tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123846262298113249.post8445048208272581042..comments2023-04-14T11:05:52.301-04:00Comments on Bitter/Sweet: Should You Bother With A Backup Plan?Suzannah Kolbeckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10398077191898767298noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123846262298113249.post-44625926756744406842014-12-21T13:51:03.000-05:002014-12-21T13:51:03.000-05:00I LOVE this reply. I think it is all about making ...I LOVE this reply. I think it is all about making choices that support the path you choose and realizing that you may have to say no to some things so you can fully say yes to others.<br><br>The Child has been saying that she is not planning on going to college, and that has been raising some eyebrows. She wants to experience the world and her father dying has shown her like no other experience can that nothing is guaranteed. She may change her mind, and she even says she is keeping her options open.<br><br>I think you have to throw your whole self into doing what you choose to do, no matter what that is. Art contributes just as much to the world as any other field, so why do we discourage our artists.Suzannahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1123846262298113249.post-47093577827357912592014-12-21T11:35:27.000-05:002014-12-21T11:35:27.000-05:00just reading this now. :)wow, YES, i totally disag...just reading this now. :)<br><br>wow, YES, i totally disagree — especially with the idea that you cannot live simply anymore.<br><br>both of my sons plan on artistic careers and they both know that keeping a low overhead is absolutely key to their life plans. it is NOT impossible to live simply. you DO have to make choices that, perhaps, a lot of people don’t want to make — but that isn’t the same as impossible!<br><br>recently my 18yo said he doesn’t have a plan B because that would mean he was leaving himself an out to not make his plan A happen. it’s A all the way. :)<br><br>i remember a friend in college (8,000 years ago) telling me that her plan was to work “for a few years” and save money and THEN she would pursue her art. well, you can guess what happened. and i think a lot of people go down that path.<br><br>i think it’s a path of accommodation — trying to accommodate what your parents want, what your friends want (for you to have money and go out with them!), what you want to represent on facebook, and so on. it’s very hard to balance a path toward what you want with *also* doing all these other things that impress/comfort other people.<br><br>adam grant interviewed malcolm gladwell and they talked about how one of the big five traits of entrepreneurs is being “disagreeable” — because people who are going to innovate can’t simultaneously desire social approval. you have to be willing to swim against the current.<br><br>since both of my boys are teens now, i have gotten a bit of the reaction “oh but don’t you want them to go to college?!” and “oh but don’t you worry about their future?!” re: their plans. this always surprises me because i cannot possibly be the only person who knows a LOT of people who ended up in careers they didn’t really like (pressured by parents, simply ending up there through inertia, etc.), who pined after the work they really wanted to do (frustrated artists, writers, designers, etc.), and whose biggest regret was not believing in themselves and making different choices.<br><br>even people who make all the “right” choices end up laid off .. sick .. divorced .. and so on. striving for society’s approval doesn’t guarantee anything. whereas pursuing your best life might not get you your fantasy — but at least you know you tried. :)Lorihttp://project-based-homeschooling.com/camp-creek-blog/noreply@blogger.com