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It was the summer before I was entering college. On a random, sunny afternoon, while I sat in the passenger seat of my father’s car, he asked me what I wanted to do with my life. It wasn’t the first time I had been asked the question. In fact, it was a regular topic of conversation amongst my family and me. But for some reason on that day when my father asked me I realized the truth was, I had no idea. My father thought I should be a schoolteacher. You know, weekends, holidays, and summers off. And a pension to boot! I have to admit, he had a point. But even then I knew all the time off in the world from a job I didn’t love wouldn’t make the time “on” any easier. So I floundered for a bit. If you call transferring schools five times in three years floundering. My dad sure did. But I didn’t care. I was searching for something I couldn’t name or categorize, or box into a traditional college major. And I wasn’t prepared to settle. Not unlike many undergraduate students, it took me five years to complete a four-year degree. Lots of student loans, lots of lost credits, and to make matters worse, I nearly failed math during my last semester and considered dropping out all together. Suffice to say, I fought for that Psychology degree. But here’s the thing, I’m not a psychologist. I tried to follow the traditional route that so many have walked before me. I finished school – albeit barely. I applied for and showed up to the internships, and even filled out the graduate school applications. And with each step I took on the path that would make me a psychologist, I felt like I was leaving pieces of myself behind. The Sanskrit word, dharma, has many meanings. In an attempt to keep it somewhat simplistic, I’ll refer to it here as psychologist, yoga teacher, and author, Stephen Cope does as, “the great work of one’s life”. It’s our individual and collective call to act righteously and with a sense of duty for our own well-being and by extension, the well-being of all others. It is the notion that following one’s bliss can set in motion the events that result in bliss for all. Though a noble profession, it became painfully clear that psychology wasn’t going to be the thing that got me jumping out of bed in the morning. At least not human psychology. And that’s when – seemingly accidentally, though I know today it was not an accident, but dharma coming in to play – I began to work with animals. I changed my focus to Comparative Psychology, the study of animal behavior. Now that was something that got me excited. Today I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, a Master’s of Fine Arts – yup, you read that right – in Creative Writing, numerous yoga certifications, and have completed countless animal-related educational courses, and yet if someone were to ask me what I want to do with my life, the answer would still be, I don’t know. The difference is, I no longer view the not knowing as floundering. I see it as being open and receptive to all the opportunities that come my way. I have come to see that if I live dharmically, righteously, in a way that harms no one, yet benefits all; there is no limit to what I can do with my life. There is no limit to what each and every one of us can accomplish, attain, or overcome. In fact, it is our birthright to do so. I would be remiss not to mention that fear is the number one obstacle on this path. Be brave. Be blissed. Be blessed.
Erica Settino is a long-time yoga teacher and animal activist. Through her teaching, writing, and non-profit organization, Karuna For Animals: Compassion In Action, Inc., she works to promote compassion, non-violence, and kindness for all living beings. www.karunaforanimals.com. Information about Erica and her yoga classes can be found at www.yogaturtle.net. Erica is also Editor-at-large for Creations Magazine. |
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