Taking Risks

Humble apologies if you have read the following verse. I had never seen it till someone sent it to me years ago. It addresses a subject that is a favorite of mine,the necessity of taking risks,going for it and living your dreams.Most sources say the author is unknown,I have taken the liberty to edit out the verses that don't pertain to an athletic context.Oh yeah,you will see the word certitude in the second last verse,frankly,I had no clue as to what it meant so I looked up the meaning in the dictionary.I believe in the context it was written it means belief,conviction or assurance.

"To place your ideas,your dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss.

To live is to risk dying.

To hope is to risk despair.

To try is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken,because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.

The person who risks nothing does nothing,has nothing, and is nothing.

They may avoid suffering and sorrow but they cannot learn, feel,change,grow love,live.

Chained by their certitudes they are a slave,they have forfeited their freedom.

Only a person who risks is free."

As I read this again I was struck by how similar it was to Cerutty's philosophy. I wondered as I often do,what is it that makes us less willing to take risks as the years go by? You'll notice as you get older,many people seem resigned to the life they are living. It's predictable and safe, but too often it's boring. Is it any wonder that we've become a nation of watchers and spectators,drinking and drugging ourselves to a degree that has never been seen before? But,that's other people,that doesn't have to be us.Think about it,take a look at yourself,have you been playing it safe? Do you feel you are living a fulfilling life? I'm not just talking athletically here.Do you feel trapped by your job, the area where you live or the relationships you have? As far as your athletic life goes: You've been talking about training in a way and to a degree you never have before......for the past several years.You've been planning to do this out of state race(s) for the last ten years but......

What are you waiting for? For many it's time to make some changes and truly live.