Pretend this is in Norwegian:
Hi dear reader
I've skipped the Introduction because it's way too long and I want to get to the first point, which is that you are unique - everyone is - and the things that motivate others might not work for you.
"Nobody makes you go after a dream. It's not like doing your schoolwork or paying your rent. No one is waiting for you to realize all your talents. You're on your own. Fulfilling your own potential, realizing your gifts, these are the only important things in our culture that are left entirely to you. Rarely does someone help you search for your hidden gifts, or give you the same guidance to develop them that you would get learning to read or do math or play football or drive a car. That's why we all have a very hard time following through on our impulses to write a novel, learn a new language, or try out photography.
Hmm. I've never quite seen it that way until I read this excerpt. Certainly my family encouraged me to go after a career, but it's true that no one helped me go after a dream. Maybe that's why I didn't have big dreams, or didn't pay much attention to them. And maybe that's why I can't quite figure out what my dream is, these days. Not at all.
In case you're having trouble keeping track, the fictitious writer of this blog isn't me. My father never encouraged me to go after a career. (Boy, was he surprised!) :-)
ReplyDelete