The rest of the world may follow the rules, but I must follow my heart.
– Miguel Rivera, Coco
I recently had the opportunity to watch the movie Coco. The movie was filled with comedy, drama and life lessons that had me thinking about much more than the movie itself. Adventures like Miguel’s are great reminders to forge your own path in life and do what you love.
This quote from Coco really stood out. You may feel stuck going down a career path that you thought was right, a path that your family wants you on, but you have to do what’s right for you. Breaking the rules you’ve given yourself and doing something unique can lead to your greatest personal success.
Here are 3 things about how doing what you love can lead to opportunities and happiness, inspired by the movie Coco:
1. Seize the moment! Too many times in life we are presented with incredible opportunities and we don’t take them. Sometimes we feel too afraid to show our true selves, stand up in front of a crowd and open ourselves up to failure. Other times, we can’t tell exactly where the opportunity will lead, so we don’t take it at all.
You never know what moment will be the one that changes your life, so when you have an opportunity, take it. When it comes to doing what you love, just about every opportunity is worthwhile. You will learn and grow when you seize the moment, no matter if you succeed or fail. And if failure brings you closer to doing what you love, is it really failure?
Challenge yourself to seize the moment by saying yes to opportunities for a month. You may be surprised at what happens when you suddenly open yourself to every possibility. The most unexpected things can have a huge impact on your life and career.
2. It will take lots of work. When it comes to living your dreams, don’t be afraid of hard work. In fact, you’ll get much closer to your dreams if you embrace it. In Coco we heard, “No one was going to hand me my future. It was up to me to reach for my dream, grab it tight and make it come true.” How true is that in our own lives? You are the one who much work for your dreams, so why not work as hard as you possibly can?
Hard work is not something to shy away from. Think back to your own life and the things that came easily versus the things that you had to work for. Often times, the best parts of our life are the parts that we worked incredibly hard for. The things that came with blood, sweat, and tears were worth every effort and pain. If they weren’t, they likely led you toward something that was. This is a reminder to take a look at your goals and see if you’re really doing all you can to accomplish them. Then, ask yourself, “What more could I be doing to achieve my dreams?”
3. Managing good work life balance is important.While you’re working hard to achieve your career dreams, it’s important that you remember to live your life too. Seize the moment when it comes to your personal life. This means being all in. When you’re at home or out with family and friends, be fully present. Don’t keep losing yourself to work distractions when you finally have time with the people you love.
Coco reminds us to, “Be careful what you chase after.” If you let one area of your life take over all the others, even if it’s something you love, you’ll quickly lose balance. Something you love can turn into something you resent if you let this happen.
Whether you’ve seen Coco or not, you can learn lessons on living a life doing what you love from it. Keep these three things in your mind each day as you work toward a life and career you love and you’ll stay on track. And remember, “One cannot deny who one is meant to be.”
Practicing mindfulness can help you learn to create a good work life balance. You need to be aware of when you’re being fully present and when distractions are keeping you from being your best self anywhere. If you often lose yourself to your inbox or other work-related things, ask for accountability. Give your loved ones a simple phrase they can use to keep you on track and remind you that you need a little balance in your life.