Should Vs. Must, And Letting The Bread Rise

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I was recently reading an article about the difference between what we should do versus what we must do.

The should and musts all vary from person to person, but one point that remained consistent throughout the article was that we all must tune into our personal MUSTS and not abandon them for the priority we’ve placed on the SHOULDS, the later of which more often than not are defined by our parents, teachers, or society at large. The article cautioned against following the ”should” life path because it’s safe, and although there isn’t anything inherently wrong with “safe,” it prevents us from reaching our full potential. It stops us from realizing our “calling” (or more precisely our strengths and passions). Our journey towards full peace and happiness, is thwarted when we play it safe.

Safe = security = a “should”

Risk = Potential loss or potential win = a “must” (if you’re staying true to yourself).

Should is holding onto your career, to your job just to be able to pay the bills. Must is letting go of said career, of said job, to pursue your true passions. Most of us don’t follow the later path for fear of failure and the acknowledgement that the realities of life (paying the bills, supporting your family if you have one, etc.) may be harder to face in your journey to what you must do, especially during the early stages when that goal hasn’t had an opportunity to germinate, or act as a yeasting agent.

When your bread hasn’t risen yet and it’s stuck in the oven for an undetermined time, yes, that’s scary. How long will you stay in the kitchen waiting for it to rise? What if it doesn’t?

But what if it does?

Could you, on your deathbed, face the fact that you didn’t wait long enough in the kitchen to let the bread rise? Could you face the fact that perhaps you didn’t even enter the kitchen at all?

You placed it safe and never pursued your dreams of visiting every country in the world, writing a book, and leaving a lasting legacy for future generations.

You had a good life, at your 9-6 desk job working for the man, but it wasn’t your best life.

With that realization, you leave this world having not tasted the sweetest bread you could have ever made.