Inspired. Intelligent. Unapologetic.

You may be wondering what this main pic has to do with this title, but the thing that they share in common is that I woke up to both this image on my night stand and this post idea at the same time, lol. To handle the thought, it’s sort of a recurring one in my head lately. With Steve Jobs, one of the greatest visionary’s of all time leaving the planet recently, you can’t help but take note of what his message was. However, I will say that after seeing one of his interviews, some of his message can sound a little conflicting. In the interview he specifically states how his family is the most important thing in life, but then one of his most infamous quotes speaks of having the courage to follow your heart  and intuition concerning what you want to become…everything else is secondary, hmmm. Not saying that both can’t be equally important, but we all know the trade offs and sacrifices that it often takes to follow your heart and dreams. I don’t know how at some point one wouldn’t have to be chosen over another in some capacity.

Another reason this thought has been around lately is due to a friend of mine who is struggling with some of the same thinking around what she is going to school for. She doesn’t necessarily love the field, but she wants the rewards that being in the field has to offer. It’s the struggle between idealism and realism. Because let’s face it, most people who do have responsibilities in life don’t always feel that following what you love is going to get the bills paid, even if it sounds great theoretically. It also may take you away from other things that you may love or want to become as well. Maybe someone doesn’t necessarily “love” their job, but they love what the money that they make from the job provides them. Maybe they just love money? .

There’s a strong voice to the “do what you love and the money will follow”, or do what you love and you will be successful. But there may be indefinite years of eating bread crumbs before that happens, and it may never happen. Anyone who lives long enough knows that nothing in this life is guaranteed, even if it sounds good in theory. If your definition of success is doing what makes you happy, there you have it! You just might be really unsuccessful in your off hours where you’re just doing whatever it takes to feed your face.

When it comes to either talent, beauty or some other extra-ordinary quality that comes with someone that separates from the ordinary there does come a choice. For example, my daughter is beautiful and there have always been comments here or there about modeling etc. And while it’s something that her father have always been open to, there’s another side that has been open enough to her deciding things for herself when she is older and allowing her to enjoy the perks of what just being an “ordinary” kid has to offer. I also think that while there is something great about sharing yourself and certain qualities surrounding you with others and potentially the whole world, there can be something special concerning only sharing that with immediate family and friends. It also alleviates certain pressures and expectations that come with the roller coaster ride of “becoming” something or fame. Because let’s face it, the natural inclination in human nature, is always “what’s next?”. Speaking of which, as for myself as a writer, there’s not currently anyone bigger than J.K. Rowling and even after producing all that she has, there’s still the wonder of what/if she will come out with something else. When is good, good enough? Never.  While we all love to hear those Cinderella stories, it’s funny how in the movies “The End” comes at the kiss. Could that be the kiss of death? lol. You know where Cinderella now has to deal with her new found fortune in one world leading to a new found misfortune in another? She might no longer have a life serving an evil step-mother, but now she is serving a man and a whole country…wtf? When Steve Jobs leaves this world, is there another that he will go into? If so, what will that world hold for him?

So now thanks to people like Steve Jobs we are provided tools that help to level the playing field and have given a new platform for dreams to become reality and “ordinary” people to share “extra-ordinary” gifts. We live in an error where pretty much anyone can become famous or known and “rising to the top” can be only a click away. And while I marvel at all these rapid changes in the world and what those who have been blessed with genius gifts have left behind, I also know that everything that glitters ain’t gold. There’s another side to the coin where extraordinary takes place.

Coming back down to ordinary. That’s where the picture for this post comes into play. If I was some famous writer with an every day agenda that need to be completed or I was rushing off my gorgeous daughter to some major photo shoot, would this picture be possible, probably not. She probably wouldn’t have cared so much about this slappy lizard thing that she would feel the need to wrap him up in toilet paper before telling me to “gently” put him on my nightstand for a good night’s sleep. I probably wouldn’t have cared enough to take a picture and marvel at how caring and creative my daughter is. There’s something definitely big and extraordinary that can be found in the small and ordinary. And sometimes you need to lead a small and ordinary life to be able to see it.

So while I firmly believe in dreaming and the life that it can bring to the world, I also know that sometimes your feet need to be planted firmly in the here and now in order to truly live as well. Whether we dream big, small or aim to live an extraordinary or ordinary life, I believe it all has it’s place within the BIGGER scheme of things.