Take The First Step

Yesterday, I wrote a post about my current situation and the desire to make more out of where I am now. However, in such desire, I am somewhat at a loss.

I HAVE NO CLUE WHERE TO START!!

The first step is frightening. The first step is confusing. It’s like you are standing in front of a fork in the road which each path leads seemingly leads nowhere. Rightfully so because part of you feels that what lies ahead of you is so unknown that you fear that if you proceed you may never make it back. However, there in lies the reason you must go forward.

You can never go back to the past. No matter what happens, time progresses and continues to move whether you are standing still or not. In the midst of death, failure and triumphs, there is always a sense permanence. We may not like it, as we cling to things that are familiar and comfortable, but we must continue to move on or we throw away the opportunities in our grasp.

If anyone has seen the movie Big Fish, I recommend for the subtle imagery about a person’s life. There is a portion of this movie in which the main character wanders off the beaten path, spends a great deal of time in a place secluded from the world, eventually leaves and makes his way back to the original path, to find his friend waiting there. He is somewhat confused about it but eventually, it is explained that he was supposed to go off that path. So, even if he took the same path as his friend, the difficult route or any other path, he would have ended up in the same place because that was where he was supposed to be.

Now, I am not planning on getting into a discussion about fate, destiny or any other of the supposed cousins of the two, but I will say that we have control in the oxymoronic way. Meaning, we have control and free will to make our decisions but at the same time when greater things are set aside for us, even if we take time away, those promises still lie in wait for us.

So, where do you go knowing that something larger is out there for you but you don’t know where to start? How do you capture that long awaited dream? How do you truly find that path?

The simplest answer: You try things until something works!

Risks are everywhere. You might end up sacrificing a lot by stepping out on a limb. You may lose all you have. However, you may also end up gaining the world.

A common misconception is that failure is a mistake so big, that you can never make up for it. Some people face failure and look at it as enough of a reason to not try again. However, in every failure, there lies a lesson. In that lesson lies a tip to success down the road. In that tip lies strength to face challenges with unwavering courage. Don’t not be afraid of failure. Learn the lesson and improve upon it. Then take those improvements and and get closer and closer to your dream.

Recently, I have been freaking out over a major. I’ve already tried three. I’ve struggled and even left myself burned out. However, in the midst of those hardships, I have found out a lot about myself. I have learned some of my strengths that I would have never understood prior. Yet, I will not say the whole situation was completely good. I have gambled and lost it a lot. I have lost friends, family, jobs, loves and even parts of myself. I have pushed myself to the point where the person I looked in the mirror to was not someone to be proud of. Sometimes I even wonder what would have happened if I went left instead of right, but it is in that moment that I am reminded that I am not supposed to be the same as yesterday.

My goal is to wake up each morning a better person than the day before. I have gained a lot of new friendships. I have built new relationships with my family and  have gained an understanding of my God and myself that sometimes mystifies even myself.  If I mess up, I mess up. But, I become better along the way. Never making the same mistake twice and never regretting my choices. I couldn’t take them back anyway. Why fret?

I just realized I have been writing for such a long time and I am not sure anyone got as much out of this as I have. So in summary:

6 things to keep in mind when taking that first step

1. Time always continues to move forward (Take a Lesson from it, always move forward.)
2. God doesn’t make mistakes. (You’ll always end up where you need to be.)
3. Mistakes are common but never permanent. (Always get back up)
4. Life is like a mountain, the higher you climb, the harder each step will be. The better the view.
5. Don’t be afraid of losses (It’s just making room for something new)
6. Be Patient (True Masterpieces take time)

Remember, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky

Keep Dreaming Dreamers!

Miles Michael