In the midst of dieing from a terminal diagnosis of pancreatic cancer Randy Pausch with genuine light in his heart quoted.
"It is better to fail spectacularly than to do something mediocre".
I only learned this quote of his recently through one of my classes at Wilmington University, while the quote itself to me is new; exercising it's meaning has been all to familiar. I mention this hiatus from 2022 quite often, I should stop refering to it as so.
With the motivation of my wife I was able to see value in myself and recognize the abilities I have to be greater than my initial determination of myself. I visited an opportunity that to me felt like a possibility to do exactly what I always wanted to do, I failed spectacularly. But not really, I am starting to realize failing spectacularly has exponencially grown my happiness, confidence, and knowledge.
I am doing everything I want to do with no consideration for those who say nay, I boast about this because I hope it inspires you to do it to. I come from a lower income area in South River New Jersey, with a lack luster education, and a plethora of people who thought I'd amount to nothing.
Because of this I did not experience the motivation offered to some young people to pursue a higher education, a richer form of living, or a compassing idea of the world.
It was simply find a good job, put money in the 401K, raise a family, and maybe retire; that was the ideal offered to me as a young person. That ideal is just awful, I still carry a bitterness to this very day; no matter how hard I try to let it go, I haven't yet. As I grow wiser I am coming to realize that it is more generatons of complacence than anything else. I am also coming to realize how short life actually is, I refuse to waste a single moment of it doing something I do not want to do.
I am going to explore every intuition my soul offers me, I am going to see the world with my wife, I am going to write everything I feel, and I am going to fail spectacularly along the way.
"When I leave this life, I will have found a way to leave my footprints in the concrete."
If you are reading this, you know you were one of my bullies; I forgive you.
If you are reading this; you know you thought I'd be nothing; I forgive you.
If you are reading this; you know you didn't support me; I forgive you.
If you are reading this; you know you didn't break my fall; I forgive you.
If you are reading this; you know you never pushed me to be great; I forgive you.
If you are reading this, I hope you choose today to be whatever you want. I hope you choose to cross the yellow tape and leave your footprint in the concrete. Our lives are unlikely, the time we have is precious, and we deserve to feel elation.
If you feel like you may not have an opportunity to do so because the path you chose in life dictates it, I urge you to still try.
If you have children, offer them a world where if they want to raise Grebes in Denmark; that world can become real if they choose to earn it. This age of technology is a beautiful chaos, we should not fear her power, but become stronger adapting to innovation.
Take this time to leave your foot prints in the wet concrete, so when it comes time for you to leave this life your heart can be full.
Christopher J. Roes
Biased, Author
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