Just Do It!

I'd like to think of myself as a fairly laid-back guy. When I was a kid/teen and even sometimes now, I can be a pretty temperamental, fiery guy. It wasn't good at all. Because of this, I suppose I always thought being easy-going was a good thing, it's something I tried to work towards. I still do to a certain extent, but I'm also wondering lately if I have been using it as an excuse all my life.

One thing I am realizing more and more is that life is happening every second of every hour of every day. If this is the case, every moment wasted is an opportunity passed. Life can pass you by so quickly, and it's almost if nothing happened. Being laid-back, I feel like this has been happening to me for a long time now. I know sometimes people wonder why I stayed with my ex for so long, when things were so obviously not working. For those who know me, you can totally admit to this if it's true! Because in hindsight, I wonder the same thing. And it's not as if I haven't had the same feeling about other couples before.

But I do know why I stayed. I had become complacent. Feeling as if life was just happening, it was coming to me and this was just meant to happen. I wasn't always like this, when I was a kid, sure I could throw a huge tantrum, mostly because I didn't get what I wanted. There was something (okay a lot of things) that I wanted that badly to have or happen, that if I didn't get it, I'd be completely out of control. No I do not believe that reaction is very productive, helpful or mature, but at least I was going after something. What happened to that passion? What happened to that determination? What happened to that drive?

Life shouldn't be lived this way. Like a passenger on the subway just waiting for a destination to arrive. Or even worse, standing on the platform and watching the train just pass by over and over again. Get out there and take control of the car and drive it where you want it to go!

Go after what you want in life with every ounce of energy that you have. Because most likely, it's not going to come after you or hit you randomly. And even if it does, you may not value it because you never had to work for it.

Like what Nike has been telling everybody for years, Just Do It! At the time when I was maybe 10, I thought the tagline was just cool, but only now do I begin to realize the true power of the phrase, and why the campaign was so brilliant. You may fail, you may fall, but at least you tried.

Nike, for all your commercial, capitalitic ways, you sure are wise!

Figuring out what to chase, now that's a subject for a totally different matter! :P