Live like you’re dying, but never take yourself too seriously.  Well, which is it?

I’ve read myself onto a long balance beam.

I need to focus, be serious enough to watch my step and carefully plan my trip from one stop to another.  I need to believe in myself, give myself credit, stop caring what others think, pump myself up or I won’t have the gumption to push through the wobbly parts.  Walking on a balance beam isn’t a joke.  I could hurt myself, twist something, or worse, I could fall off and forget how to get back on.  I need to be my own cheerleader and remember that I’m unique and special and there’s nothing I can’t do.

At the same time, I need to remember to not take myself too seriously.  It’s 5 o’clock somewhere.  Laugh, relax and know that mistakes are just learning opportunities.  Never be afraid to fail, the path less travelled, and all the rest of that.

I already fill my mind with too many of my own words, it’s super crowded with everyone else in my head.  At the moment, I’m thinking of shutting it all off and only listening to Britney Spears.

There’s no way to stay on the beam, get from A to B, by remaining chill, self deprecating and good natured, while remembering to take care of my mind, body and spirit.   Appreciate the little things, be kind to small animals and those that are doing the best they can and then, then, live in the moment.  Keep Calm and Carry On.  Are you kidding me?

It used to be that a person was drawn to certain writers, those they had access to or heard about through friends.   People would read their work and that work would, in some way, influence their life, their thoughts.  Life philosophies have been created based on certain snippets from novels or songs, poems, even speeches.  Maybe a person would have three, four, even up to ten writers that profoundly influenced their thinking.  Usually those writers were of similar mind or they allowed for a reasonable spectrum of debate.

Then came the internet and then the drug that is Pinterest.  Now, it’s not just the books I pick up, or the articles I read, it’s quotes on everything from everyone and I can’t stop.

I find myself in a room with Nietzsche, Dr. Seuss, Hemingway, Kermit the Frog, Ayn Rand, Buddha, Oprah, every president and world leader, Coco Chanel, a crazy sprinkling of shrinks, Einstein, Virginia Wolf and about 500 unknown…thinkers.

They all have good advice, words of wisdom, but it’s like being unmarried and pregnant at an endless family reunion.  Everyone’s the expert and there’s no way out.  Just when I think I’ve collected my “quotes” and I’m no longer interested in hearing any more words, I read, “The temptation to quit will be the greatest just before you are about to quit.”

Holy hell, I guess I should hang on then.

I suppose I could close the computer, but wouldn’t that fall under the advice “never let something get the best of you?”  Sigh…not sure who said that, but Churchill said, “Never, never, never, never give up.”

My thoughts from the laundry room.  Dream Like You Can’t Fail.

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