The Tyler Hayes

“Growing up” is definitely part of the human condition. If there were a human condition motivational poster, I’m convinced it would either be focused on A) growing up, or B) alcohol.

We all do this over the course of our whole lives, and there are even notable instances: marriage, having a baby, discovering your vocation, among other things. Growing up is a foregone conclusion. “It happens.”

Growing up, as a term, sounds too easy. Growing up is not a process that just happens. Sadly, to us, growing is something our body does for 18 years, making weird noises, smells, and even *GASP* growths along the way. After which we are adults. Growing up should be renamed to “fighting our gifts.” It is a bloody interior fight to the finish. It is K2’s bitch mother knife fighting with Mount Everest over who’s got it worse with global warming.

Back to the idea of gifts; we all have them. As children, we discover our gifts, and no two people are the same. As adolescents, we are taught to ignore our natural gifts, and instead refine whatever gifts are most useful to society. As adults, we observe the work/life balance, using our society-based gifts at work, while in our spare time trying to re-discover our childhood gifts. We become successful at work, but we have an innate feeling that true success has to do with the gifts we discovered years ago.

It’s hard to want to be successful sometimes, because with success comes sacrifice. You personally have to sacrifice something. In modern terms, this usually means leaving our job to pursue what we truly desire. Our true desires are often unclear because we have been taught to ignore them, and when we can’t even explain our desires to ourselves, it’s many times more difficult to explain it to our peers, family, and friends. Hence, the express “I just have to do it.” And the ensuing arguments.

Stop fighting with yourself. Follow your passion. Pull it from wherever you can. You’re not going to live for ten thousand years, just embrace your gifts already.