"High Hopes"

"So any time your gettin' low,
'stead of lettin' go,
Just remember that ant.
Oops, there goes another rubber tree plant."

Why does it seem that no matter how much we plan or how favorable the future may appear, a wrench always seems to find it's way into the works? Sometimes it's merely a stumbling block. Other times, it's a hurdle. Maybe a mountain or two thrown in there. However, though it may seem that the chips are stacked against you, it's very rare that this snag in your plan, no matter what scale it may be, makes success impossible. I believe that is up to you.
This subject perhaps, for anyone in university reading this, may be coming along a tad late, as most students are wrapping up their final exams as we speak. I've had the chance to speak to a number of them on how they are doing with their studies. More often than not, they express the sheer weight and pressure they feel from these tests and for good reason too. Many of these students are dead set on succeeding in their chosen field and in order to do so, stellar grades are necessary. Of these students I spoke to, an unsettling percentage of them find themselves questioning if they should continue these studies or not. They do understand that should they do well, they have a good chance at a successful career in their chosen occupation. However, getting from here to there is a long road laden with pratfalls and hurdles and some students aren't sure if it's really worth it.
Students aren't the only people facing seemingly daunting odds. Recently I helped prepare someone for an audition for a local talent show. She sings fairly well and I believe she would get positive reviews from her peers if she were to perform. Her main problem, however, lies in her nervousness. During her audition she was shaking like a leaf in an autumn breeze. Of course, this affected her performance. The conditions of the audition had nothing to do with her performance, but her lack of confidence did; that's what was "stopping" her from performing at her best.

I have my own molehills to deal with... Who am I kidding?! Their bloody mountains in my eyes. Aside from my romantic misfortunes and my battle with mood disorders (which I speak far too much of), I've found myself involved in a number of projects.
I am a writer and an actor and I have written both a movie and a pilot episode which are both being produced and directed (among a slew of other things) by myself and a chum of mine. Although we know this is entirely possible, we're both aware of the little things that can (and probably will) go wrong. And there is a frighteningly long list of things that can muck things up for us.
To be quite frank, however, the reason for my doubt in these projects, projects I carry major responsibilities in, is because of a past project. Nearly a year ago, I was in charge of producing a variety show of sorts to raise funds for the British Columbia Cancer Foundation (We didn't care about making money from the show so we thought we may as well give to a good cause). Think of it as "Saturday Night Live" on stage and for a good cause. I'd written the skits and had much of the behind-the-scenes work all mapped out. Of course, I wasn't alone: a handful of good friends of mine were rallying together to shape this radical idea into a very possible, very awesome show. It may have even gone on as scheduled if certain things hadn't happened: people started going to school (and who am I to tell my friends, or anyone for that matter, that our show was more important), I slipped into an ever growing state of depression (due to things unrelated to the show), and, as a result of both of those things, I was unable to secure our venue in time.
Needless to say, we'd lost momentum afterwards. The hype we'd built over that summer quickly dwindled as the date of our performance passed by. I continued to tell people that we were just pushing the date back to iron out the wrinkles. But that "date" got pushed further and further back and our once loyal fanbase gradually lost faith in us. I still tell people even now that the show is "on hiatus", but who am I kidding? It's dead as far as everyone is concerned... I may as well quit fooling myself. I don't have a lot of regrets, but letting this thing go certainly lingers at the top of that short list.

Anyone looking to accomplish anything in life is going to have to make some tough decisions and make some sacrifices. Sometimes, we can see the goal somewhere in the future but circumstances that come with reaching that goal, the circumstances we must deal with in the present, are daunting. Other times, it's not the outward circumstances that plague our path but the demons that we must fight within ourselves that dare us to move forward. These things do not make an achievement impossible. Difficult? Yes. Improbable? Maybe. Trying? Certainly. But impossible? Nearly never. Many times it boils down to us; we decide if a task is possible or impossible because of the parameters we've set our lives to. It's up to us and weither we're willing to breach those parameters that decides if we are victorious or not.
Dr. Suess wrote: "And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)" I believe that is true of everyone. And as cheesy as it sounds, if you persevere, and believe in yourself, with a little bit of luck, impossible is nothing. But just be aware of that margin of failure... that 1 and 1/4 percent... because sometimes things just happen.

But don't take my word for it. Check out some expert advice on never giving up.