Parallel Lives
It’s official—I am nearly empty of all my words. The past few weeks have seen a manuscript submitted to my Literary Agent, a uni assignment submitted (I’m studying anthropology) and my day-job ramped up. Full and wonderful days! But, because I love a chat, I’ve kept space to catch up over coffee with fellow creatives and friends. Last week was no exception.
Although this particular friend and I live quite close, our schedules don’t permit many opportunities to catch up. So last week, we had our annual 2-hour coffee! And as we were comparing notes and lives, my friend picked up on something I said and repeated it to me:
“There’s my present day, my stepping stone and my future state.”
His reaction to this statement was a little more enthusiastic than I thought the sentence warranted, but it got me thinking. And upon reflection I realised that I had been navigating parallels in my life for a long time –parallel lives, so to speak.
My present day—this represents the job that I do day-to-day. It pays my bills and allows me to live quite nicely, thank you very much. In fact, I’m extremely fortunate to have a job that I enjoy, with people that I like. And it’s a job that’s related to what I want to do in my long-term future even though it’s not ‘the thing.’
My stepping stone—this is the side hustle that is taking me closer to my future. For me right now, it’s the co-authoring of a non-fiction book. My client and I have been spoiled with a contract from one of the big publishers and it will be internationally released in 2021. It’s a total miracle to see a dream come true in the middle of a global pandemic (and a bit weird too, if I’m honest). But this, though it’s wonderful, it’s not ‘the thing’ either. However, it’s a step closer...
My future state—you know what, this isn’t too far off for me. In fact, I’m closer today than I’ve ever been before ;) But let me be very clear, this isn’t something I am waiting for. It’s something I am actively pursuing. I am developing and writing several non-fiction books, playing around with ideas and wrestling with words all in an effort to write my way into my future. And funnily enough—this is also my ‘play’. With no demands, no deadlines I get to imagine new worlds, new stories and exciting adventures on my own time. It’s a little bit wonderful...
On reflection it seems that I navigate three parallel lives. I spin each plate, with varying momentums, as needed – but the most important thing to me is that I keep them spinning. The goals—that I enjoy and learn from today, take a step closer to where I want to be and prepare myself for my future state. And that’s a rather gentle way of saying–I work for my today, I work for my tomorrow and I work for my ‘in ten years time’. This is the dance of fulfilling my creative calling and you know what, I love it! You can too—and I wonder if you’re deliberate about your today, your stepping stone and your future. If not, what change can you make to help you on your way?