“If you can’t take a little bloody nose, maybe you oughtta go back home and crawl under your bed. It’s not safe out here. It’s wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross; but it’s not for the timid.” — Q, Star Trek: The Next Generation “Q Who?”
For those of you who aren’t aware, I’m a big science fiction and fantasy geek. Fat jokes aside, I’ve been into this stuff as long as I can remember. In fact, one of my childhood memories is getting to stay up late and watch Star Trek: The Next Generation with my dad. The above quote actually comes from that series and, as I read it the other night, I realized that that it transcends that show and the genre altogether.Life is going to beat you up. You’re going to get a bloody nose. Marriages and relationships will fall apart. Friendships will dissolve. You’ll be broke. Lonely. Depressed. These are the rules. Life isn’t always sunshine and flowers, but when it is, grab on to it and ride it out because there’s always another valley coming.
Walk out of your front door and live every single day. Don’t drudge through life just doing the minimum and hating every second. Believe me, I’ve been there and it’s not worth it. Don’t be timid. It’s your life, make of it what you will! I wish it didn’t take me until I was almost 30 to figure that out. For years I was too distracted, too unfocused, or just not brave enough to pursue my dreams, and now I feel like I am behind the curve.
Pursue your passions and you’ll find you own treasures able to satiate your own desires. Your treasures may be financial or they may be something else altogether, but if you live the life that you were meant to live you will find all you can handle and more. Crawl out from under your bed and embrace – not who you are – who you’ve always wanted to be and make that happen. If you don’t you’re going to see yourself getting hit in the nose over and over and over until you change something.
Make it a resolution to live more like you were wired to. I don’t mean a New Year’s resolution. I mean a permanent “I’m not going to quit this before January is over” resolution. I don’t know about you, but I have come to terms with the fact that 2010 was not my year, but it was the start of the rest of my life. I decided in October that I was going to do whatever it takes to make me proud of me: to live my life to the fullest and to embrace every opportunity and quirk that comes my way. I’m willing to take a figurative punch in the nose punch in the nose every single day as long as I know that I am taking my life in the direction I want instead of mindlessly slaving away for the next paycheck.
What other way is there?
You are still very young so realizing now what your dreams are is terrific. There are those around you who are at least 10 years older just beginning their lifelong desired careers. It really doesn't matter when you start as long as you don't give up! Keep it up - maybe you and Kevin write a book together one day!
ReplyDeleteStar Trek: TNG is the ultimate and very bestest Star Trek. I was Dr. Beverly Crusher for Halloween one year.
ReplyDelete"...I was going to do whatever it takes to make me proud of me..." Great statement. Don't do things just to make other people proud of you because sometimes what they want or want for you is just not what you want for yourself.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't worry so much about your age - you're still young!! Maybe you're on the path you were always meant to be on.
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost." -Tolkien
-Jennifer C.