Thirty Years Ago

“You miss 100% of the shots that you do not take.” – Wayne Gretzky – Michael Scott

My life and my brother’s life is proof that putting yourself out there works. Thirty years ago today my parents got married in a small town in Texas, called Nacogdoches. But a few years before that my mom walked into a bar in New York City to give a guy, she remembered as being cute in grade school, her number. My mom is the definition of shooting shots and putting yourself out there. From her cool jobs she has had to the man she married, she has lived her life taking more chances then thinking later she wished she had.

When my mom walked into this bar and gave this super cute guy her number she expected that he would call in a day because it went really great. But guess what! He did not call and two weeks went by when she thought to herself, “Wow, he must be really shy. I am going back.” Now at this point I would have been thinking, “I am an idiot. What have I done? I am never leaving my house again.” But my mother is in a class of her own and went back. When she went back she realized the reason he hadn’t called was because he had a girlfriend… Who he was on a lunch break with at that very moment. Now is when my mom thought to herself, “What have I done?” But at this point it was too late. She was there, she was brave, and it was the 80’s. Morten Harket was probably singing in the background, “It’s no better to be safe than sorry.” She wasn’t going home now.

Much to her surprise he was very happy to see her with a grin on his face from ear to ear. After that day he did call her (he was single I might add), he did take her on many dates where he tried to impress her, and he did ask her to marry him many times. He had found what he wanted in life and was not going to let it go.

My mom has put herself out there her whole life and she has missed many times but she has also I think captured the moon a few times too.

“Fear of failure must never be a reason not to try something.” – Fredrick Smith

I have my life thanks to a woman that chose to be brave and shoot her shot. I have my life thanks to a man that kept asking over and over again for his dream girl to marry him even after she said no.

I grew up being very fearful of rejection (also thought I would get kidnapped at any moment but that’s a different story), not ever wanting to put myself out there, and telling myself I was happy in my own part of the woods. I thankfully had a mom that tirelessly pushed me over and over again to go for the part in the play, go down the steep ski slope even if you might fall, and learn to dance in a crowd even when you are not a very good dancer. I had a dad that told me to keep writing, to know that the random guy was missing out, and to be okay with the no’s because somewhere in there you will get a YES.

My mom would always tell me, “I do not have any regrets because everything I have done either brought me to here or made me who I am today.” What a great reminder that life is worth it, even with the hard moments and epic fails.

Thirty-one years ago today two people chose to take a chance and won.

I hope this inspires you to go for the big job, to paint the blank canvas, to take the jump. Because you might flop but you also might fly. You will never know unless you go for it. I can promise you that the embarrassment of missing doesn’t last as long as all the ‘what ifs’ do in your mind. You don’t need to make every shot because the ones that you do will show you why you didn’t make the others.

“You want the moon? Just say the word and I’ll throw a lasso around it and pull it down.” -George Bailey

I hope you go for it!

XO, BusyIsy

P.S. Happy 30th wedding anniversary to my wonderful parents!