Failed Plans: Regrets and Moving On
The Power of Imagination
If my imagination was a superpower I would probably be part of the x-men team, because I have lots of it. I dream things, plan things in my head, however when it comes to getting up and doing something about it, that is when it crumbles.
So many plans. Last time I thought of learning the blues guitar, this was years ago. Right now, with a heavy heart I have to say, that my guitar is collecting dust, it is just frustrating. I would even make an excuse "maybe if I had a trainer things would be more smooth, but I cannot afford." Yes excuses are another figment of our imagination.
Why do our plans which are born from our desires and the imaginary outcome of achieving that desire (how many people started learning the guitar and imagine in their free time to impress their friends and girls with a smashing solo? I know I have) mostly fail? It is a powerful tool this imagination of ours, but we tend to get so worked up by it.
Let's Just Stop This Childish Nonsense!
May be we should just stop planning and imaging. It is beginning to sound really stupid this imagination of mine. What was I thinking? I am over 32 with a wife and child. I can't waste my time trying to make a living being a guitarist. Some of the most famous guitarist started learning below 10. I should have learned when I was 10 years old.
Perhaps I should just do my job, my 9-5 job which I am so NOT in love with. But hey! at least it pays the bills, and who knows if I am smart enough I can save enough to retire by the time I can barely walk and do anything with the wealth I have accumulated!
Is this how it is supposed to be? Should we just stop all this "childish nonsense"? When are going to move on and grow up? When are we going to stop looking for a great career and be satisfied with our good career and just follow the masses. Hey everyone is doing it! So they must have a point!
Yes...yes they have a point...the point is fear.
Fear of failure, fear of the backlash and enemies and naysayers they will face. Fear of loosing family's support.
They fear all this. But you can't just diss the masses. You have to give them SOME credit. You know why? because when their child comes to them and tells them "mom/dad I have this dream! I want to do this!"
at least the masses have no fear or no hesitation in saying "you know kid, I had a dream once, but I gave up on it, because YOU CAME ALONG!"
Yea, they masses have no hesitation in breaking your spirit at an early age so you follow the line and be like them and not make too much trouble.
So now I ask you, should we stop this childish nonsense? should we not be happy and settle with whatever left over morsel that is on our plate?
Why Be Childish?
As we imagine and plan and then crumble we need to realize something, that we are bound to learn from it and that it is the best and most life changing way to learn. As we go through this we learn, we cover all corners for our next failure/success.
Yes my plan to learn the guitar is going NOWHERE. I admit, but now that I look back, I guess my intention to learn it was not right. I had no business learning the damn blues! I guess I saw someone do a guitar solo on youtube, got inspired and picked up the guitar. What I learned was inspiration is just not enough. Never do any long term planning because of inspiration.
Inspiration does not last long! Once your inspiration vanishes that is it. Unless..
Unless you have discipline. The discipline to get up everyday and pick up the guitar and polishing your play. sit for at least one hour to try and correct your playing by repeating the same mind numbing bar again and again until you get it right.
Repetition is the most important part here, and you need discipline here, since repetition is the most boring and mind-numbing part of the process.
It is also the most rewarding. Thanks to the boring art of repeating, we can now write and speak without having to think. we can just speak and write what we want. Although there are people who should think before they speak, but you get my point.
If you see Jimi Hendrix play the guitar on stage, you can see that he does not need to think anymore. Can you imagine how many repetition that guy has gone through?
Where Childish Meets Maturity.
We should make sure our imagination is limitless. We should dare to dream. Dare to be different. Never stop this. It is a gift. Do not throw it away.
However..
When it comes to executing it, it is then that we should start acting like an adult. We should have a concrete plan to follow through. We should prepare for the worse and know what we are dealing with, find out what is the budget we need to prepare for this sort of thing. We need to have a map layout. Most importantly we should have discipline.
A childish person will plan for a cross country road trip without preparing anything, before you know it he is stranded on a desert in the middle of nowhere with a car that has an empty gas tank. Always prepare like a paranoid adult.
Do your research on how you will make this childish imagination of your become a reality. Be your own parent. The parent that says yes you can do it and I will make it come true for you!
Why on earth should we do all this? is it necessary to have an imagination. Yes. It is also more necessary to carry it out. You never know what you are in for. May be you will succeed. May be you won't.
But if you do not do anything about it, You will DEFINITELY fail.
Yes but I am happy now, I am happy the way it is. Good for you, but in the long run you will have regrets. People regret things they did not do than the things they did and failed.