Go to school, study, get a job and earn money.
Find a girl or boy, court, get married and start a family.
These are the things that we are told by everyone. Even the media. It’s pretty straightforward. Follow the line and don’t go astray.
What we don’t get told is that it’s pretty hard to follow the line and not lose yourself. But the biggest thing that we don’t get told is that it’s fine to not follow the line. In fact, the best things in life don’t follow the line. Van Gogh was a classic example of not following the line. In life, he was constantly rejected. His paintings were rejected by critics all over and he only sold one painting. Even with this, he kept creating. He kept painting and followed his passion, even if that meant not being part of the mainstream. Now, his work is one of the most sought after.
We know at the end of the day, our candle of life is blown out. What do we want to leave behind? What do we want others to say when our light is put out? How many lights do we want to light up along the way before that happens? That is to say, how many people do we want to inspire and have a real genuine connection with.
If your choice is to be with a partner, that is fine. If your choice is to not live a life with a partner, that is also fine. It is your choice! Whichever choice you make, don’t follow the line that someone else feels compelled to draw for you. Being with someone does not mean that you give up your own morals, hopes and dreams. There may be times of compromise, or times where your very morals are tested. But these are times to welcome as they offer the opportunity to refine your morals.
Stray from the line and explore what lies beyond. It is emblazoned on motivational posters to not follow the path that has been tread, but instead to blaze our own.
Go out hiking. Stay on the path for safety reasons of course, but every now and then stray and see what lies beyond. Nature at it’s finest sometimes lies beyond the tree line.
Whatever your occupation, change the process in your thinking. Complex problems become less complex if you explore the alternatives. Ignore the noise that surrounds it.
The answers are not always there in the straight lines.
Wayne is a photographer with a distinct style – combining wedding photojournalism and contemporary portrait photography.