"Who is the happier man? He who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed?" Every time I read this quote by Hunter S. Thompson, I think about the risks and choices I've made and what path it's set me on. Believe me, it hasn't always been rainbows and unicorns, but anything worthwhile doesn't come easy. Right? I will admit though, there is solace in staying in the consistent comfort zone of our daily routines and safe harbor. Wake up, work out, get the kids ready for school, go to work, do the chores...repeat...over and over again. We go back to the beginning. But, why is it that we feel we have to repeat this pattern or whatever yours is? In my experience, there is a NEED for it. It's about consistency. If you're training for something like a 5K, the "ritual" is necessary. And once we get into the pattern it becomes safe to stay on shore. But what happens when we achieve the goal? Do we stick to the same routine? Or, do we venture out and try something new? For me, the routine is cozy. It's a soft, down filled comforter of familiarity. But as the saying goes, "your biggest risk is the one you don't take." With that, I say it's not enough to merely exist and watch the world idly go by. We have to take chances...take risks...go on adventures and experience the storms that we sometimes create and grow from that...in a lot of ways that's where it's the best...the most exciting...it's where all the good stuff happens. So get out there, weather the storm and don't forget your rubbers.
Driven
I'm not sure when it started for me but I'd like to think it did when I was a kid...around 9 or 10. I remember building model planes and cars, etc. You know...the Revell kits you'd find at any discount store, I believe it was Zayre's or Gold Circle at the time. My dad and I would walk through the isles and I'd find the one. The Mustang, The Cherry Bomb Chopper...No wait...The Aircraft Carrier. Yes! That's the one. Hundreds of tiny little plastic pieces. The picture on the box made my eyes bulge. I wanted to be on that ship. I wanted to create this! I knew I could make it look like it did on the box. I had the glue, the decals, the paints..everything! All laid out. Exciting, until I realized glue takes time to set. The Tester's model glue takes longer to cure than the Elmer's glue you'd use for art class and being 9ish, I didn't have the patience. Sheesh! Really? I had to wait for the plastic pieces of the deck of this masterpiece I was creating to set before I could go on to the next instructed step? No way...that was a mere suggestion and I just kept gluing everything together...bypassing some of the steps if need be, and if it was a little tacky I just kept building until it was done...record time...finished the carrier in an afternoon when the box clearly said that it could take days. There it was, my masterpiece...all the little pieces limply held together by soft modeling glue, barely holding on, but I was proud of my "creation." I guess in a lot of ways I was driven to complete the task, rather than crafting the art. Sure, it was a prefabricated design, but the dream and drive to create was there and has lived in me ever since.
Fast forward to today...I'm at a new point in my life where I like taking time to create, to write, to inspire, to take chances. I'm driven by something different then I when I was young. I'd like to think it comes from an inner peace and love for all things...for the world around me...for all my friends. Some part of me thinks that it was there when I was a kid, but now, I want the glue to set and take hold. I now know that the journey to create and share "me", my art, my thoughts took time to stick. The drive was always there, it just needed time to cure.
I saw this quote posted online recently and it made me think about what it takes to keep moving forward: "Even the bravest of creatures have some fear, but it is not enough to stop them from moving in the path they are destined to walk upon." With that, I realize that I have to be ALL IN. I can't dance around the uncomfortable things and only share the happy stuff. At some point, I have to expose the reality of my failures and celebrate the successes too. In a lot of ways, the canvas still has to be painted. Good thing I have a lot of paint!
I guess, no matter what your passion is, go for it! Go out there and pursue your dreams, whatever they may be. Drive hard toward your goals. No excuses. No bullshit. Just be and be inspired along the way. Peace. Love. Always.