If only I could go back and count the times in my life that I touted myself as being logical. For the most part, I am. Logic makes sense to me and I can get behind it and follow it without a problem. So when I reached a certain age, I wondered why I seemed to walk to the beat of a different drum. In most things in life, my thinking patterns are very rational, but in certain arenas I frustrate people or make them uneasy because that logic I am famous for seems to run and hide.
In my late 30's I learned I have a balanced brain. After some testing it was determined that I use both sides of my brain equally, meaning I don't only use logic (right brain) to make a decision; I also use my creative left brain. While the linear logical thinkers saw the steps laid out, I could also see another nonlinear creative way to address the issue. This explained why I would frustrate people with my occasional indecision, especially when it was a big issue.
Society tends to produce a lot of linear thinkers. When your life is not logical and you don't progress to the next step when expected, you will experience some unpleasantness from those linear thinkers because suddenly they won't understand you. Ask any single lady who isn't married by the time she's 30, anyone who is married at least a year and hasn't yet produced a grandchild, someone who decides to take off a year before going to college, or someone who just can't seem to decide what they want to be when they grow up and bounce around from one career to another trying this and that. Believe me, you will get some very interesting tirades.
For those of you out there who follow your heart, your vision, your dream, and meet this pushback from society, I applaud you. Daring to be different and following those dreams, no matter how long it takes, requires guts and lots of faith. So often you get disheartened because your dream doesn’t come when you expect. Then judgment from family and friends starts the descent into shame, embarrassment, depression, and endless questions, all while you feel your soul urging you to continue to seek and find. Or you simply give up on your dream.
It has taken close to 40 years to see my dream coming to fruition. If you think I haven't felt embarrassed because I couldn't spell out what it was my soul was asking me to do, you'd be mistaken. But that small nonlinear portion of me allowed me to roam and explore numerous ways to accomplish what I wanted. I like to think that Thomas Edison and I have something in common. I'm not a failure. I’ve just found many ways in which to utilize my skills.
If you are struggling with a similar search for your dream, don't give up. Don't let others convince you that it has to be done in logical steps that might not be your way. Be true to your soul's calling and your authentic self. That way you can stay true to your dreams.