lil' sis

So, this post is for my sister, even though I'm not entirely sure she reads my blog. But here I go anyway.

Lil' sis,

There are a lot of people out there that like to tell you to give up on your dreams - to ignore your passions and just take the world as it is.
You'll never stop meeting people like that.

And then there are the people within the industry you dream of being a part of that'll take a little pity on you and just say that it's tough - but if you keep at it, you can make something of yourself.

And then there's SNL who make a video about people getting punched in the face when eating which ends with a zombie dance and the phrase 'Believe in Your Dreams'.

With all these types of people out there, it can be a little tough to stay hopeful - to continue pursuing that dream job whole heartedly.

So can I be the person that you hardly ever meet and say if it's something you love, never give up. I mean, hey - one day you may stop loving it and decide to do something completely different with your life and that's fine. But until that day comes, don't for one second let someone tell you that what you're aiming for is impossible. Because that is the furthest thing from the truth.

I guess this is where personal experience comes in...

As someone who has been holding fast to the same dream for I think eighteen years now, I can't tell you how many people I've met that have told me to give up - to find something new, something easier. But every day that I keep at it, I become a little more experienced, so how can they tell me that it's all for naught?

There's this book that I like to read on occasion - I have to admit, I pick it up more on the days when I feel hopeless and tend to ignore it a bit when I'm doing fine, but somehow I always read exactly what I needed to hear.

I've read that my Father who loves me, he gave me some gifts (I'm not entirely sure what all of them are yet, but I know I've got some)...
And just like any father, he loves the look on my face when I open them. But what he loves even more is the look on my face and the awesome drum solo my heart does when I use them. And the best thing about my Father is that he doesn't give gifts that he knows will just sit on a shelf. He's not the type to give his kid a snowboard when they live in Hawaii. He loves His kids too much to do something like that to them.

But sometimes you may feel like you're the exception - you're the kid he's given a snowboard to and you're standing in the middle of Hawaii. Well, in that case, I think the only thing you can do is be patient. Because if you throw down your board then, you may miss him when he comes around the corner with a ticket to Whistler.

If I had let what people say get to me, I would have given up on my dream ten years ago - the first time someone told me the stats I'm up against.
If I cared about stats, I'd never get behind the wheel of a car and I definitely wouldn't eat anything but celery since almost everything out there causes cancer these days. So do everyone a favor and ignore the stats you're up against, ignore the words said by people who just don't get it, and fight for what you love. Show the world what you're made of. You've got people in your corner and you're tight with the Man Upstairs - that may not necessarily be a recipe for success, but I can tell you that it definitely ain't the recipe for failure.

Okay, pep talk over.

No, wait - one last thing: Go get 'em tiger!

Love,
Big sis.

Keep it real.