When I was young I wanted to be a Policeman.
I wanted to be a policeman more than anything else in the World.
I knew everything about it … from height requirements to standards of pay.
Nothing was going to make me happy unless I became a copper.
And then I got a guitar.
Despite destroying every song I attempted to play, I wanted to be a rock star.
I wanted to be a rockstar more than anything else in the World.
I joined bands. I recorded in studios. I played hundreds of gigs and I blew an obscene amount of cash on more guitars and amps than the average band take on a World tour
And despite all that, my parents supported my ambitions every step of the way.
That doesn’t mean they agreed with all the choices I made – they still would have preferred me to go into law and were very vocal when they felt I was about to do something utterly stupid – but they had the attitude that it was better to live a life rather than a lifestyle and ultimately, they wanted what made me happy rather than them.
Which is handy, as I went into advertising.
The reason I write this is because a couple of weeks ago, the wonderful Lauren sent me a link to something that kind-of reflects the encouragement I received from my parents.
If you can’t read it properly, go here.
The thing I love about it – apart from being brilliantly written and in the perfect tone of the wonderful Viz – is that it’s not about giving people false belief or ridiculous promises … and it’s certainly not about making individuals think they’re destined for success or better than anyone else … it’s simply about encouraging people to not give up on the things that excite them simply because someone else says “it’s difficult” or “stupid”.
Chasing passions plays a significant role in the evolution of society and humanity.
If all we did were the things that were generally deemed ‘sensible’, we’d never grow or develop or try new things … so while I accept [as NP pointed out on an earlier post I wrote] there’s nothing sadder than “smug idiots living in the future, rather than living in the now” and “twentysomethings who have wasted opportunities in the pursuit of big positions and salaries”, it’s also important that we don’t stop people pursuing their curiosity and passions simply because it doesn’t meet with popular consensus … something way too many people in adland like to curb with their fixed processes and propriety tools.
