Following Dreams: Lessons from Whisper of the Heart

I recently started binge-watching Studio Ghibli films on Netflix. They are for me, feel-good, comforting movies that warm the heart. With the most recent film I’ve seen, I was reminded about following my dreams.

It has almost been a year since I moved and left behind my career in architecture. It was one of the most important decisions I’ve made in my life. I can’t say I’m already living my dreams. I’m still building my foundation, learning new things, and getting better at my craft each day. But that restlessness, that internal struggle to be free, is gone.

Watching Whisper of the Heart made me reminisce about my journey so far. And it somehow told me that I was on the right path.

If you’re on the fence about what path to follow, or need some inspiration to motivate you to take a step towards your dreams, read on.

Whisper of the Heart is a beautiful coming-of-age story that talks about the importance of finding your passion and practicing your craft. It centers around Shizuku, a 14-year old student who loves reading books and realizes that she wants to become a writer.

Finding your passion

“It must be great to know what you want to do. I’ve got no idea at all. I just go from one day to the next.”

-Shizuku Tsukishima

For those who don’t know what they want to pursue, the envy and frustration is real. Envy towards those who seem to know what they want from day one. Frustration for not knowing what it is we really want. We can relate to Shizuku in this way. We go through the motions, day by day, not really having a purpose aside from getting through this month’s rent or a planned vacation. I’m not saying those are not important, but for me, having life goals, a set direction you are walking towards, make life much more meaningful.

So if you don’t have goals yet, take time to figure them out. Having a purpose makes you look forward to each morning and inspires you to find meaning in all that you do.

“Even if I go, I won’t know if I have the talent until I try.”

-Seiji Amasawa

Seiji, Shizuku’s love interest, wants to go to Italy to become a violin-maker. Here, he reminds us that we must try our hand at the things we want to do. Otherwise, we will never know if we are good at it or if it makes us happy.

Being someone who likes to play it safe, leaving my secure career and predictable future was really difficult. I didn’t even have a detailed plan. But what I kept telling myself was that I didn’t want to live with regrets. I didn’t want to grow old, look back, and ask, “what if?”. How do we know that we can succeed at something if don’t even give ourselves a chance to try it?

So before we dismiss a dream as unattainable or too hard, we have to at least dip our toes in and try. We owe ourselves that much. Who knows? The water might be fine. If not, we can always try something else. The important thing is that we live knowing that we tried it for ourselves, even if the results might not necessarily be what we expected.

Uncovering your talents

“The rough stone is inside you. You have to find it and then polish it. It takes time and effort.”

-Shiro Nishi

Shiro Nishi, the owner of the antique shop that Shizuku discovers, encourages her to hone her craft by showing her a stone with a beautiful gem inside. This reminded me that we all have our own talents. Sometimes, they are just buried beneath all the worries, fears, and anxieties brought on by worldly things. It is up to us to uncover and polish them so they shine through.

Shiro also says that reaching your dreams doesn’t happen overnight. Like all things that are worth having, finding and pursuing your passion requires hard work. It can seem daunting, but you have to really want whatever it is you are working for. If you give up so easily, then you will most likely never get it.

Choosing what to polish

“See that ore that makes up most of the stone? You could polish that, but what you’d get would be worthless. The smaller part inside is purer. There might even be a better stone deep inside where we can’t see.”

-Shiro Nishi

Still referring to the stone, Shiro tells us that we have to choose what it is that we want to master. We can work hard on a lot of things, but if it’s not where our passion lies, it is useless. This struck me and I found it really relatable. I polished my talents in my previous career and became quite good at it. I worked hard even though my heart was not in it. The result? I was discontented and never felt true happiness.

How many of us are or were in this state? I’m sure there are more than we expect. We pick a vocation recommended for us by society (whether it’s a socially-acceptable career or a financially-secure one) and we struggle to get good at it, resigning ourselves to a fate free of debt, a yearly vacation, a regular job. Sure, it sounds wonderful, but if it’s brought about by stifling your real dreams, it can be daily torture.

Thus, we have to find what it is we want to do and then work hard on it. Polish your talents and your work; make them shine.

Walking your own path

“But it’s not easy when you walk your own road. You’ve only got yourself to blame.”

-Seiya Tsukishima

Our heroine’s father gives in to Shizuku’s secret project (writing a book) despite her sleepless nights and falling grades, but gives her a warning. Following your own path will seldom be easy. There will be many roadblocks along the way, sometimes coming from your own family and friends. The obstacle that is the most difficult to overcome however, will be your own fears and anxieties.

This is something that means so much to me, because one of the main reasons why I didn’t follow my passions from the start was fear. Fear that I would fail. And if I did what I wanted and not what my family suggested, then failed…well, I could only blame myself.

But now that I’m on my own, I realize that it’s okay. It’s okay to fail sometimes and you can get back up. This is my life after all, and putting the steering wheel in someone’s else’s hand just to feel blameless in case of accidents seems irrational. Sure, you didn’t drive, but it’s your car that’s wrecked, not that person’s. And you’re not entirely without fault either, because it’s still you who ended up deciding to give your freedom up.

Following your dreams

After Shizuku writes her book, she realizes that just wanting to be a writer is different from actually doing it. Sure, she enjoys reading books. She occasionally dabbles in song-writing or translations. But she never really thought of making it a career until she met Seiji, who inspired her with his own passion towards violin-making.

“Now that I’ve written it I get it. Wanting isn’t enough. I have to learn more…”

-Shizuku Tsukishima

Wanting to write can sound very romantic, just like the dream careers we have. But actually doing it can be very different. We only focus on the glamour of the result, not the hard work and dedication that went behind it. There is so much to learn, so much to discover, hone, and master.

This is the same with following our dreams. Wanting them, visualizing them, talking about them is not the same as actually working on them. Although these are important to motivate and inspire us along the way, the only thing that will get us where we want to be is hard work.

Whisper of the Heart ends with Shizuku and Seiji set on following their dreams, no matter how hard it takes. Feeling bolstered, I make the same promise. I hope you can too!

Related: Time is Ticking: Pursue Your Dreams Now.