First of all, I would like to thank-you, for clicking on this article.
Now trust me I understand. Some of you probably clicked on this thinking that I have probably lost my mind. How can being practical in life possibly hold you back? Isn't being practical supposed to be a good thing? Didn't you grow up with your peers and relatives pushing you to become that engineer, nurse, doctor? Isn't making money extremely important and could possibly affect the overall happiness and success rate of your entire lives?
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Well the answer is yes of course, but I'm here to just put a little bit more perspective on the table. As with everything in life, there is always more to things �than what you think and not everything is written in black and white.
Without further ado I introduce to you, reasons why being too practical may hold you back.
1. It can distract you from what you really want.
Now, some of you probably already know what you want. You knew what you wanted when you were seven and you know what you want now and I applaud you for that. Way to take control! As for the rest of us, including myself, we have an internal struggle daily because we have no clue, or maybe we do, but our little practical voice inside our heads whispers discouraging thoughts. For instance, you want to be a musician, it will say there is no money in that. You want to be a video game designer? That is way too competitive. What about a writer? Forget that, choose something else better. But here's the problem, what if that one thing was the only thing you wanted to do? What if you know deep down that is the thing that will bring joy to your life? That practical voice will become a torturous endless cycle in your head, forever. The desire will never go away. There comes a time where being practical is the only thing that is� distracting you from what you really want. Once you understand and accept the risks to get to where you want, it is time to tell that little practical voice and all its opinions to shove it. If you want something bad enough, you will make it work.
2. Being too practical may cause regret.
Ah, regret. Probably one of my biggest fears next to giant poisonous spiders. We can all admit no one wants to look back on their lives in their 90's wishing that they did something different or wishing they could have spent their time in their youth more wisely. This is where being too practical may come back to bite you in the butt. I think most people can admit that a good 80% of our biggest life choices happen whenever we are in college or in our twenties. This is our prime time to choose our career path, our families, our jobs, our friends, the pressure is unreal. The way I see it, imagine you are 90 thinking back reminiscing your life. What is it you have accomplished? What is it you are proud of? Whatever the answer to that question is, you need to chase that dream. There is no time to waste.
�3. Well, someone has to be the bread-winner, right?
�Back to the nagging voice of practicality, this is one of the strongest arguments it has to offer. Especially towards young men, or single parents. Boys are brought up with the mindset that they are to be the provider for the family, it is their responsibility to put food on the table, for the bills to be paid, for everyone to live comfortably. This also goes for single parents and moms too. There comes a time where your dreams and hopes are put aside in order to put others in your lives first. Which, if your parents are like that, say thank-you because they have sacrificed tremendously for you. However, if you are one of these parents, or if you consider yourself a provider, it is never too late to start dabbling in the things you love again. Do not allow your life to become work-oriented, become family-oriented.� Take a break, maybe take a vacation together to a country you always wanted to visit. Accomplish, some of your dreams with your family beside you.
4. The thought of big changes will scare you.
Despite what our practical minds tell us, it is never too late to make a change. Say, you have been with the same company, with the same pay, since you started your working career. You are making good money, you aren't unhappy with your job, it's just... you are bored. You want something new, something exciting. You want a change, your rent might not want a change, your bills might not want a change, but you can't deny that you do. So what do you do? do you blow it off as a phase, or do you start job hunting? Maybe you want to change your major halfway through college, do you decide to take the leap? Sure, you will have to put extra work in, you might have to work a little bit harder to reach your goals, but at least it is something different. Changes help us grow as human beings, they stimulate the mind, they provide a challenge. It's the choices we make during the crossroads of our lives that truly define us. Whatever that choice is in your life, is up to you. There are pros and cons to both sides, just understand there is nothing wrong with changing the status quo.
5. You may start to forget how capable you really are.
There is nothing wrong with being practical. There is nothing wrong with having practical thoughts, but there is a fine line when thinking practically is meant to help you and when it is there to hinder you. It is up to you to discover where that line is drawn. Whatever your dreams are, whether you are young or old, rich or poor, you are capable of achieving anything you have ever wanted. There will be times of failure, but if you pick up right where you left off and try again, you will eventually reach your goal. Take into consideration, how much you are willing to sacrifice for your goals. If your answer is almost anything, then don't let anything hold you back. Have some faith in yourself, and most of all, remember what is important to you. It is part of who you are.
