Make your impression

Here I am in the so-called Act II of my life, waking up after intermission to an important realization: I am losing my fear of failing. I still fail a lot, but I’m somehow not letting it stop me from taking on more new things. It’s like I’m intentionally raising the risk that others may criticize or laugh at me but it feels OK. Am I losing my marbles?

As I walk this thin line between crazy and sane, I am reminded of the 19^th century impressionist painters who took risks with their art and left their mark on history because of it. Monet, Cezanne, Renoir and others shed the academic rules of what art should look like, and created vividly different paintings that followed their own vision. They must have been driven by a fire bottled up inside them that needed to come out. It’s almost as if it would be crazy not to do it.

Have you got something burning inside you that needs to come out…to be expressed?  It could be art, music, writing, singing, acting or dancing. Or go beyond the usual “arts” to include speaking, invention, exploration, racing, model-building, jewelry design, coaching or fundraising. I’m not talking about a career change here; just doing something you want to do for the joy of it.  Do it for its own sake with no commercial requirements.

With so much pressure to keep our marbles neatly in the bag all the time, maybe it’s healthy to let a few of them drop and bounce around on the floor occasionally.  Are you ready to take a chance at failing? Are you ready to make your impression?