One of my favorite quotes is by Charles Bukowski:
“If you’re going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don’t even start… this could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives and maybe even your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery, isolation. Isolation is the gift. All the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to do it. And you’ll do it, despite rejection and the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine… you’ll be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It’s the only good fight there is.”
This quote perfectly captures how I feel about effort and ambition. Over the past few years, I’ve failed a lot. I’ve been told no more times than I can count. And yeah, it sucks. It’s one of the worst feelings there is. But I also believe we only get one shot at life. We only have the time and energy to truly go after a handful of things. So when you do decide to chase something, I think you owe it to yourself to go all the way.
