Monday, January 9, 2012

On my future and living in the present

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land, there is no other life but this.”
Henry David Thoreau

I love this quote. When I read it somewhere (can't remember where), I couldn't help but think that it's the perfect quote for me for this year. 

Because I worry. Really. Fear starts to creep into every aspect of my life because this year is the year that I have to back everything I've said with actions. 

Even though this is an exciting prospect, there's a part of me that's asking me one big question: What if I fail? 

What if I query my book and can't find a single agent that likes it?
What if no one wants to give me a chance to perform. 

On and on and on. 

My fear of failure is almost enough to keep my right where I am. Thinking about the future and wishing for opportunities, but too afraid to go looking for them. 

But Mr. Thoreau's quote helped me to realize that there's an aspect to living in the present beyond getting over worry and letting go of your past. 

Living in the present is about deciding what you want to do in the future and actively going after it with everything you have. It's about finding a dream that's so important to you that there isn't a single setback that will make you stop going after it. 

It's about challenging yourself to live the life you want, knowing that one day, you will be old and have to look back on your life. What do you want to say? That you got by with what you had? Or that you lived your life to the fullest and used what you had to achieve more than others expected you to? More than you even expected of yourself? 

So that's what I'm going to do this year. I'm going to launch myself on every wave and find my future in everything I do right now. Because I'm going to learn everything I can in this life before I go to the next one. 

What about you? Are you preparing to launch yourself against something you fear? 


8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm not as I'm not motivated by fear. I fear God and after that i try not to be afraid. Easier said than done at time when you have a family to support. But overall I don;t fear much.

Anonymous said...
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Sharon K. Mayhew said...

Sometimes the fear of failure can cause failure. You will do great, Misha! I know you will have a wonderful year reaching all your goals.

Elana Johnson said...

This is a great quote and a great way to dive into things this year! Yes, it's scary, but it'll be worth it.

Jenna Blake Morris said...

Awesome quote -- thanks for passing it on. And good luck with all your goals this year.

Peaches Ledwidge said...

It's a scary writer's world, rejections are rampant. But yes, "live the life you want."

anthony stemke said...

I hope you can loosen up a little, fear can bring you down and worse, keep you down.
Yesterday is gone, forget it, Tomorrow... etc etc.
Remember how blessed you already are. Check yourself, you have a certain talent and the world wants to participate with you.
Be strong and upbeat, listen to good music and listen to humourous people.
Good luck, I'm pulling for you and so is the Tipster.

Misha Gerrick said...

Stephen, I refuse to be motivated by fear, but it doesn't stop it from trying to motivate me. ;-)

Thanks Sharon!

Elana, the way I see it, nothing that's too easy is really worth-while.

Thanks Jenna. I'm glad you liked the quote. Welcome to my blog!

Peaches, yes they are, but we'll make it through. Good luck!

Thanks so much Anthony! It means a lot that you and the Tipster are pulling for me. Your advice is excellent, as usual. :-)