First Steps

First steps are scary. I know. I have taken my fair share, only to step back again and again 'til I end up at the start. Looking down the road at the long haul is daunting. How do I overcome the fears that come with change? By doing, by stepping, by trying, one tiny footfall at a time. Eventually, these baby steps combine to make one exhilarating leap past fears, past worries, past second-guesses.

Mind you, not everything can and should change all at once. The best wines take time to ferment, as do some of humanity's greatest ideas. That doesn't mean one should always wait a long time to let every thought percolate, but, then again, sometimes that is okay, too. It all depends upon the creative spark that comes from action meeting thought. Together they are a powerful force. Unstoppable, in fact.

My best creations come to me when I am not thinking, while at rest in the garden, over a cup of coffee, or while driving and listening to my favorite music. I like that my "genius" pops in and out of my consciousness while dreaming, too. That is why I journal, to remember those moments that are as powerful as some experience while awake.

For me, a novice writer, I took a tenuous step a handful of years ago and submitted my poetry to a local journal published by the county community college. For two years straight I entered the writing contest, and both times they published what I wrote. Since then, I have written for my Master's degree, but not creatively. However, I see that the road ahead is leading me back to my creative writing, with my Master's giving me the confidence needed to continue forward, pen in hand.

You see, avenues, and byways intersect, until the possibilities are endless. One need not take every path that comes upon the horizon, but by standing still nothing is gained.

The incomparable basketball great, Michael Jordan, once said, "I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

The time to start stepping forward is now. Success starts with today.

I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.
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