Do you go all the way?
Want to? Want to know the formula? I hand it over to Charles Bukowski and continue below….
If you’re going to try, go all the way.
Otherwise, don’t even start.
If you’re going to try, go all the way.
This could mean losing girlfriends, wives,
relatives, jobs and maybe even your mind.
It could mean not eating for three or four days.
It could mean freezing on a park bench.
It could mean jail.
It could mean derision, mockery, isolation.
Isolation is the gift.
All the others are a test of your endurance,
of how much you really want to do it.
And, you’ll do it, despite rejection and the worst odds.
And it will be better than anything else you can imagine.
If you’re going to try, go all the way.
There is no other feeling like that.
You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire.
DO IT. DO IT. DO IT. All the way
You will ride life straight to perfect laughter.
It’s the only good fight there is
Charles Bukowski
There’s no one path, no fix you can buy to get there.
But there is one truth to know:
It hurts, it’s hard, it’s isolating, it’s filled with uncertainty. But when you know this you can push through it, because you know it’s part of the deal. You know, get over yourself and get on with it. It hurst …and it’s important.
There is also an impetus you can use to get there:
The times are calling out to us to go all the way. There is urgency, there is an invitation to get wild, a lot of forgiveness around any mistakes you might make.
And there is a guaranteed payoff:
You will arrive in a burst of joy and relief that you made the most of your mortal coil. It’s the only good fight there is.
