Do you know that there are treasures hidden deep inside you that are waiting to be let out into the world? It could be a book you’ve always wanted to write, a dance performance you’ve wanted to give, a compendium of family recipes you’ve wanted to curate or any other lifelong ambition that has been gnawing away at you.
Very few of us heed to this inner calling.
Most of us go to the grave and are buried with these treasures inside of us.
Sometimes the excuse is lack of time. But more often it is lack of courage.
We are afraid our ideas are not good enough.
We are afraid we don’t have the talent it takes.
We are afraid the fruits of our pursuits will not be tasty enough.
We are afraid of criticism or negative reviews.
Worse still, we are afraid nobody will care.
We are afraid that the work won’t be original enough. Somebody somewhere has surely already done this.
We are afraid what our family and friends would say.
All these fears (and there are many more) contribute to writer’s block which can paralyse us, emotionally.
Our list of anxieties can be endless, a “bottomless pit” as American journalist and authour Elizabeth Gilbert says in her deeply inspiring book on creative living, Big Magic, that I return to time and again for the wisdom carried in those pages is truly priceless.
So what’s the way out?
COURAGE.
I take huge inspiration from my father, Gopal Srinivasan, who started and has completed three books (the third is to launch next month) is his mid to late 70s.
His first book was In Praise of Sri Ramanuja: a word to word translation in English of 108 scintillating verses in Tamil. And his second was In Praise of Swami Vedanta Desika; a translation in English of 78 verses written in Sanskrit by one of his disciples.
These are no walks in the park. They are serious scholarly pursuits. Translating old texts in Sanskrit and Tamil are very demanding.
So why did he do it? How did he overcome all the anxieties and the many modern day distractions to see them through?
I believe the answer lies in the courage my father had to pursue what he truly loves. He has always been fascinated by the ancient texts. After a successful corporate career spanning over five decades, he had the courage to dig for the jewels hidden deep inside of him. The sheer joy of the process saw my father through. I don’t think he cared too much about what others would say about the overall work though I know he was afraid of getting specific translations wrong. But he powered through doing to the best of his ability to get it right. He wasn’t looking for fame or for his books to be bestsellers. He followed his own obsession. He loved the process. He trusted his instincts and he created something that he found truly beautiful.
The result? Critical acclaim by scholars. Praise from the community. Indebtedness from many to finally be able to understand Vaishnavite teachings from another era now made accessible by my father’s painstaking word for word English translations. He hasn’t become an Amazon best-seller but that never was his intention. If it had been, he might never have gotten started.
The story of my father’s creative pursuits in his 70s shows that it is never too late to start. The interesting back story is that he used to write an English language blog called Chumma Chumma (meaning “Just like that” in Tamil) prior to embarking on his book project. That was the first step that emboldened him.
No matter who you are or what stage of life you are at, I am certain there are treasures you can bequeath to the world.
Big Magic is a great starting point. Austin Kleon’s Show Your Work is also hugely motivating.
Remember, the goal is to not Die Empty!
Over to you now:
Cut yourself off from the world for as long as you can. A few minutes, a few hours, a few days, maybe even a few more months. What is it that you’ve always wanted to create?
What has held you back? Time, courage or something else? How might you overcomes the anxieties and be more courageous in pursuit of that inspiration?
Can you make a date with yourself every day even if it’s just 5 minutes a day to indulge in your creative pursuit? Remember the magic of compounding.