The Crossroads of Should and Must by Elle Luna

 “If you want to live the fullness of your life—if you want to be free—you must understand, first, why you are not free, what keeps you from being free. ” 

The Crossroads of Should and Must: Find and Follow Your Passion stemmed from an honest essay Elle Luna published April 8, 2014 describing her personal journey navigating her own crossroads of Should and Must.  

In it, Elle Luna states:

"Should is how other people want us to live our lives.  It's all of the expectations that others layer upon us.  Sometimes, Shoulds are small, seemingly innocuous, and easily accommodates.  "You should listen to that song," for example.  At other times, Shoulds are highly influential systems of thought that pressure and, at their most destructive, coerce us to live our lives differently."

"When we choose Should, we're choosing to live our life for someone or something other than ourselves."

"Must is different.  Must is who we are, what we believe, and what we do when we are alone with our truest, most authentic self.  It's that which calls to us most deeply.  It's our convictions, our passions, our deepest held urges and desires - unavoidable, undeniable, and inexplicable.  Unlike Should, Must doesn't accept compromises."

"Choosing Must is the greatest thing we can do with our lives."

Elle Luna describes ways in which we can all identify our true passions through self-reflection.  

She also goes on to distinguish between a job ("something typically done from 9 to 5 for pay"), a career ("a system of advancements and promotions over time where rewards are used to optimize behavior"), and a calling ("something that we feel compelled to do regardless of fame or fortune").  

She recalls the momentous time in her own life when she realized which she had as a young professional working at a fast paced startup.  She notes that she was challenged, but not fulfilled.  She goes on to explain her slow transition from one to another and her ultimate leap of faith in chasing her calling above all else.

Lastly, Luna recalls with detail the Fear that exists when we decide to take a leap of faith and follow the path of Must rather than a life of Should.  She vividly illustrates her own experience and how she overcame her own uncertainties in order to live the life she dreamed of.

Everyday we decide how we want to live.  We can continue to live as we are, or we can decide to take a new path - a path that may be frightening and unknown but has the potential to lead to a much more fulfilling destination.  

With Elle Luna's words, those who choose their Must quickly see they are not alone.  
In fact, they are in very good company.