happy you will be waiting your entire life.
I hear you on this one. I was a violin performance major and all my parents ever said to me was, “How are you going to support yourself?” – – In a fit of fear and rebellion, I joined the marines, which didn’t go well. I lasted in bootcamp about two weeks (it was OCS). Anyway, after spending 10 years in corporate sales, making decent $ but unhappy (and teaching violin lessons and writing on the side) I decided to go back to school to be an English teacher. That’s what I do now. And I love teaching, but am really, really frustrated with the money. Our family needs more…So the advice the Dad gave is right AND wrong. Life is horrible when you do something you hate every day, but then again, sometimes money is important too. I don’t know. It is so frustrating. I have so many happy moments with my students and I am afraid that most “corporate” people probably don’t get those moments.
Reblogged this on SandraBranum's Blog and commented:
Bliss isn’t that hard to find — just keep doing what you love and it
ll find you.
When I worked for OSHA I felt I was saving lives even though I was just a clerk in the office. Once I retired I wanted immortality and sort of found it thanks to the WWW! The bliss just keeps on coming… I’m going to try to reblog this. Thanks for the astute insight..
So true indeed, “it’s never late to turn around and open that door”. I believe follow my bliss will fullfill my dreams. Never feel too old to change either too young to do big. Simple written and yess… “click” like!
Ow thank’s for visiting too sir! 🙂