The other night I had the privilege of attending a talk given by Eat, Pray, Love author, Elizabeth Gilbert. As you may know, Eat, Pray, Love is one of my favorite books and I liken the experience of hearing Gilbert speak to seeing a favorite band in concert. Seeing Liz up there was like watching a rock star. A literary rock star.
As she talked about her journey from growing up on a Connecticut Christmas tree farm to penning one of the most popular memoirs in recent memory to having Julia Roberts play her in the movie version of her life, there was one piece of advice really stayed with me. She said that she never had to find her path, she just had to obey it. For her, writing has always been a path of the heart, something she did regardless of the outcome. Like most dream chasers, she struggled and faced rejection. But more than anything, she obeyed the path.
Many of us know our path, we can feel it at work in our hearts. The challenge isn’t finding it, it’s obeying it. Regardless of the outcome.
Are you obeying the path of your heart?
I hope I am. Being authentic is so, so important. You can’t truly obey (or follow or find) your path if you aren’t authentic with yourself.
I couldn’t agree more!
Erika I am so happy I discovered your blog today. I quit my full time job two years ago to write a chick lit novel. It has been scary and challenging living on a reduced income/loss of health insurance benefits, but it has also been exhilarating. I love writing and meeting other writers in this online community where we support and encourage each other. It feel so good to finally be doing something true to myself. Like you, I dream of traveling again and living abroad. That is one part of my early twenties I miss a lot, the freedom to pick up and go anywhere. Eat Pray Love is an inspirational book for so many people because it’s all about the journey of personal discovery. Great to meet you and I can’t wait to read all of these posts! =)
Hi Meredith,
It’s great to meet you! I too am glad you discovered this blog! I’m intrigued by your dream chasing and look forward to hearing more about you 🙂
Erika