A professor and mentor of mine says: “Beam! Let your light shine.” The Simulation Podcast #737 is about letting your light shine. As a senior in college, this podcast revealed that I was too fearful, complacent, and ignorant to admit I was going down the wrong path in life. I didn’t love what I was doing anymore.

Maybe you are already letting your light shine, in which case THANK YOU. I aspire to be the type of person who brings out the best life has to offer, and you are an example of how that is possible. If you are like me, though, then maybe this article can help you accept that you have room to grow. 

Here are some notes picked/paraphrased from the podcast:

1. You may find yourself on your deathbed asking “When I was 20/30/40… why didn’t I pursue that idea /go to that place/ learn that new skill? Why did I never untangle my web of desires and find my true calling?” One answer is fear- fear of failure, risk taking, uncertainty, and revealing your deepest, true self/passion to the world. Dedicating yourself to a transcendent calling can eliminate these regrets.
2. Without knowing your true calling, you are at risk of someone else deciding what you should do (algorithms, social norms, bosses, etc).
3. “Slime mold” your way to discovering true passions by putting out different paths simultaneously before you pick the best path. Don’t be afraid to reevaluate at any point in life.
4. What would you do if there was no social pressure to pick a high status or high paying career?
5. For the vast majority of people, there isn’t a Eureka moment discovering their true calling, rather a slow realization/ growth of a skill/passion over time. Or, thing A can deliver you to thing B in unexpected ways.
6. Aim for divine and transcendent goals that are accomplished slowly over years and steer clear of instant gratification
7. Metaphysics: study of the nature of reality
8. Two people in a car can have a conversation about metaphysics and build on each other’s ideas by listening and letting the conversation flow ~ I want more of that in my life, but it’s hard to progress from small talk.
9. Know thyself (and your connectedness to the rest of mankind)
10. Ask “why” questions to dig deeper into your desires and values. Why do you want x? Because of y. Why do you feel y? Because z happened. Is there another way to interpret z? This can help dispel shallow desires that are obstacles to your true calling and also helps hone in on your true calling.

I went on to graduate with a degree in biology, and I worked for a year and a half in the field. The lessons from this podcast were in the back of my mind, and they led me to find the courage to try a new path.

What is that path? I don’t completely know. Yet, I feel freedom now to pursue the broadest goal I can imagine: living a skillful life and being a good person, whatever that means!

A lawyer turned ultra-athlete, Rich Roll once resigned from his law firm in LA; he wasn’t enjoying it anymore. His mentor and boss simply said, “This work is too hard to do if you’re not having fun anymore.” His book Finding Ultra is the story of how he went from student-athlete to lawyer to alcoholic to ultra-athlete, and this story gave me inspiration to put fuel on my own fiery, physically challenging, apparently pointless (at least non-paying) passion of rock climbing. Maybe I can be the biologist turned real estate investor turned rock climber who inspires you. Or maybe I’ll change paths again.

Why would anyone write a 900 page magnum opus, or buy a 100th rental property after the first 99 are more than paying for their bills, or labor over applying for grant money to fund their research. I suspect that plenty of these individuals love what they do, so these actions make sense even if they mean sacrificing short term pleasures. However, if what you’re doing is quenching the passion in your life, then please reconsider how you spend your time. 

It’s never too late to find your inner slime mold and seek a transcendent calling, even if it’s as simple as trying to live more skillfully, rock climbing for the first time, or writing a personal blog 🙂

What if you can’t? What if dropping what you’re doing means no financial sense? Requires an educational investment you can’t afford? Means sacrificing not just your personal wellbeing, but the support you provide for dependents? The stakes are too high. You only have one life. Be creative and find a way. There was a time I wanted to become a therapist, but couldn’t afford the master’s degree. It turns out, there are cheaper ways to help people than becoming a therapist! Remember those that love you also want you to be happy. However, my tendency is to make brash decisions based on passion and disregard to financial sense, even if it means placing unfair sacrifices on those that depend on me. To fight this impulse, I recommend being creative again. Instead of selling all my rental properties and moving to an expensive city where I’d have to live a poor life and work two jobs just to get by, I looked closer to home for a rock climbing community, meditation center, and fostered what I could in my current life without throwing away the hard work I did to build a financially secure future for myself and my family. 

It’s not easy, but one can avoid self sabotaging behavior in the pursuit of their transcendent calling. In fact, I would be wary of thinking the only way to pursue a passion is to shun your current life. Instead, it’s sometimes beneficial to gracefully work with what you’ve got. Maybe the fear of pursuing your true passion is what’s actually getting in the way- not your current living arrangements, job, money, spouse, or dependents.

The same goes for world or people-sabotaging behavior. If your passion appears to be one that’s harmful to other people or the environment, then maybe come up with a creative way to change the effects of said passion or look for a new calling.

Lastly, don’t be calculating. I was once a person who thought I could calculate the effects I have on the world pursuing a career as a scientist, earning to give, or starting a non-profit. These are all good things to do, but I believe that doing something that makes you beam with passion is the most likely to make a positive difference in the world and is likely the right thing for you regardless of its utilitarian value.

Don’t be afraid to let your light shine for all those who need to see it. We’d love to see what you’ve got. It’s as simple as this: find and do what you love.

Watch full podcast at: https://youtu.be/RP9dXnE83U0

P.s. I love the guy just passed out in the background haha.