Sunday, January 9, 2011

Too Often We Are Scared


I collect items that speak to me, messages or pieces that motivate me in a worthy direction. There was a Barry Sanders Nike, "Just Do It" ad from the late 80's that did just that. Here it is...

Too often we are scared.
Scared of what we might not be able to do.
Scared of what people might think if we tried.
We let our fears stand in the way of our hopes.
We say no when we want to say yes.
We sit quietly when we want to scream.
and we shout with the others,
When we should keep our mouths shut.
Why?
After all,
we do only go around once.
There's really no time to be afraid.
So stop.
Try something you've never tried.
Risk it.
Enter a triathlon.
Write a letter to the editor.
Demand a raise.
Call winners at the toughest court.
Throw away your television.
Bicycle across the United States.
Try bobsledding.
Try anything.
Speak out against the designated hitter.
Travel to a country where you don't speak the language.
Patent something.
Call her.
You have nothing to lose
and everything
everything
everything to gain.

He quit at the peak of his game. He did it against the grain. He did it his way.