“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.”
Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor
Hop on the running trail near my home and three or so miles down the path we’ll come to a lake.
There we will find folks fishing, feeding the ducks, enjoying a picnic or going for a stroll. Every now and then you’ll find me running laps around the lake, taking in the scenery and breathing fresh air.
One Summer day some kids set off some firecrackers as I passed by. I turned to see what was going on and heard one of the pranksters say, “Look, you scared that old man.” they all laughed and I kept running.
There was no one else running with me so there was no room for doubt. I was the old man they were talking about. I will admit to having long gray hair and a full beard to match but I wasn’t ready then and I’m not ready now to call myself an old man. But I will admit that from time to time I do get scared.
For example, I’m afraid of heights which is why, except for special occasions, I never wear my wife’s high heel shoes.
Rim shot!
But seriously, Folks.
Author Jack Canfield said, “Everything you want is on the other side of fear.”
So how do we get to that other side?
Nike has the solution – “Just Do It!”
Think about it. There may be something out there you want. In my case, I want to run in The Boston Marathon. It’s a pretty sure bet that if I don’t train hard and run fast enough to qualify, I’m going to be staying home on race day.
What is it for you? What do you want to be, do, or have? Why not go for it? Well you say, you might try and fail. Then what? Think about it. If you try and fail you won’t walk away empty-handed.
Win or lose, you’ll be happy in your rocking chair knowing you went after your dream.
In the words of Theodore Roosevelt.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory or defeat.”
theartofbecomingawildflower 