Living Life Your Way.... Interview with Michelle from Oh,Mishka

I've been working hard the last few months at overcoming my fears and following my dreams. So I'm running a series of interview with inspiring people to see what part fear has played in their life and how they've overcome it to live life their way...

 This weeks interview is with Michelle from Oh, Mishka

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Hey! Tell us a little about yourself.

Hi everyone! I’m Michelle and I write Oh, Mishka. I’m 24, I live in Wyoming in the USA with my boyfriend and my cat, and I just recently starting going to college again to get my degree. 

Is the life you lead now the life you've always dreamt of?

Nope! When I was younger, I was one of those people who had huge dreams, like living all over Europe, speaking 10 languages, and being really rich. I never knew what I wanted to do though! As I’ve grown up a bit, my priorities have shifted and now I’m more than happy living a quiet life with my boyfriend, focusing on school and my blog, and finding little ways to enjoy life every single day. I’m incredibly happy and I think a lot of that is due to the fact that I’m no longer spending all my time chasing an unrealistic dream.

When you have faced difficulties, what has been your inspiration to keep going?

A lot of the reason I push through difficulties is that there really isn’t any other option. I don’t like to quit and I don’t like to do things halfways, so what other choice do I have? I’m very lucky to have my faith, my family, and some wonderful friends to support me though and I try not to ever take that for granted. 

 

Fear affects us all at some point. What part has fear played in your life and how have you overcome it?

I always fear that I’m making the wrong choice! Whenever I have to make a decision, whether it’s my degree in school, a career choice, or even what jacket to buy, I have to weigh all the options and I spend forever thinking about it. While some thoughtfulness is a good thing, I do it to the point that it’s harmful to my success. For instance, I went to college for a year, then took the next 4 years off because I wasn’t positive what I wanted to get my degree in and was too scared that I’d make a decision that I might regret later.

Eventually, I just got to the point where I realized what I was doing and said, “No more!” So now when I catch myself putting off making decisions, I force myself to make a decision. Maybe I’ll regret some things later, but it’s all part of a learning process that will help me to grow as a person. 

What advice would you offer on following your heart and living your dreams?

I think you should always always follow your heart. That being said, you should also take some time to think through all of your dreams and decide if they work together and will truly bring you happiness. And as far as living your dreams goes, just be prepared to work hard. Very few people become an overnight success at anything, so it’s pretty likely that you’ll need to work extremely hard, possibly for a long time, before you’re really successful. If you care enough about what you’re doing though, hopefully you’ll enjoy it and it won’t always feel like work.

What do you think are the three most important things you need to lead a happy and radiant life?

A sense of purpose, supportive people, and love for yourself.

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Michelle blogs at Oh, Mishka and you can follow her on Twitter too!