Obsessive Asian Parents
coffeemug: I have Jewish parents that value stability over risk. The pressure gets tough, sometimes. Ultimately, this isn't even a question of starting a business, but a question of a much deeper choice. Painters, musicians, writers, monks, soldiers, priests, boxers, swimmers, and many other people from all walks of life are forced to make this choice. Do you want to settle into a comfortable rhythm of people that surround you (working 9-5, watching Lost DVDs, and doing whatever comfy thing your neighbors are doing), or do you want to get out of your comfort zone and try to make your dreams come true? There is nothing wrong with settling for the traditional lifestyle, lots of people choose to do that and live perfectly happy lives. But there are lots of other people that choose not to live that way. The question is, what will make you truly happy?If living in ticky-tacky houses really won't make you happy, you'll know it. It will eat at you from the inside, and thinking about it will consume a huge chunk of your conscious and subconscious life. At times, it'll drive you crazy. It's a natural process, so let it be.At some point you will see that if you choose to live a different life, to a large extent it'll always be an uphill battle. Until you succeed, there will always be people who will laugh, or give you dirty looks, or lecture you. If you ever succeed and become rich (or famous, or whatever it is you're looking to do), there will always be people who treat you like you have some sort of skin disease - they'll feel uncomfortable around you. And if you never succeed, there will always be people that will point and laugh.Let the fire burn inside you. At some point, you'll know which side of you will win. Either you'll say "the hell with all of them, let's go!", or you'll settle for a more standard walk of life, and go back to watching Lost. Either way is fine, but I doubt you can help this process with some sort of conscious effort. The fact that you're trying, though, is a good sign. Just let the fire keep burning and see what happens.For me, Buddhism (and specifically Alan Watts) helped. "How To Get Rich" by Felix Dennis helped (a great book with a terrible name - he's an artist, an entrepreneur, and a philosopher, now a snake oil salesman). Thinking about this day and night until I finally made a decision for myself helped.Whatever you do, just don't be under the illusion that your parents will change their mind any time soon (and even if they do, there will always be other people that matter to you who won't). This is the burden every creative person who was ever born on this planet has to carry. It's a perfectly natural part of the creative process and of psychological development. Carl Jung talked about it. Alan Watts talked about it. Konstantin Stanislavski talked about it. Let this process be and see where it takes you.[1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONEYGU_7EqU