“I made a resolve then that I would amount to something if I could. And no hours, nor amount of labor, nor amount of money would deter me from giving the best that there was in me. And I have done that ever since, and I win by it. I know.”
— Colonel Sanders
Ahhh… that quote hit me hard in the chest when I read it. It perfectly summed up something I am trying to work towards and ends with such a strong statement, ‘I know!’
I want a confident life. Not the kind of confidence that leads to arrogance or prohibits learning and growth, but confidence in what I want out of life, what I want my life to look like. I want to be certain, about myself, about what I can bring to the table, and about the things I can control.
Year 24 had seemingly no obvious path laid out for me. I walked 24 with a slight stumble, unsure, unaware… I took many leaps of faith, some turned out okay, and some, not so much.
I yearned for things I wasn’t even sure existed.
I wished to go the distance, to find the perfect opportunity to prove myself somehow… I longed for something…something to come along that I cared about so deeply that I would rise up and step beyond my fear.
I wished for something to jolt me out of the weird, routine, existence I found myself in after facing significant loss….
I wished for great courage, for something worthy of being courageous for,
I yearned for meaning.
I wondered all the time…
About the tragedies that come along and force us to be brave, force us to be strong, and reveal to us what we are capable of.
About why, we hide, scared, waiting for something to come along that causes us to rise.
About missing pieces.
And what I learned in year 25 is that, that ‘thing’ doesn’t descend upon you.
At 25, I learned bravery doesn’t ever come to find you.
You find it. You choose it.
The adverse situations in your life don’t create courage, they instead present you with the option to choose to be brave, or choose not to.
There is no situation that suddenly thrusts you up onto your feet, and causes you to rise. Stepping up for yourself is a decision you make. It’s a decision you have to make. It’s not a reaction in response to tragedy; it’s a proactive decision you make.
I also learned this; no matter our current financial position, or socioeconomic background, there is one thing we can always decide upon, and that is….
…To move towards things that are good and away from things that are not.
And that takes bravery.
The problem is, that we sit around waiting for bravery to find us…
I cannot wait to see what I learn as year 26 progresses….
As always, hang onto hope.
Till next time,
Naks.
I needed to read this. I missed your writing very much. Reading it made me realise how much I just miss you as a person. These penned thoughts were conversations about life we’ve have in real time, with back and forth. Now they are open ended.
I’m 26 next month and I’ve garnered the bravery from 25 like no year ever. It didn’t come to me, I grabbed the ka thing by the horns till it wielded. People need to know this and just rise to the occasion in their own lives.
J.W
Thank you so much for this! Also, the happiest birth month!
Interesting insights. Keep writing
Thank you so much!
Reading this at 23 has left my eyes a size bigger
HAHAHA! The bigger the size, the more we can see.