The Price You Pay For Following Your Dreams

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Ever thought of turning off your work laptop, crouching into a stress-induced ball ofmuscles and launching that laptop straight out of your office window? You would then donyour cape and ride your dragon into the sunset, slink into your castle, drink your meadand bask in the joy of funemployment while following your true calling (can you tellI’ve been watching Game of Thrones?). I made the decision to do justthat. I left my cushy full-time job, switched my status to part-time andbecame a working actor. Although I knew what initial sacrifices I was making, I could nothave been less prepared for the breadth of changes to come. I did, however, attempt tomitigate those changes. I took the full-time job I had thinking that it could act as afinancial cushion. I knew that at one point I would need to make a decision and wanted tobe ready. In the meantime, I auditioned for all the acting jobs I had time for, took asmany classes as I could afford and ran myself into the ground. When in themidst of my juggling I became incapable of doing anything well, I asked myself: Will Iforever wonder what my life could have been? Will I hit 50 and wish I’d done thingsdifferently? Who will I be in 10 years? So I pulled the plug. This is whathappens when you abandon a conventional lifestyleto follow your dream. First, expect your social life to be the first thingthat's shattered. Maintaining social connections when most of the people you know are9-to-5ers is more of a challenge than you might think. Most people spend every weekdaystaring at their computers, meeting their sales numbers, going to business meetings andplugging away at their daily routines. Meeting up after work and on weekends is an obviousextension of everyone’s office life. Taking away the one constant -- daily work --drastically changes your ability to see these people.Socializing becomes verydifficult when a random call at 6 p.m. means you will be unavailable for the next threedays because you have just been asked to audition in New York City, and you aren’tsure where your next paycheck will come from. Put this all together, and there are wholemonths when you, the adventurous artist, see no one outside your fellow artists andsignificant other, leaving your corporate friends andcollege buddies to wonder if you even exist. But when you are lucky enough tosee them, you will notice they will actually want to know about your life. Everyone dreamsabout following their less financially rewarding interests, but most are often unwillingto let go of the amenities constant paychecks and upward advancement bring about. Many ofyour closest friends will want to live vicariously through you. It is both baffling andadmirable to them that you chose to put your stable career in flux for a merepossibility. It is that piqued interest that may be the savior of yourrelationships. Your schedule and life interests will continue to differentiate and thatone bridge can hold your friends to you. Their interest in you and your career will begenuine and in many instances will manifest itself through social assistance. This mightmean they offer you room and board when you travel to a new city, attend all your shows orcelebrate with you your most recent role. On the flipside, money will betight, and it’s important not to get too carried away. Every social outing will needto be measured in terms of your upcoming needs. Each will need to be weighed against yourpending bills, what the costs of your artistic trade will run you and if there are othermore important events coming up -- such as a wedding you can't miss. It is by far thetoughest part to adjust to. This is also the hardest part for your friends to understand.They will wonder why you have been canceling out on them. It’s hard for them to seehow busy you are. They don’t see how hard it is to keep in touch when you spend halfyour week struggling to meet your basic needs. The best way to counter this isto keep the people you know involved in your life. Invite them to your shows, premieresand events. They will feel honored you chose them and they will feel invested in your“alternate” career. At the same time, they will see the final result of allthe work you put in. They will finally understand why you have fallen off the face of theworld. It is an appreciation that can lead to untold immeasurable benefits. After all, younever know where someone’s career will go. Today’s young corporate analystcould end up becoming a famous broadcaster with hundreds of industry connects. When making such a life-changing career choice,it is nigh on impossible for you to keep up with everyone you know. No matter what, thedanger exists that you will lose some of your friends entirely. This is an unfortunate andinevitable side effect of having vastly different lives. Most people will still be therefor you. Those people may mind that they have not seen you in weeks, but they willunderstand that it is all part of the journey. It may be a haphazard journey you havechosen for yourself, but one day, you will repay them handsomely for their trust. Continue Reading

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