GET IN YOUR ELEMENT BY AVA HERMANN

I have never been both successful and fulfilled by anything that I didn’t love. 

Of all the life lessons that I’ve learned over the last almost 21 years, one of the most important is one that my dad told me from a very young age: do what you like, like what you do. When I was a kid this seemed like common sense: of course, I want to eat SpongeBob Kraft mac and cheese and climb trees all day. But then the reality of growing up set in, I began to panic about being the only one of my friends who didn’t want to be an engineer or a doctor. 

But then I realized that I didn’t have to be like everyone else, and in doing so would still be happy and successful. The things I’ve always loved and been good at could be more than quiet hobbies - they could be my way of life. I no longer suppress my passions for visual beauty, aesthetics, the outdoors - I seek them out, use them to inspire me, and am making them work in my favor. I embrace the things I love. I explore out of my comfort zone, but never force myself to be someone I’m not. I know who I am and aspire to be more “me” every day. 

We’re most creative when we’re in our element - so if you’re not there now, go to yours.