"Don't go chasing waterfalls..."
Ahhh, TLC. I really thought everyone knew the legendary song by heart until this past year in college when I met a few people who had no idea what it was when I got AUX. That's what I get for being raised by two music fanatics, I guess!
The lyrics are ones that make me scratch my head though.
"Don't go chasing waterfalls, please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to."
Now, I know this song has a different meaning than the approach I am taking here, so bear with me! When I see these lyrics and look at them literally, I see that TLC is encouraging us to not get out of our comfort zones and to stick with what we know. Stay inside the realms that we are comfortable with. Do not go chasing dreams. That's where I run into a problem with the catchy tune.
Dreams. A concept we quite often talk about, but quite rarely pursue. I remember being little, and telling everyone I was going to be a teacher-singer-dancer. Then it was neurologist. Next was president. Somewhere along the line I decided that those dreams were a little far fetched and settled in on doing just this. Writing. Speaking, Sharing. Oversharing. Because it was what I found that I loved. I wake up and dream about the day when I own my own non-profit and get to see, encourage, and be encouraged by people every single day. But, what happens if I don't get there?
I used to hear the phrase, "shoot for the moon and if you miss you'll land among the stars," pretty frequently. I never really understood it. Why would I want to land on stars if I was aiming for the moon?? Clearly I am no rocket scientist, but I know my trajectory wouldn't be THAT far off. However, here recently I have come to understand it better.
Sometimes we are meant to be on the star level. You know? Not everyone is going to land on the moon or else there's going to be a serious population problem, fast. Maybe some of us are meant to be sitting with the stars, observing the moon. And some are still meant to be sitting on earth, watching the stars. None of these levels mean one is more qualified, deserving, or talented than the other. It's just where we end up. I think we can all agree the view would be breath taking no matter where we sat.
My dream is to help others with the gifts God has given me. It's been a while since I have published anything because I was scared of stepping on too many toes. I didn't realize I was helping more people in the process of uncovering my truths than I was hurting those who created them. Life is messy. It's a scale that's extremely hard to balance. We go from one extreme to the other so consistently that we lose sight of what centers us. Those dreams. Passions. Gifts.
Here I am. Open, vulnerable, and honest. Getting out of my rivers and lakes, and chasing my waterfalls. I hope you're doing the same. You have talents. You have gifts. You will end up where you need to be. All you have to do is go.
Go chase those waterfalls. I'm in your corner. You can do this.
Keep on keeping on
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