Follow Your Bliss -- The Only Thing You Need to Know

Theresa Sgobba graduated from high school in 1997, which makes her the elder statesmen of this venerable group of contributors (so far). Unlike some of our younger writers, she has experienced quite a few traditional “life markers”: she graduated from college (Stanford, 2001); she went to law school (Yale, 2004); she pursued a career (13 years in criminal justice reform); she married (Stephen Shelley, 2013); she had a child (Sofia, 2016). But as you will see from this post, there is nothing traditional about Theresa.

We hear the advice all the time. Follow your passion. Listen to your heart.  Seize the day.  I’ve certainly said these kinds of things to the young people who have come through my classes.

But as you get older the advice can seem like it no longer applies. How do you listen to your heart when you have to pay a mortgage? How you seize the day when you’re feeling overworked and underappreciated in your job? How do you follow your bliss when it feels like your path in life is set, fixed, and non-negotiable?

Well, read Theresa’s post. She makes a powerful case for listening to your heart even as it gets trampled by the traffic of daily responsibility. A lot of people find reasons to set their bliss aside. Now, they say, I have an important job.  Now I have a 2700-square-foot home with a walk-in master closet. Now I have an adorable daughter … now I have an adorable son.  Theresa says good for you, but none of these things should keep you from pursuing what you love.  Joy should be your North Star -- forever and always.

I won’t tell you too much about what Theresa has done since graduating from high school because she tells her story in the post below. I will just say that she is a courageous young woman whose determination to live life on her own terms has always been a great inspiration to me.

Here, she tells the story of how she transformed her life. “My post is about following one's own bliss, passion, and calling in life. About eschewing the dictates of others that do not resonate, and confidently moving forward in the direction of your own dreams.”

- C.H.

I remember one of my great high school English teachers sharing with our class the famous Joseph Campbell quote, “Follow your bliss.” We were studying British Lit hero stories, and alongside, read excerpts from Campbell’s studies of the hero’s journey.

The hero’s journey is a common story portrayed across myths, legends, books and films. A protagonist sets out on a quest, faces serious challenges, and ultimately prevails victorious, coming home to serve his community, transformed. Campbell saw the hero’s journey as a metaphor for the deep inner journey of transformation each of us takes—a path through darkness to the great light we all have within us to shine.

Following your bliss, he believed, was the key to bringing your true gift to the world—the pursuit you are truly passionate about, through which you will find your fullest potential and serve others to the greatest extent.

I remember this idea resonated so strongly with our class that we were moved to tears. I think we all knew then that we are all heroes. That we are each meant to do something great in this life. And that it starts with our bliss.

…

There are those moments in high school when something really touches you, and you feel the utter beauty of life. But often, as happened with me, those moments get lost in the momentum of life’s expectations.

For the most part, I didn’t follow my bliss in high school. I worked my butt off. I crushed myself to be the best—get the highest grades, extra credit, lead the best activities…. And I kept pushing myself—to the top of my university, then to a top law school. I got prestigious jobs and excelled.

Basically, I did what I thought I was supposed to do—to be a worthy student, daughter, person; to be successful.

And at the top of that ladder, I found my soul on the brink of collapse. I was working a great job, crying every day, miserable and lost. I felt eons away from the dreams of my youth. And, I’m not the only one. Most people I know on the mainstream path don’t love what they do.

…

I’ve heard the spiritual journey described as narrowing the distance between your perceived (false, constructed for others) self and your true (blissful, divine) Self. At this point, I had gone as far as I could tolerate from who I really am. Into the heart of darkness. And when you reach that point, there thankfully is only one place to go.

Into the light.

After decades of pushing aside my passions, I quit following others’ rules, and started to follow my bliss. I quit my job. Traveled the world. Started a business with my husband, moved our family into a converted Sprinter van, and became a nomadic digital entrepreneur.

Now, my life is a total adventure. I don’t always know what’s going to happen next—in fact, I never do—but it is always exciting, because that we follow our excitement is the only rule.

We now live in Costa Rica, and we’re creating projects to help others awaken and follow their own bliss: a course to "Exit the Matrix," and a theater piece called the "Great Awakening."

…

So, here’s what I want you to know: You don’t have to do it the way I did! When you’re young, your bliss is fresh. You don’t have to go down the road most traveled, and bury it. You don’t have to do what others tell you, if it doesn’t feel right. If it doesn’t bring you joy, and feel like your true expression, don’t do it.

It’s actually simple, the answer to what you’re going to do, now and when you grow up—especially if you get good at it early on. The answer is…

What brings you the greatest joy?

Follow it.

It is the truth of who you are. The meaning of your life. The voice of your higher self, God, the universe—whatever you believe in. It’s leading you in a direction. And in that direction is magic, and infinite support for what you will create. Your bliss is your guidance in life. Your roadmap.

That’s the only thing you need to know.