I was listening to my favorite podcast yesterday, Design Matters, and an interview with artist and designer Elle Luna came up. A little more than halfway through, an excerpt from her online manifesto “The Crossroads of Should and Must” was read aloud and it really struck a chord with me.
In it, she talks about making the jump from should to must. Should is what other people expect of us, how they think we should or shouldn’t live our lives. Must is who we really are and what we believe to be our truest self. We are constantly faced with both choices in all aspects of our lives and often times we do what we should because it’s easier and the risk is smaller. When we choose must, it’s difficult because it forces us to listen to our inner voices and pursue something unknown. But by doing so, we are able to find our true calling, and make what we do and who we are one in the same.
There have been many times in the past that I’ve had ideas of what I wanted to do, but the fear of failing or being judged would keep me from realizing my dreams. Instead of telling myself I must, I told myself all the reasons why I shouldn’t. Although I was able to avoid humiliation, I was unhappy, unfulfilled and left wondering what could have been.
Starting this blog, I was afraid. I spent hours worrying about how I would sound, what people would think and say. Giving myself all the reasons why I shouldn’t be doing this. I’m still thinking some of these things even now. What keeps me going though, is the fact that this is my must. I’m passionate about finding ways to live and enjoy my life while doing as little harm to myself, others and the environment as possible. I want to inspire others to do the same. Whether or not this blog does make a difference, I’m glad I took the leap and I hope you will too.
Read the full manifesto here: https://medium.com/@elleluna/the-crossroads-of-should-and-must-90c75eb7c5b0
*Image above by Elle Luna
