Magic Happens

I’ve always believed in the beauty of a great journey – discovering new places, seeking life experiences, fostering relationships and pursuing my dreams. In fact, it’s all I’ve ever really wanted to do. I just want to believe in something that’s worth believing in and then pursue it with every facet of my being.

Such journeys, I’ve found, are best when we share them with others who, like me, are ‘crazy’ enough to assume that our wildest dreams are just a brief distance away from reality. These are the folks who realize that ‘impossible’ is simply a mindset – something we get when we haven’t trained our minds and our hearts to see past the systems that currently exist to ones that don’t yet exist. Because when our minds and our hearts and our hands work together, magic happens.

Fear

And only one thing has ever prevented me from making this magic happen more often. Fear. Being afraid of what others might think. Afraid of the repercussions of putting my crazy ideas out there for the world to see and judge. Afraid to let go of my comfort zone and just go for it. Because… What if I fail? What if… What if…

Now, in most situations, fear no longer stands in my way. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. It most certainly does. I’ve just learned to curb my fears and adapt to change a bit more proficiently than I used to. But I still feel the nerves of fear sneak up on me. And the more important something or someone is to me, the more nervous I get, the more I stumble over my words, and the more I sound like an incoherent fool.

A few years ago when I began talking to my friends and family about my goal to write and start the blog that would eventually become Marc and Angel Hack Life, I mostly got half smiles, nods, and quizzical facial reactions. And when I tried to say anything meaningful to Angel when we first met back in September of 2000, she would often laugh at me because she literally found herself trying to decode my jumbled, shaky sentences.

Clarity

One of the most remarkable things about our lives is that clarity and progression occur with enduring love, passion, and patience. This blog is now an easy topic for me to talk about… and now, it’s even easy for others to talk about, including my friends and family. And although it may take her a second or two, Angel now gets the gist of my jumbled, shaky sentences almost immediately.

And that makes me smile. Because I want to continue to evolve and grow with the people and dreams that inspire me. After all, I only have one shot – like we all do – to make this life meaningful. And I know for sure, after coping with my fears on numerous journeys, that I would rather sound stupid…

Than be stupid and take no action at all.