I could have easily just kept dwelling on the things I didn’t do in life, let those I can’t do become stronger then me and become mountains that fear didn’t let me overcome. I would like to say that I am a self-made man, but there are very few truly self-made men out there. In life I have a whole army of people I have met through the years that motivated me and provided the encouragement to become a better me.
I was in my late twenties when I started college. Yes it was a major accomplishment for me. No it wasn’t the diploma they gave me at the end and certainly not high marks, but the fact I completed the course while working and during a bus strike here in Ottawa. During this time over half my school mates quit. They were smarter then I was, but all I had was determination. Well that and the fact I paid a lot of money for my course and I wasn’t wasting it. That winter I had to walk to work early in the morning them walk to school and walk home. No it wasn’t easy, but I couldn’t justify taking out a loan for school and not finishing it. I honestly didn’t expect to pass the course because I was a programming course and I didn’t even have a computer. All I had was a cheap used type writer that I could save text documents on a floppy disk then I would go to school and try and compile it. Yes it was hard, but I didn’t see any choice.
I struggled, to complete the course and to get my first job and I kept struggling to get the job after that too. I didn’t tell the world I was doing it because I was a younger version of me who still feared failure then. It was my first secret life. I am respected in my field, have numerous certifications now and experience, but few people outside my professional life know about it. The reason is that I did it for me and if people ask I tell them, but it’s not something I brag about.
My latest challenge is books. Yes I wanted to write one good book. First try sucked, but I finished it and thought that I could do it better. The next book had its flaws, but was better so I tried again. Now my “Immortal Obsession Series” is something I am proud of. You won’t see my name or picture plastered all over the place because I do it for me. Not for fame or fortune, but for me. A dream is only worth having if you put actions behind it. No I am not Stephen King yet, but I wrote two really great books. I set out to write something I was proud of. The kind of book I enjoy reading and that brings others joy others. I did that. That’s another part of my secret life.
Now a few people that used to read my blogs or maybe they still do who seem to be trapped in the past this is for you? Some seem to live with ghosts of failures real and imagined. Whether it be a job you hate or see no future in, the education that they wished they had, love they lost and because of pride let it slip away or anything else that is holding them back. Yesterday is gone, today you can change anything and tomorrow has not come yet. Courage isn’t never failing its trying what seems impossible just because there might be a possibility.
For every success I have had there are nine failures. Anything is possible in life as long as you try to chase it. Some secrets we never share, others we share, but from a hidden view like a pen name or anonymous blog, but life is meant to be lived and enjoyed. Success like beauty is a personal victory. Everybody sees it in a different way, but if you don’t try you will never see your true success.
Smile
JD
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