You Need to Pursue What you Love

Love it, or leave it is what I always say.

No, I’m not talking about your pets or your kids—that would be cruel. (And let’s face it, the grammar would be awkward). I’m talking about what you do with your life. You know, the thing you are living right now?

Let me explain. Every single day, you’re given a window of opportunity to experience the world. And what are you going to do if you don’t like the view? I’ll tell you what. Over time your dissatisfaction and lack of inspiration will eventually consume you, leaving you bitter and in despair.

And let’s be honest: bitter and desperate people are tough to be around for extended periods of time. They’re either forever chasing distractions to avoid confronting reality or, worse, projecting their resentment and dissatisfaction onto others. Sometimes, they even manage to do both simultaneously—an impressive but deeply tragic feat.

So how can I avoid becoming the person outlined above? Well it can be summed up simply… you need to pursue what you love to do. Whatever that thing may be.

Without pursuing what you truly love, you’ll always feel incomplete. And that emptiness will gnaw at you, driving you to seek solace in fleeting pleasures—the kind the world is all too eager to sell you. The world is a glittering maze, brimming with promises of shiny, temporary fulfillment. Venture too far into that maze, and you risk losing yourself there entirely. Some people even start working in that maze. It certainly happened to me a few times in my life. And it left me feeling like a lost and overused tube of toothpaste, my soul squeezed out until there was nothing left.

But how do you know you’ve found the thing you love?

Well, you may already know. I mean subconsciously you already have a inkling. It’s the thing that always drives your curiosity, it’s the thing you keep going back to, it’s the thing that provides a deep sense of fulfillment, which you would do even if the monetary rewards were low or even absent. It’s the thing that matches your skills, curiosity and the needs of society. And it’s also the thing that you are probably running away from because you are too consumed with thoughts of failure. Yes, it’s that thing! Now that you have remembered it, make a note of it so you don’t forget it again.

So now all that is left is for you to work your ass off to make it part of your life.

When you pursue what you love, you embark on a journey to express your truest self. It’s a fundamental part of your identity. Carl Jung called this individuation: the process of realizing your full potential.

And here’s the kicker: when you find what you love and commit to it, you don’t just change your own life—you inspire others to do the same. Passion and the drive that comes along with it is contagious, and so is authenticity. It starts a ripple effect, one that begins with you taking that first, bold step toward the life you actually want.

So you also owe it to your family and your community and the world to follow what you love.

So, find your thing. Hold onto it. Nurture it.

Because at the end of the day, you’re not here to simply exist. You’re here to live with purpose, to burn brightly, and to leave the world better than you found it.

Your long-term mental health depends on it. And, if it were necessary to say more, the health of everyone around you does too.