Thinking is not even a step

Today I saw Rock On for a second time. Something about that movie really touches a chord with me. I think it’s the fact that I have always believed that somewhere within myself I have a creative streak. Writing has been a hobby since I can remember. One of my most pleasant and exciting memories of achievement was the publication of my articles in a national magazine. I used to want to make a career related to books and/or writing. I seriously considered journalism as a career. But then logic prevailed as did some serious reality checks from family about what kind of life it would entail – and I chose mainstream management and now I am a corporate financial professional!

Mixology (a novel by Mainik Dhar) talks about mixing up life. Of adding a bit of everything to make a long island iced tea that is interesting enough to give you that slight high of life (this of course is my interpretation). I wonder if there is anything that can be done to do just that. Adi, of Rock On, certainly manages to, Mainak also has managed it. I have a cousin who has a band while he manages his corporate job. I wonder if it’s me. If I am looking for excuses to just not try and give my life a chance – to take the easy route of doing what everyone does. Or if I am being presumptuous by thinking that I CAN do more.

Today, while watching the movie, I recalled a discussion among my friends while in college. We were talking about how being able to do something creative – a talent- is not something that everyone has, and each of us had sworn to try and keep - what were then hobbies and beliefs- alive. But when I see myself, and a lot of my friends, I wonder how many of us kept that promise.

We get caught up in life. We do what it demands of us and gather the tangible and measurable merits of a main-stream existence. I think it’s just easy. It’s easy because it provides the amenities and life that is expected out of us. I for one am used to certain comforts and a life-style. I have been brought up to take pride in certain achievements – degrees, promotions, excellence. And I’m not saying this in a sense that I think there is anything wrong with that life. I just can’t help think – time and again – if that is all my life will be. I think it’s in my own hands. I have been told that it is. I just get a little helpless to get those hands moving and try.

Hum of the Day
Taking a first step is sometimes not enough. Having it in you to keep taking the subsequent ones is usually the bigger challenge.