John Jurko II

Have you ever had a big dream, like dropping everything and traveling the world? Like quitting your job and starting a business to follow your passions? Like becoming a rock star or a filmmaker? You know that if you put all of your energy into living your dreams that you can make them happen. That living out your passions will be worth all of the short-term suffering and poverty. I mean anything is possible. We’ve sent people to the moon and back, right?

So you start to plan your break from the status quo. You do some research and buy all of the gear you need. It’s time to make the plunge and go for it. When is now a better time?

Then fear strikes like a bolt of lightning. All of the pain of uncertainty comes rushing in. All of your past failures rear their ugly heads and block out all hope of success. The venom of fear is strong. It tightens your chest, clouds your thoughts and impairs your vision.
Soon your current life begins to look a lot better. You’d rather slog through the mundane and secure then face the possibility of failure. You put that guitar back in the case and hide it under the bed. You strike all mentions of your big trip from Facebook. You sell your camera for less than what you paid.

It’s all chalked up to a couple of rash decisions. I mean, you have a life here and people are counting on you to stay the same.

Don’t lie to yourself.

These weren’t rash decisions. They were probably based on dreams you’ve had since you were a child. But you’ve pushed them down into the dark corners of your soul to escape the ridicule of the rest of the world. Your dreams have been shifted to shames, as you’ve been taught again and again that you should work hard in school to get a job that pays the bills, so you can start a family, and if you live long enough, and save enough money, then maybe, just maybe, you can retire and play golf in Florida, until you lose mobility and have to resign your life to a bed in a nursing home. That’s the promise of the safe life. And some collective force, based in fear, causes us to accept it as our best option for a happy life.

Well, I think it’s bullshit!

This is my manifesto for changing a life of the mundane into a life of passion. Yeah, I’m afraid. Yes, I’ve made excuses for avoiding a change in the past. I’ve made plans for living out my passions and bailed on them to take on work that I know, that comes easy to me, that pays the bills, but work that is not satisfying, and that has no relation to my passions.

So here are some of the dreams that I am going to take action on in the coming year:

• First, I’m going to do my best to blog every week. I want to write more and this is one of the easiest ways to start the habit.
• I’m going to complete my applications for MFA programs in film at USC, UCLA and Stanford.
• I’m going to do my best to raise enough money to finish a documentary of my home town of Yankee Lake.
• I am going to sell off most of what I own, keeping only what I need to live and work out of my car.
• In March I’m going to SXSW (South by Southwest), a film, music and interactive festival.
• Then my plan is to work on the road and travel the U.S. until August.
• After my travels, I’ll settle in LA or San Francisco, where I’ll go to grad school if I get accepted, or go straight to doing more of the work that I care about.
• I will save money to travel overseas, to go on adventures and make videos.

I’ll be sure to make occasional posts, letting you know where I am in the process. I expect you to ridicule me if I fail to follow through, and to not tell me “it’s okay” if I make excuses for why I’m not following through. Any encouragement to push through the fear is welcome. I know it’s going to be challenging, but I’m committed to making my dreams happen, and I’d love to give you any tips that I discover along the way.

If you have any dreams that you’ve been putting off, maybe this is the time to commit to making them happen. Together we can change our ordinary lives into outstanding ones. We can be there for each other when the fear gets too much. We can share our experiences and inspire others to live their legends.

Don’t wait until you’re too old or too afraid to do something about it. After you’re done reading this, go do at least one thing to get you started on your journey. If you’re not sure what to do, I suggest reading one of these short and inspiring books.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield