“Everything that I understand, I understand only because I love.” ~Leo Tolstoy~
I found this quote online through a random search, and think it’s just completely apt when describing me. I never really enjoyed school. I was always loud, disruptive, and disrespectful. I definitely needed to get the crap beat out of me, but it never just happened (although it sure seems like I tried, the way I acted). I dropped out when I was seventeen, and wasted a couple years working minimum wage jobs that I hated, not doing anything with my life. Then one day at about age nineteen, something flipped in my head, and it’s like maturity kicked in, and all of a sudden I wanted to learn. In fact, I couldn’t get enough of it. To this day I will spend hours with my face shoved in front of a book or a random website just learning something new, whether it be physics, literature, art, history, or (lately) math. I love learning, and I’ve noticed what many people learned at a young age; the more I love a subject, the easier it is to comprehend.
It took me six years after dropping out of high school to finally get my G.E.D., but I’m glad I did. I can’t afford to go back to school quite yet, I’m just not at a place in my life to be able to budget that, but it will happen. I love learning too much not to. I don’t care if I have to wait until my mid-life crisis, it will happen. And that leads me to my reflection, which I’ll keep somewhat short after all of that back story.
Find what you love. Do it. It doesn’t matter what “it” is. You will never be better at anything else. You may have talent, or aptitude in areas that you’re not as fond of, and you can be great there as well, but when you find what you truly love, you will soar. Not only will you be able to excel at it, but you will be happy as well. It’s why I write. I may never pay my bills with my work, but it isn’t going to stop me from trying. I love it too much, and I know that I’m good at it. Find your love, and make the most of it!