Struggle Sunday: To Boldly Go

You’re not so alone in sharing these courageous thoughts, Tom. Many of us hear and feel the heartbeat of life more deeply than others — that’s a gift to be treasured, and one that pours forth so beautifully in your writing.

I believe it was John Wayne who said something along the lines of, “Courage is being scared out of your mind, but saddling up anyway.” 

I appreciate that because while I strive to be bold and courageous, I am often terrified when faced with the uncertainties of life. I figure as long as I can keep moving forward; as long as I keep getting on that horse– any horse, then at least all opportunity will not pass me by as I succumbed to fear. 

I think that, secretly, high-school was horrible for everyone– even the prom queens and quarterbacks. I can say that because my mom and dad were those things respectively, and their lives are in no way inherently better because of it. They came away with just as many hang-ups as I did. I wouldn’t trade my high-school experience for anything though, it was massively influential in determining who I would be in college, and college helped determine who I would be today.  

It’s funny to think that in five more years I’ll be looking back, and I will see how this awkward and bizarre phase of life has influenced who I will be then. I think The Joker said it best, “Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you weirder.” I’m just full of fun quotes tonight. 

But seriously, be bold, be ridiculous, take risks, make mistakes, but above all, be who it is you want to be. It’s always the weird ones that are really worth knowing. Who wants to be the same as everyone else, anyway?

If you’re anything like me, you’re biggest fear is that you will somehow ruin your life, whatever that means. Here’s the thing, I’ve watched as a lot of people made the safe choices– safe choices in schools, relationships, careers, etc. These days a lot of those folks are wishing they could go back to school, are hating every moment of their office drone work-lives, and their marriages are dissolving. 

I try to remind myself that maybe, just maybe, making the safe choices is actually what ruins your life. Perhaps it’s the bold and courageous who, even in failure, find the most satisfaction in life. 

If I’ve only got one life to live, then I sure as heck don’t want to spend it playing it safe. I don’t want to live to the ripe old age of 100 only to look back and think, “I never really took a chance.” I’ll leave you with one more quote, this one by Ryan Adams, “Well, everybody wants to go forever, but I just want to burn up hard and bright.” 

Sorry for such a lengthy comment, but your post really got me thinking. This is good stuff, and though I don’t really know you Mr. TMZ, I sense that we’ve shared some similar experiences in life. I hope that you continue to go forth in boldness; that you’ll be filled with courage in 2012. That even in those moments that you don’t find courage, you’ll recognize its absence. I’m afraid I’ve grown far too complacent in many areas of my life, and have lacked the sight to even recognize it. 

This is quite a testimony for stepping out in faith! It all starts with small steps. Risk-taking does not come natrually to me, and boldness was something I always struggled with. But God doesn’t let us stay inside of our comfort zones for too long. For myself, I found God calling me to step out and follow Him. And I found if God calls then He will provide! 
 
And I love the One Word resolution! I found out about it last year and thought it was awesome!

I join in your feelings toward high school. I wouldn’t go back, to people’s surprise. See, I was the kid everyone knew and loved. Not “popular”, but well liked by all in my small fine arts school. I was nicknamed Mr. Perfect (I have my senior hoodie for proof) by teachers, parents, and friends.

I was faking. Wasn’t saved, clean, pure, perfect, or anything. I acted the part because I could hide in it. I could hide from my problems and fears. I could hide from my self hatred. I could hide from the world.

The world found me eventually, but thankfully so did Jesus. However, I was still afraid and hid in my image. College was the same story as high school except my image started cracking. The millions of issues I had could not be contained any longer.

But wouldn’t you know it- I found a way to hide in being open. It’s true. I don’t know how really, but I was open while still perfect. Long story semi-short, I am doing what I can to be bold. Sometimes I do great, sometimes not. Like I said about the one word, I am surrendering like never before- and I’m discovering that it takes courage. At times, I am putting myself out there for anyone to see. And it doesn’t always end well. But, I keep trying.

I will say- as an introvert, you seem to have grown very bold since 2004. And that’s awesome- don’t lose sight of that. You can always grow more, but be confident in what God has already done in your life. And heck- even extroverts struggle with boldness. It just looks a little different.

I think you became so bold in your senior year because that was my first year of high school as a freshman. I must have had quite an influence on you! And who would criticize or make fun of you in high school? Name some names; be daring, be bold!