Live Out Loud

The biggest mistake we can make in life is being afraid of living.

The worst thing we can do to ourselves is be afraid to accept a challenge, to push ourselves, to join the struggle to be a better person. The worst thing we can do is let our fear overcome our desire to live our life fully and completely.

Being afraid is common. Fighting against the things you want and the people who make you better is easy, because it's comfortable in the middle of perfection and failure. It is scary to fight your entire life for something, to spend every day struggling and striving for a goal, and then realize that you are going to accomplish it. It is scary to live, and to do, so deliberately and honestly and with an open mind and heart. But, not living that way is a waste of life.

I would rather live a life of purpose and strive for the unreasonable, with goals, challenges, and happiness, then spend my whole life sitting comfortably in a spot that gives me no joy.

The real joy in life is found in overcoming the challenges, when the impossible becomes possible. The real joy comes when you fight long enough for something that you get it. The real joy comes in being afraid and allowing that fear to provoke you into creating the best moments and experiences of your life.

But, what if you fight for something, strive for a goal, and lose.. or fail. Is that joy gone? Hell no. The only thing in life you have control over is your perspective. No matter what happens, YOU control what the meaning is, and what to do with the meaning you give to the circumstance. Be empowered by disappointment. Take responsibility for your joy.

Don't let today's disappointments cast a shadow on tomorrow's dreams.

I lost my first boxing match recently. I have always had a love for boxing as a sport. Getting in the ring was a personal goal, the level of conditioning required, the mastery of skill, the beautiful technique and most of all, the mental fortitude and emotional capacity necessary. I lost. But, I chose to get back up and fight again.

No one can instill the mental toughness and work ethic required to become a champion in any aspect of life. You have to dig deep within you and find the drive, find those qualities, on your own. Believe in yourself, even when it seems nobody else does. There is no luck involved, hard work spotlights character.

Although, the first question I received from most was, did you win? As though winning is a tell all, a defining moment of you as a person, your ability, your strength. Never mind the journey behind it. My response was simple, I lost. And it has been interesting as I watch the expressions and hear this perception of loss from others. I remained quiet and allowed them to soak in their idea of loss and absorb the emotions it provided them. And never once did any ask what I felt, or thought, about it. Through their filter, they thought they already knew.

I choose a lifestyle that supports my vision. I choose that I am a better person, with or without the label of a win or lose, in any physical goal or competition and in every area of my life. If you think you’ve failed at the things you’ve set out to accomplish, I challenge you to look at it from a different perspective. This is about who you want to be, and your purpose, it is about taking action in your life. My purpose? To inspire and enhance the life of others. To create something bigger than me. My failures only come, if I don't try. 

I don't whisper my dreams and goals. I march loudly to the beat of my own drum and shout them to the world. If others see me courageously pursuing my dreams, and being unreasonable in my goals, regardless of the outcome, maybe I will inspire others to pursue more of their own, too.