Fuck It, I Give Up!

We all feel like giving up sometimes. I have been in a funk the last few days and don't want to get up off the floor. Giving up on what? I'm not sure, it could be learning to play guitar, trying to save a marriage, standing up for what is right.

Why do we feel like giving up? Learning a new skill is hard, we can only control ourselves and not others, standing up for what is right doesn't mean others will follow or appreciate it. Being a maverick is lonely.

If you are a maverick (or should I write Maverick) it can be lonely. What am I saying? It is lonely. Unless you are surrounded by a team of Maverick's and then how much of a Maverick are you? I do believe you can be surrounded by a team of Maverick's and then you are one of the luckiest human beings on earth.

What is a Maverick? According to www.thefreedictionary.com One that refuses to abide by the dictates of or resists adherence to a group; a dissenter.

Being a part of a group sort of goes against being a Maverick, but it happens although not often. Most of what we know is wrong and so if you will simply take what is common practice and do 180 opposite of it you will usually be more successful. My use of the term Maverick, which frankly I'm getting tired of writing, is going against the grain of societal norms.

Sitting down at the dinner table to eat with family. Being involved in the community. Watching less than 5 hours of television a week. Being active physically. Having an opinion that you can't hear on Fox or CNN. Thinking critically. Taking responsibility for your own life and well being.

Read the above, most would never speak against any of the ideals I have written above but how many people do you know that do those things?

Sometimes Maverick's want to give up, sometimes they get so lonely that it is tempting to say Fuck it, I'm going to be like everyone else. That would be short lived. It would be short lived because Maverick's, Trailblazer's, Leader's are motivated by deep seeded beliefs that don't go away. Those beliefs drive them and cause them to do what is right, to have integrity, to move as an individual no matter what the cost.

A leader may give up for a short time, it happens, but they always pick themselves up off the floor. They always move on because even if no one follows, even if they are working alone the process is what life is about. The process.

What choice is giving up anyway? It is a life of not being able to look in the mirror, not being able to sleep at night, not being able to like who you are. It is why most people in our society are addicted to pills, alcohol, shopping, and entertainment. The numbing of the dissatisfaction with who we are is the number one market in our society.

Giving up or moving forward you will feel lonely, you will have times of distress, but moving forward you will always have satisfaction and joy. You can learn to draw strength from the process, you will not have lived a life in vain. You will die knowing you lived. Everyone dies, not everyone lives.

Stand up, stand tall, stand apart and be who God created you to be. Don't apologize for who you are.

Live Passionately, Live Aggressively

Matt Dragon