Friday, October 29, 2010

Still, my rocket has no brakes.

I have been thinking a little more about this concept, and I think it also has a lot to do not only with fear, but what you do with that fear. Fear can paralyze you, and you can either stay paralyzed and become stagnant, and satisfied with "enough".

Or you can take that fear, really feel it, internalize it, make it yours (own it, really), and move the hell on with it.

I battle fear every day. My job doesn't pay anything but the bills. For 8 months, I didn't have a job to speak of, and my credit score dropped two hundred points. I am incredibly ashamed of that, but it was either eat or pay a bill.

My credit score was a point of pride; my parents didn't do a great job of keeping their scores in check due to a number of issues. My issue was that I lost my job. For a good few months, the inertia paralyzed me. My mind kept spinning, but I was terrified to do anything about it. I stopped moving, slamming on the brakes because I was scared to make the wrong move. For the first time in my life, I learned what real fear is, and how it can stop you dead in your tracks. I also (theoretically) knew things would change, get better. I knew that I had a choice.

Here's the part where you either have a rocket or you don't: you either wake up one morning, and set NEW goals, change and adjust - work your ass off and get out of that rut you're in, or you don't. And if you don't - if you wallow in the inertia, lose yourself in it and never crawl out of that black hole, then what do you have?

Paralysis. Lack of movement, lack of growth. Atrophy, both mental and emotional.

People who have rockets, and especially rockets without brakes can't possibly sit in an inert state for long. I'm not sure what pushes us on.

Conversely, I'm not sure what makes someone want to stay and marinate in that paralyzing fear forever. It just doesn't sound appealing to me.

I need to check to be sure my rocket has enough fuel, because it sure as hell doesn't have brakes.

2 comments:

  1. There are times we spin out, or crash and burn. As the dust settles, fear sets in. You start to recognize the terrain around you as a place you have been before, but didnt stay long. The familiar feelings start to creep in. Maybe theres not enough oxygen in this place, its hard to breathe. Whatever is out there, its hard to see. We cant stay here.
    Whether youve stayed grounded for a minute, a week, a month, or a year. If your rocket is dented, rusted, and cold from lack of use. You can fly again. You ARE the fuel to this journey. You are the freedom to this flight. Spread your wings and breathe again.. Ill see you in the sky as we pass by with the wind in our hair.. On rockets.. with no brakes..(kudos Ms Ruckman)

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  2. Maybe the lack of brakes is really a self-fulfilling prophecy?
    Hypothetically speaking, when you continue to journey through life on a continuous mission of finding the next best thing or on a mission for new experiences/endeavors, do we not become fearful of what life would be like without the thrill of the chase?
    Simply-put: Maybe the chase really is your life, and perhaps, without that sense of "thrill" you would feel empty?
    Inherently that may or may not be conducive to you getting into some sort of trite routine, but I admire your ability to, if nothing else, go through life thus far with some serious flair! :)
    On the other side of that equation, humans tend to grow toward stability. Pursuing your latest endeavors may be not be enough to squelch that "conquest" you crave, but maybe that is because there is some other thing you lack that you have not quite put your finger on yet?

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