Do What You Love

"Do what you love."

Growing up, I heard that phrase over and over when I talked to adults about my future.  Whenever we talked about it, they would encourage me, saying things like "follow your dreams," and "if you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life."  It was great.
However, as the decision-making time came closer, those encouragements faded.  I was told to be "practical" and "realistic."  It's taken me a while, but I finally realized that most people have two mindsets about the future: the fun, daydreaming mindset and the pessimistic, "realistic" mindset.  When something is far off in the future, they allow themselves to dream big and fantasize.  However, when the time to make the decision rolls around, they forsake all of those big ideas for something that is small and safe (what they rationalize as being "realistic").
When I came into Ohio University my freshman year I was a business major.  I was surrounded by people who were safe and loved to think inside the box.  I hated nearly every moment of it.  Finally, after several revelations, I changed my major to Game Design.  I did so because I was tired of being surrounded by pessimists and structure.  I was also tired of lying to myself by dreaming big in my mind and acting small in real life.  Changing my major was a statement of defiance and a promise to be true to myself.  From now on, I'm not just thinking and talking about big things.  I'm doing them.  As they say so succinctly in Zombieland, "Nut up or shut up."