And Now for Something Completely Different...

... Kind of... Maybe... Okay, not really. Truth is, I was looking for a hook to reel you in. I was thinking up topics and titles for my next little piece of this journey and then it hit me - POW!!- that's what I'm trying to do. REAL YOU in by REAL-ing me out. I'm trying to share the real me with all of you in the hope that something in the many, many, (yes, many) words I write will help, inspire, challenge, laugh, cry or maybe even annoy you into finding the real you (should you in fact desire to do so - I'm all about challenge by choice). I love metaphors and just think that idea of fishing is powerful. Think about the following: (and yes, I may be reaching a bit because my fishing experience is limited to a couple of childhood outings, humming the theme to the Andy Griffith show and a zeal for Deadliest Catch... )

Most true (or REAL) fishermen know what they want and what they're looking for. They don't just drop their line in a mud puddle and hope to walk away with the 'big one'. They know what they want to catch and they plan for it. That means they fish in the right waters for their desired goal. That's purpose. Sometimes it takes a while to get a bite. That's patience. Sometimes you think you've got something, only to find out it wasn't what you thought. That's struggle. Other times you know you've got something good and but it just doesn't come easy. That's perseverance. Sometimes you hit the motherload and sometimes you strike out. That's life. But if you want the kind of life that teaches you patience and perseverance through life's struggles you have to have a purpose and be in the right spot. To know that, you have to know what YOU want and to know what you want, you have to know the REAL you. You have to know what really matters (going back to my wonderful day in January).

So while the topic may not have been something completely different, it did help me think of things in a different way and REAL-ed me in a little more.

What do you want from life? And what bait do you need to get you started? How will you measure if you're in the right waters or if you need to sail on? I love the way life paints pictures to help us remember that to live is an action verb and that we can't just be stagnant if we want to achieve our dreams. Let's go confidently together and make it happen!!!