Take a shot and score a goal in 2018
Wayne Gretzky said, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”
Growing up in Canada, my memories of my Saturday nights are filled with recollections of Don Cherry’s distinctive voice announcing from our living room television that it was, once again, ‘Hockey Night in Canada’. My father, along with most Canadians, was glued to our television set watching our national pastime unfold live, before our eyes, in our own living room.
As a child, I was annoyed that the one and only television set we owned was being monopolized by my father, and that the chance of watching what I deemed to be a ‘not to be missed’ made-for-TV-movie was a wish that was never ever going to be fulfilled. So, instead I would play with my toys, the hockey game background music for a little girl’s ears. Now in adulthood, Don Cherry and Ron MacLean’s voices, along with ‘he shoots, he scores’, and the sounds of the crowds going wild, have become sweet memories of my Saturday nights with my dad.
Ask anyone who grew up in Canada, or any American hockey fan, and they will know exactly what I am talking about as watching ‘Hockey Night in Canada’ was as big of a Canadian national sport as the sport of hockey itself. Of course, there were many great players over the years – Bobby Orr, Gordie Howe, Mario Lemieux – but there was none greater that the talent of Mr. 99 himself, Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky not only is the only hockey player to ever score over 200 goals in a season, he managed to recreate this remarkable feat 4 times during his career, labelling him with the title of ‘The Great One.’
So, I really love my fellow Canadian Wayne Gretzky’s quote that “you miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take” as it is one that has personally motivated and inspired me to take my own personal shots in life.
My Recent Shot Taken….
As you may know, I myself took a big shot of my own this past year, when I published my first novel ‘Where the Dogs Go’. Perhaps you have seen my social media posts as, little by little, I have been trying to promote my book and share my story.
When I first thought about self-publishing a novel, I almost talked myself out of it on multiple occasions. After all, I was putting my own money out there that I might never recoup; and, what if my story sucked and everyone laughed at my efforts? I mean, once something is out there, in a book form, you can’t delete it like a bad tweet or correct it like a typo in a blog post.
On top of my fears – and although some friends and family applauded my efforts – overall, there wasn’t a growing body of support around my endeavor. You know the comments people make like, ‘you will never get your money back, books don’t sell’, or I really loved (NOT) this one, ‘she should not have wasted her money on publishing a book, it would have been better spent on injectables to freshen up her face (yep, that was said).
In the end, even though it was stressful and a lot of work, and I was fearful of the outcome, I ‘manned up’ and said FUCK IT and did it. I did it. I fucking did it! I wrote, edited and published a sweet endearing story that is truly a tribute to a little dog that I loved so much. I took a shot! I wrote a damn book! I accomplished something that not everyone has done. I put all my fears aside, and decided to believe in myself, and do something for myself and to share a story of love that I really believed will warm readers’ hearts. So really, in the end… what did I have to lose by taking a shot? I now have a book that is available world wide for everyone to enjoy.
So, I am here to tell you, don’t fear taking a shot….
I realize that the fear of taking a shot is not knowing what the outcome will be once you take the shot. I mean, it might result in scoring a goal and you achieve your dream, or you might miss the net and you learn what not to do the next time. Regardless of the outcome, having a multitude of experiences no matter how they turn out, will enrich you on some level and self-educate you, making you a better you.
And at the end of the day, aren’t we all in this life to be the best person WE can be?
Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote, way back in the 1800’s that “it is better to have loved and lost, then never have loved at all.” Tennyson’s quote is a reminder that life is about living, as is Gretzky’s. Both men, two hundred and more years apart, took shots at life, giving us inspiring metaphors for living life in the process. As a result, they are forever imprinted in our minds, our hearts, and have contributed to making the framework of our history.
2018 Shot Resolutions…
We have just begun a fresh new year, so this year, 2018, I RESOLVE TO TAKE MORE SHOTS.
So, thank you in advance to all the people out there who love me, encourage me, and wipe my tears when things suck, because get ready… this year, I AM TAKING MORE SHOTS!!!!
How will you write the history of your year in 2018? I hope I hear 11 months from now… that you took a fucking shot.
The moral of this taking a shot story is…
- Living your life is more important that watching it go by
- We are the movie of our own life, make sure you star in your own film
- You might not always win an Academy Award for each film you make in your life, but taking a chance and diversifying the varying layers of your being, will only make you a happier and healthier soul
- And… ROCK IT BITCHES!!! Get your butts in gear and as Nike said ‘Just do it’! Take a damn shot! Woo hoo!
Check out my book ‘Where the Dogs Go’ on my website at www.WheretheDogsGo.com or online at Amazon or online at Barnes and Noble! Woof Hoo!
