11/9/12—Doing What You Want

Today's Draw: Giving Over to What I Love from Illuminate! Life Journey Cards. Do you do what you want in life? Or do you find yourself doing stuff just because everyone else does...or to please others...or because "that's the way it's supposed to be done"? What are some of the consequences you've come across in either doing what you want or not doing what you want?

Ever since I was a kid, I've wondered, "what if everyone did just what they loved? Would everything get done?" Would trash get picked up? Would sewage get taken care of? Would bodies get buried? Or would everyone just choose to work in the jimmy section of an ice cream store? 

At times when I've thought of this, I've thought that some people really like to collect trash. They do. And so I've thought my Utopian idea could work. But at other times I've thought that not enough people like trash enough to cover the need. 

That said, I think there a lot of white collar jobs would be covered. There are enough people who love science, for example, to fill our need for scientists. I mean, theoretically, that is. Some of those people are currently doing something else because it pays more or because they didn't have the grades to be a scientist. And some scientists might rather be collecting trash. 

I was thinking along these lines today, because I kind of have a nice little set up where I don't do anything I don't want to do most of the time. I don't clean my house until I'm tired of seeing it dirty, for example. Or unless someone's coming over. I don't do laundry until I need it. That kind of thing. Yet, there are things I like that I do on their regular schedule. For example, I like to cut Magick's hair. So when it gets long and unwieldy, we play beauty shop. 

So how's this working for me? Good. And not. I don't exercise because I don't want to and the result is that I'm overweight and feel like an old lady. So that's not a good thing. Either way I lose. But on the other hand, not doing what I don't want to do has also helped me be more genuine to myself in some ways. I do like myself better and feel like I'm a better human since I stopped trying to meet social standards for what a person should look like, act like, occupy their time with, etc.

So I guess the secret is to give yourself over to what you love. And in those situations where you dislike both the action and the consequences of not doing it, do what is right. Life is too short to work it any other way.