Summer 1993:   I was at a water park, first time as a grown-up.  My date’s idea.  Sounds fun, huh?!  Well, I didn’t want to be there.  I had packed all the gear I needed, but I was still in my street clothes and being highly uncooperative.  Finally I changed into my swimsuit, and we continued to scope the rides.  I kept saying no, no thanks, you go ahead, etc.  My date was being very patient – probably more patient than I would have been had we been, say… doing Nia or Pilates and our roles were reversed.  We rounded a corner and there was a ride with a raft built for two.  I was still diligently resisting, but my date was being beautifully insistent.  I got in and I held on tight, wishing very hard I was anywhere else.  Down the slide we went.

OH. MY. GOSH. How freakin’ fun was that!!!!  The second we landed in the pool at the bottom, I had a mind blowing life changing revelation:   I had been scorchingly afraid!  Even more mind blowing, I realized how fear had been singularly defining my life and my choices.  Until that moment, at the bottom of the slide, I had been completely ignorant how much fear had been strangulating me.  All the risks I’d never taken flooded over me, all the places I hadn’t gone, all the people I didn’t meet:  MY. WHOLE. LIFE.  I was clueless until we hit that water.

Changed my life FOREVER.

Today:   Fear still creeps in… OFTEN (old coping skills die hard).  But now I simply remember how much fun I have when I am willing to take the risk.  I learned VISCERALLY how much anticipation can be so paralyzing while execution can be so liberating.  A few times I have risked and got a big fat FAIL.  But even a big fat FAIL never feels as scary as the anticipation of failing.

I am especially grateful that one of my life changing moments was SO fun!

In the comments below I can’t wait to hear about some big (or not so big) risks you’ve taken and what fun gifts they brought you 🙂

Great love and big risky hugs,

j

So… the Renegotiation (aka boyfriend – since we continually renegotiate our relationship) is a reality TV guy: big brother from the very beginning, survivor, amazing race, gold rush and many more, I’m sure.  His current favorite is Duck Dynasty.  Oh. My. Gosh. Really?!

If you have seen the show or you’re already a fan, you can skip this paragraph.  The premise is the ongoing antics of zztop-esque bearded guys – dad, uncle, brothers – who own and run a duck call business.  The Renegotiation thinks it’s “hilarious,” (my translation: less-than-smart).

I stopped by the Reneg’s house last night and he excitedly invited me to stay and watch a couple of episodes.  I was dubious.  I grew up in Shreveport and the show is set just a couple of hours away in Monroe… hmmm, intrigue.  The Reneg mentioned that the patriarch had been an NFL top draft pick, back in the day.  But this is non-information since, for me, football is less appealing than the dentist or a gyno appointment.  The three shows we watched were moderately entertaining and fairly typical, imho, of how guys act when they get together: rigged tools meant for other jobs, hair-brained ideas to accomplish tasks, lots and lots of pranks.  It wasn’t enough to inspire me to buy TV (ie – satellite, fiber optic or cable) but everyone on the show looked like they were having fun.  And I am ALL about the fun!

As an entrepreneur I am also KEENLY interested in how folks make money, especially big money, since that has eluded me all of my life – so far.  And no matter how three stooges like Duck Dynasty might feel and look, the business has obviously been very successful and now the show.   Smart people run successful companies, so I started Googling.

It turns out that Phil Robertson, patriarch of the Duck Dynasty family, played football for my alma mater (interest now piqued…) and did have an opportunity to play in the NFL.  Unfortunately football season interfered with Robertson’s preference for weeks and weeks of duck blinds, duck guts, duck decoys, camouflage, and guns.  I imagine today’s aspiring athletes might call that blasphemy.  However, Phil Robertson’s passion for duck hunting led to the creation of his favorite duck call, which, incredibly, is now a duck call industry standard.  Who knew?

As this story unfolded all I could do was laugh…and laugh.  But then I realized that Duck Dynasty is a shining example of what I believe at my core:  Do what you love and the money will follow – including duck hunting.  I REALLY love that.

If you dare, check out Duck Dynasty (you’ll have to Google TV listings) and in the comments below tell us one of your favorite “do what you love and the money will follow” stories.

Hugs and great love, j

Unrelated but still impressive:  In the closing scenes of one show, the brothers were hitting golf balls.  In the background you could hear some kind of blasts.  When the camera panned back you could see the dad and uncle shooting those little balls right out of the sky, extremely accurately.  Driving range skeet – fun (and funny)!