It's worth doing badly

Some years ago I heard some-one say "Anything worth doing, is worth doing badly." And I smile from way down deep inside came over me. Whatever happened to the conventional wisdom that anything worth doing is worth doing well? Finally the pathway to excellence was being widened to include those persons wise enough and willing enough to fail their way to success. But if truth be told, we have all been painstakingly aware of the many scientists and entrepreneurs who had been convicted enough of the validity of their ideas that they were willing to face failures of massive consequences. But failures such as these were never  glamourized. Failure, in fact, was never seen as an option. Fast forward a number of years and failure is hailed as the flip-side to success.....two sides of the same coin, they say - failure, a necessary step in the process.

So often we are sold stories of celebrities, politicians, high-profile media personalities and others in the public domain who are said to be born with exceptional talent, have above-average intelligence or are in some other way in possession of traits that pre-dispose them to succeed. We are hardly ever told stories of minions who fight their way to success, or the intellectually challenged who eventually achieve academic excellence. How often do we hear of the average man with a passion for something for which he is not particularly talented? How many would be intrigued by stories of the average man constrained by a dream he feels compelled to bring to the light? Who wants to hear the stories of the untalented investing years of his time in a pursuit nobody thinks he's suited for? Not many.....maybe not any. Is it any wonder we never hear those stories?

The fact is that many of today's renowned were not born with an inclination towards their craft, skill or passion. They simply responded to what they felt was a calling. To them it mattered not so much that they did it poorly year after year. It mattered far more simply that they did it. Being great at the start was not the primary concern. Becoming great along the way was a far more appealing prospect. And the ones who wanted it badly enough are the ones who are today hailed as immensely talented. You may not be able to do it well today but its worth continuing the fight. You may long for some cheer-leaders along the way and not find any, but keep at it. If it's important to you keep doing it badly til it's perfected. Champions are not made in the ring!

It gets better with time...If you let it

I'm not sure I'd be as bold as to say that time heals all wounds but I know I can speak with authority when I say everything gets better with time...if we allow it to. The truth is that adversities - big and small - are the lot of every human being. They are not hand-picked for the less fortunate, the uneducated, minorities or  you...... And trust me, nobody's out to get you. Your troubles are no more horrendous than your neighbours', your misfortunes no less tragic. It's called life. It wasn't meant to be easy. It's important that we keep reminding ourselves of this fact; important that we fight the urge to succumb to the victim syndrome; important that we understand that life's but a cyclical process. that whatever happens to us happens to everybody, and that this too shall pass.

Without a doubt, what makes adversity so hard to accept, and to deal with, is the fact that it always seems to hit us on the blind-side.....right out of the blue, when you least expect it. Relationship problems, life-changing health issues, accidents, financial reverses, job-loss  - very real issues that have the ability to leave you reeling. Right in that moment, in the poignant gloom of the present, the future has no power to inspire or attract. Pretty soon your only meaningful (though painful) occupation is seeking answers to the question 'Why?' or worse yet, 'Why me?'

The truth is that most of us have, at one time or another, have found ourselves in that uncanny position asking those same questions. The wiser among us eventually get to the place where they realize that asking 'Why not me?' yields better results. They come to the place where they affirm that bad things happen to good, and bad, people. They make the discovery that life has more to do with how we respond to adversity than the adversity itself. They recognize that though they can't control the winds or the seas that toss them about, they can adjust the sails of their vessels. They accept the challenges as teachers, the pain as a purifier....and as difficult as it may be, they open themselves for the hope of the future.

And it gets better with time.....well, that's if you ever get to the place where you allow it to. Yes......if you allow it to make you better and not bitter; if you release the hurt enough to learn to dance in the rain, to smile through the storm; to overcome your adversity in such a way as to inspire others so affected to endure and overcome like you did. When all is said and done, it's your life and though the difficulties you face are often not of your making, it's still your lot. Still your life - and it's up to you to decide whether it gets better with time.

Of Passion and Healing....

Writing is therapy. For me it is. It is my space far from the madding crowd. It is my time to lose myself, and find myself. It is my place of truth, of revelations and self-discovery....and yet a place of strange contradictions - an arena of open contention between peace and discontentment, hope and disillusionment. Still it's here that I find my truth. It is here that I fall in love with me all over again; where I unearth the beauty that is hidden beneath the mundane; where the truths of what lies within me, become far weightier matters than the facts of what lies around me.

Mental clutter can be overwhelming. Life happens and as we process the issues that affect our lives we often tend to push stuff under the mental carpet. We shelve issues we would rather not confront and pretty soon our mental closets become cluttered with the secrets and skeletons we have kept from view. Yeah, it used to get like that for me sometimes. Often I found myself alone in my dilemma, trying to fight my ghosts. Guilt and shame make poor bed-fellows I've found, so getting into bed with them is not my idea of a fun or restful way to spend the night. I find I much prefer to face my ghosts by putting pen to paper. And there I find my escape from the narrowly-targeted arrows of life's realities. It is then that I pour out...out of my soul's extremities into the empty yet animate pages that lay awaiting.. I solve and I absolve.....and then it all makes sense. By becoming vulnerable in my own secret chamber, under the scrutiny of my own conscience  I get in touch with my truth; I find strength and character; I unearth my motives and find perspective....and like the proverbial phoenix from the ashes I rise again to meet another day's challenge.

But more important than the value it brings to me, I write because of the difference I know it can make in the lives of others. I understand the power of words. I understand the appeal they can have. I know of their power to connect, resonate and reverberate. Words are life-giving. And it's not that I have mastered the art of making words dance, or invoking the emotive to play upon your psyche, its simply that I hope that with each entry I make in this not-so-private diary, somebody's spirit is lifted; that somebody who is overwhelmed with the feeling of failure or mediocrity might be encouraged to get back up again. I'm always trusting that someone might be so aroused as to find that which for you is therapeutic, and that you'll keep at it till you find healing.

I do not know what it is that you easily lose yourself in, what it is that makes time pass unnoticed for you, but I know that whatever it is, that is your therapy. It is your place of healing and growth . It is your place of personal impact. The truth is, it may not be earth-shattering, it may not bring you loads of money but it is what is easiest on your heart, it is what speaks to you, what makes waking up each morning worth the while. As you indulge, as you bask in your truth, and as your personal journey to self-discovery becomes more therapeutic you will find an urge to share your passion and your experiences..and an even stronger obligation to respond to that urge The ball is now in your court..... let the healing begin. .

Trust the Process

Things don't always have to go the way we expect, the way we planned, dreamed or wanted them to go for them to be going right. Our desires don't have to take a straight path to nascency, nor our dreams to actuality. In fact, more often than not the trek will take us along paths we never in our wildest dreams imagined. No doubt some of these paths will be exhilarating, wild and exciting...but the reality is that some will be cold, harsh and lonely, taking twists and turns into valleys of disappointment, despair and confusion  And if you are a control freak, like many of us are, no doubt this will lead to dissonance and consternation if you let it.

The truth is, holding on to ideas and fancy imaginings of how our lives should play out is a formula for disaster. It guarantees us experiencing a sense of hopelessness and loss. Of course, it is a foolish man (or woman) who doesn't have a plan for his life, who gets up from day to day and finds himself at the mercy of every whim and fancy, whose only plan is the plan somebody else has for him. But even with the best blue-prints (and maybe especially so) we must be willing to allow for the fact that our plans may have not been ideal, that we may have misinterpreted the lyrics of our own heart-song, that there may be a myriad of ways to experience our passions. We must come to the place where we are willing to surrender the means in order to get to the end.

And so, we must learn to let go. Let life happen.. Trust the process. Trusting that all things are as they should be is not always easy. Maybe major illness was never a part of the picture you painted, financial reverses certainly didn't enter your dream at any time. Your desire was never marred by the unfaithfulness of those you trusted most. You knew it was not going to be easy, but you never would have thought it could  get as complicated and off-kilter as it now is. And you look around you and everybody else seems to be having a whale of a time on their own life paths. Maybe it's time to remove those rose-coloured glasses; maybe it's time to realize that this is your reality, this is your journey. We all have different paths to take on the way to achieving our heart's desire.Believe that you are enough. Believe that the path that has been mapped for you, the  is the best path to your personal growth. Yes, the hills may be hard to climb, your mental and emotional feet may be sore from the scorching heat of the roads you take, you may feel alone, but it is your path. Own it.. All things are as they should be.  Trust the process