I wanted to post this with everything else that is going on in this world. I know it is hard to stop trying or to give up altogether, but we cannot get to that point. Yes, we do fail many times, but we cannot let that stop us from still trying. If my readers want to see an inspirational video about this topic click here (maybe once you are done with reading this post and poem/song). Growing up I thought I wanted to be an actress. When I went to college I majored in Theatre-Arts with a focus in acting because that is what I always wanted to do. I was always one of those people who constantly heard no, especially for job interviews or for auditions. In hindsight, maybe they were not the right fit for me. I remember one time I did not get into a play that I auditioned for or maybe I chose not to audition for it, I cannot remember. But I ran into a friend who ended up getting in and he said that he’s so glad I was not a part of it because it ended up not going well at all. That leads me to my first quote of this post by Jay Ellis and this one goes out to my fellow actors and actresses or anyone who has to go out for auditions. It could be for a job interview as well. He says, “When you go out and audition, you’re going to hear a lot of ‘No’s.’ As weird as it may sound, you almost have to love hearing ‘no’ because you’re going to hear it way more than you hear ‘yes’.” So in other words you have to get used to hearing no instead of yes a lot of the time. It hurts, but it is the honest truth.
I remember I sent in a job application for a summer job that I was really excited about. I felt defeated after they told me no. I remember I told my parents and my dad responded with “Bummer. Add it to your collection and post it when you are a huge success! Make them sorry.” I had to chuckle a little bit at my dad’s text (I took a screenshot of that text and still have it saved on my phone), but my dad was so right. I did not and should not let that get in the way of applying for more jobs. I think all those nos lead to a better yes later down the road. My point is this, do not be afraid to try. As scary at is to try it may become much worse if we do not try. That leads me to my next quote of this post. “Don’t be afraid to fail. Be afraid not to try.” In other words, do not be afraid of failure because we all experience failure, even the most successful people in this world have failed countless of times and we should be more afraid of not trying. When you do not give up and keep trying goes hand in hand. In fact, those are just some of the thing we can do to live a full life. That leads me into this next quote by Roy Bennett who says, “There are five important things for living a successful and and fulfilling life: never stop dreaming, never stop believing, never give up, never stop trying, and never stop learning.” Those five things are crucial, especially never stop trying and and never stop giving up, especially to make a point in this post.
I want to conclude with one last and final quote from one of my favorites, Shel Silverstein. He was the one who wrote “Where the Sidewalk Ends,” “The Giving Tree and some others that I really like. If you have not read any of his work you definitely should, especially “The Giving Tree” because although it is sad it teaches a valuable lesson. Anyways this is what he says. “Listen to the mustn’ts, child. Listen to the don’ts. Listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won’ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me… Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.” In other words, there are so many possibilities despite all the nos and you can never let any of that stop you ever!! You never know what is on the horizon, especially if it is something better than you could possibly imagine. The below poem is supposed to be song lyrics, but I have not quite gotten to it to that place. Stay tuned in because at some point I may actually turn it into a song, you never know. But to my readers, I encourage you to keep your heads up and never give up! Cheers! I am rooting for each and every one of you.
Keep Trying
You lost your pieces trying to fix or save
Someone else and when you looked in
The mirror you are never too happy with
What you see. Baby I know that you gave
Your love, trust and it never felt like a win.
Trying is something you imagine like a myth
And do not let that keep you from giving up
Because when you are thinking that your cup
Is half empty it is really half full. You have so
Much to offer the world. Your smile and glow
Are your secret weapons. Never let the world
Take it away from you. Your toes are curled
Up in happiness as you shout it out to anyone
Who is listening, I am trying and I am not done!
With every twist and turn you are heading
Down a road with no way to go, but up and
Ahead. In your mind it was never about any
Of the fame or fortune, but about shedding
Layers that weighed heavy. Every no stands
In the way. You realized that there are many
And do not let that keep you from giving up
Because when you are thinking that your cup
Is half empty it is really half full. You have so
Much to offer the world. Your smile and glow
Are your secret weapons. Never let the world
Take it away from you. Your toes are curled
Up in happiness as you shout it out to anyone
Who is listening, I am trying and I am not done!