June 24, 2002

Posted by alex on Jun 24, 2002 in General Writing

Sometimes, I’m absolutely positive it would have been easier to have a career as a Rocket Scientist.

I have not only been dealing with setbacks that are out of my control, but a heavy workload on top. It’s been hard to keep going when it seems like everything is trying to push me back. The one thing I’ve learned that is if I stop, it all stops. So I have to keep going no matter what – even if I don’t want to.

At one point, when everything was collapsing, I sat at the computer and just cried as I continued to work on my book proposal. I figured I’d kill two birds with one stone – give into the feeling of frustration and continuing to work. Despite all the problems and my sometimes lack of courage, I haven’t given in to pity. I haven’t thrown my hands in the air nor have I flailed my body around on the floor. I’ve been trying as best I can to just do what I can do, and trust me, it has been one of the hardest things at times. Especially when all I want to do is just crawl under the covers and pretend that all I was meant to do on earth was nap.

I have asked myself when it will all get better, when will I get a lucky break, when will someone fix it all for me so I don’t have to do anything but show up each day. I received an answer when I randomly read my horoscope.

It said:

“What you really need now is a lucky break. Are you likely to get one? That depends how hard you are willing to work. Luck, contrary to popular opinion, rarely comes to us out of the blue. It occurs when we take something that’s just about possible and do our best to make it probable. When you are in the business of “pushing your luck” you are better off working with the kind of luck that can be pushed. Random factors (such as lottery draws) can’t much be influenced. But you now face a situation in which you definitely can cause the balance to tip in your favour. So start trying.”

I felt that was a really sound advice that made sense to me. Sometimes when things are so bad we want to give up and surrender to something bigger while we wait for “luck” or “magic” to save us. The truth is, we can only save ourselves. If we don’t take the step, we’ll never get the journey.

Dreams don’t happen simply because you dream, they happen because you invest yourself in them and do something to make them real. And when you do, you’re rewarded in ways you never thought possible. That’s the real luck right there.