LauraOver a year has passed since I left my job in the cubicle farms of academia. This blog was started as a way to keep myself inspired as I formulated plans to save diligently, live frugally, to live a life of purpose and the pursuit of passion. It seems most self-publishing on the web is initiated in this spirit.
We have been traveling full time for nine months now (six of those internationally), without jobs, alarm clocks, bills, and commitments. It is certainly a life of privilege and fortune. I certainly don’t take that for granted.
I also don’t take myself too seriously.
There is an impending pressure to pursue your passions, develop your talents, and do what you love. But if you don’t know what your talents are, or what you are passionate about, then where does that leave you?
Well, I don’t have that answer. But at least you aren’t Joseph Pujol.
Better known as Le Pétomane, this guy is someone who actually discovered his talents. And unfortunately for him, his skill set became defined as the ability to “inhale or move air into his rectum and then control the release of that air with his anal sphincter muscles”. He could also do the same with water.
Fortunately for Joseph, there was a popular demand for his art and he was able to forge out quite a living for himself. Like any good artist, he further developed and honed his craft, eventually learning how to reproduce animal sounds, thunderstorms, cannon fire, and musical instruments. He could play songs and even blow out a candle from several feet away. His performances were so popular that he often made 20,000 francs a show (roughly $4000 today if I did my math correctly). Yes, he even performed regularly at the Moulin Rouge.
So perhaps your talents are simply waiting to be discovered. Or maybe you should be thankful you haven’t figured it all out yet.