Lose Yourself

The ladies over at the Boxing the Octopus blog have had an on-fire week blogging about the challenges and barriers--both internal and external--to a writing career. Joni's post about fat, nude writing was particularly moving. I found myself thinking a perfect soundtrack to her post would be Eminem's "Lose Yourself" hip-hop mantra for laying it all on the line. I listen to that song and feel like I could--no, like I must--go out and conquer the world, lay it all on the line, because I never know when my chance might come again. I'm not a leap-of-faith person, by nature, but that song makes me wanna.

Opportunities for success come around once in most people's lives, and sometimes we choke. Sometimes we make mistakes, and slink off to lick our wounds, bitter and resentful about turning into a "bum," instead of a "contenda" (props to Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront). But it's one thing to try and to fail spectacularly; no shame in that. Most times, when we've given it everything we have and we hit the ground anyway, face first, we still bounce--even if it is only a little. What I don't want--God, no--is to be that person who loses out on the opportunity of a lifetime because she was afraid to take her best shot. Failure is scary, and success is even scarier. Either way, you're petrified. May as well have something to show for it, right?

"A normal life is boring..."



TJB