Never Give Up

     The other day my son was at the kitchen table drawing pictures of horror icons because he loves horror movies. While in the middle of one he stopped and looked at me and said "Dad, I'm drawing Michael Myers. Do you think I'll be successful?" My first thought was "who the hell talks like that?!", then I thought "he wants my approval. He wants to know he's doing a good job so that he can keep on doing it with confidence." I didn't hesitate to tell him that his drawings were awesome and he'd be successful. Maybe he'll be an artist one day. Maybe he'll make special effects for movies. What he won't ever do is tell himself that his dad didn't believe in him. The same goes for my daughter. She's about to turn 16 and has her whole life planned out. She knows where she's going to school and what she wants to do with her life. I don't think I could be more proud of her and how much she's matured and pulled herself together over the last couple years. 

     You might wonder where I'm going with this. For a little while, I did too. Parenting isn't an easy job and there's no rule book. You play it by ear and do what you hope is the best. When I was little I didn't get a lot push to live my dreams and reach for the stars. I got told no and that I couldn't do things, a lot. I wanted to play the piano. I was told I wouldn't stick with it. I wanted to use chop sticks once at an Asian restaurant. My dad told the waitress that I would fail. I didn't. Now, before anyone goes thinking that my parents are assholes or anything like that, please understand that my parents are great people. My dad is my best friend and my mom is still who I go to when I need some realistic advice. But what they also are is too realistic. There was no dream I had that wasn't in some way worn down due to it being a little outlandish. They loved me. But they didn't push me. And it's that fact that has held me back in a lot of ways over the years. I've given up on the vast majority of my dreams because they aren't "realistic." I'll come up with reasons that whatever it is I want to do, will ultimately fail. I wanted to be a wrestler, a musician, a writer. All things that I feel like I would have been pretty good at. I even gave up on this blog for a while. It was hard to open myself up to people and not immediately see the rewards from it that I felt I'd see. What were those rewards? I haven't got a clue. But they weren't there and I walked away from it. 

      The irony in all of this is that I'm the first person to push people to be what they want to be, to root for the underdog. But I can't take that same advice for myself. Someone once told me that in a crisis, I'd be the guy that ran into danger to save other people. Because deep down inside I want to be the superhero. 

     I guess what I'm getting at is this. Please don't ever give up. Please don't stop fighting. I know there are moments when you can't take another step or give another breath or shed another tear. I know it because I've been there and still live there. Some of you know me and some of you may not. But I believe in you. I believe that if you want something badly enough, you can make it a reality. Stop listening to those venomous voices in your head and keep fighting. I promise you that it's worth it. Maybe not today, but one day you'll wake up and look back on your journey and realize that you made your life important because you never gave up. And on that day, you take that feeling of pride and you pass it on to the world around you. You stand up for every person that was where you used to be and you give them hope. 

     Yeah, I think you'll be successful.