Menu
Music is one of the areas that I draw inspiration. I was listening to a playlist of songs that I had put together for inspiration, motivation and encouragement today. There are a wide variety of songs in this playlist and some of them are rock, country, alternative, classical and Christian music to name just a few. When I am feeling a little low, but not depressed, and feel I need a boost of encouragement I will play these songs when a phone call to a friend isn’t possible at that moment. It’s Monday and it’s one of those days for me. (I write my blog each Monday.)
My list of things to get done this week has me feeling overwhelmed. Normally, I handle it much better but the last few weeks I’ve been ill and many things on my list had to be put off until I felt better. Now, that I’m doing better my list carries a feeling of dismay. Some of my closest friends are going through a few things of their own and have a list larger than mine. This is when turning to other things that inspire me such as music; movies, books, art or an outing in nature tends to get me back on track.
One song that truly speaks to me is a Martina McBride song named ‘Anyway’. Without infringing on copyright laws I’m going to paraphrase some of the song for you. It talks about building, dreaming, doing, and singing as ways you create things in your life and when the storms of life come along and knock them down, toss some negativity at you, believe in yourself enough to ‘do it anyway, build it anyway, dream it anyway, and sing it anyway’. Have a little faith and belief in yourself.
Life is about falling down and getting back up, repeatedly. Each failure should be another way not to do something that you took a lesson from and then you get back up and do it anyway, in another way, a better way. I understand challenges and there are days I’m thinking, here we go again, another problem, another form of resistance to knock me off of my path, yet again. I could stop there and give up, but instead I get back up and do it anyway.
I’m sure I’m not alone in my thinking. We have role models as examples that have talked about this very thing. Michael Jordan with basketball, J. K. Rowling with writing books, Thomas Edison with the light bulb and so forth. Yet, it’s in the moments when we are down that you decide to fight and get up or you give up.
Its similar to watching a baby goes from crawling to walking. If they want something bad enough they will figure out how to get to it. I find it amazing how the desire for something out ranks the inabilities you have at that moment and you figure out a way because you want that item so passionately. When we get older, what happens to that? We tend to give up or take the easy route over the hard work and passion to get the desires of our heart. As a baby you aren’t afraid of trying to reach those desires, you do it anyway. When you are an adult you have been hurt a few times, knocked down a few hundred thousand more and your ‘do it anyway’ attitude falters.
When did you decide that your dreams, goals, desires, and passions weren’t worth doing it anyway? If you have an eye for photography why is your camera collecting dust? Get it out, take some images and fail, figure it out and do it anyway. If you want to write a book, but you keep saying I’m not good at English, who cares, do it anyway. That’s what trusted friends and editors are for; taking that rough draft and helping you turn it into something outstanding. If you want to be a filmmaker and have all the software and the camera, why haven’t you filmed anything with it? Its better to do it anyway even if it’s bad because you can’t learn to get better or back up again until you make some mistakes. Insert the item you want to do but haven’t and do it anyway.
If you want to wait until your kids are grown up because you need to spend all your time with them, then you aren’t teaching them that dreams are worth fighting for and working hard to get, in spite of the daily grind and responsibilities of life. You are teaching them that dreams are just that dreams and if you are fortunate enough to get all the breaks you can make them happen. That is so not true. There are many people that have figured out how to work their jobs, take care of their family responsibilities, and do it anyway when it came to their dreams. It’s time to be brutally honest with your self and pull yourself out of excuse land.
My challenge to you is simple, are you going to stay on the ground in excuse land as to why you haven’t gotten up or are you finally going to live the life you were meant to have and do it anyway? The choice is yours but it’s a choice you can make and change today. Even not choosing is a choice. Figure out what you learned when you fell down. Now get up and do it anyway.
Please share this with others that you feel may be struggling with getting up after a fall and need a little encouragement to get up and do it anyway. Thank you for reading.
Have a blessed week!