GAME ON!

So, with today being my birthday, it's got me feeling a bit contemplative. You know, the kind of thoughts that deal with dreams and potential, purpose and destiny. I've been sensing a gentle nudge over the last few weeks - a reminder that there's something for me to do, and that it will require some dedication of me to do it. It's a sobering thought that I will never be the person I have the potential to be unless I commit passion and persistence to the endeavours that I believe matter to me.

Now, I'm not talking about having to do a bunch of stuff to win anyone's approval. I'm talking about being the best version of yourself that you are capable of being. The fact is, that's something that won't be achieved without an investment of dedication to a worthwhile pursuit. It's the difference between chasing a dream and indulging a fantasy. A dream requires work, goals, effort. A fantasy, in this context, is intimately acquainted with procrastination and is perpetually relegated to the realm of the intangible.

I sometimes suspect that I put off chasing my dreams because I'm scared of failing. At least if I don't try (I foolishly and unsuccessfully convince myself), I can always say that I could've been great if I ever bothered to really give it a shot. It's kind of like a wannabe athlete way past his prime always going on about how awesome he would've been if it hadn't been for that unfortunate knee injury decades ago. That approach sure is a lot safer than attempting what really matters to you only to discover that you're simply not good enough. But is it really safer?

Besides, who are we in competition with anyway? If the goal is to be the best version of yourself that you can be, screw what anyone else thinks and does. Your responsibility is to be true to yourself and to mine your potential, and if you're going about that honestly and with gusto, that right there is your success. In reality, the worst thing possible is to take the dreams that really matter and lock them away where they never see the light of day. Now that is a tragic failure.

Now is as good a time as any to roll up the proverbial sleeves and tackle your dreams to the ground. So you may graze a knee or bruise an elbow. Frankly, so what? The alternative of inaction comes at a far higher price. Let's stop living life so darn safely. Let's get ready to rumble!

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Grant Alexander Cyster owns the blog entitled "I THINK, THEREFORE I ACHE.", offered as part of his Cape Town based freelance media business at: www.grantcyster.com