The Word Cloud

It's world cliche day today, so I'm going to be sprinkling these on the blog like decorations on a trifle - mainlining on metaphors is another way of putting it. Here comes the first one: The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. There, that didn't hurt did it? Nothing wrong with that little cutie and I think it's something we can all agree with. Now let's move on. In my last blog I made a mission statement, bolted on a few positive vibes and took that first step. That was a week ago and I've not taken the second step. Let me repeat that quite clearly: I have not taken a second step. "I'll leave it until after christmas," and all of a sudden the motivation is mush. I've seen this film before. Christmas will come and go, but taking that second step will be like wading through treacle. How many know the feeling? The envelope sits there pining for a postbox, but going nowhere. If you don't try then you can't fail is a ridiculous statement, but I suspect more than a few of us subscribe to it at times. It's fear and it has more flavours than Baskin-Robbins. The fear of failure; the fear of being found wanting; the fear of... well fill in your own details there. We're all different, but a common thread runs through us. We all send our stuff off and for the most part, we all get our stuff back again. Our lists are full; it's not for us; we wish you luck in placing this elsewhere. Well blah-de-blah and scooby do - we've been there and I'd decribe rejection letters as the death of a thousand paper cuts. Another way of putting it is that you are abrading yourself on the rough edge of their indifference, because after a while, even the thickest of skins wears away - and in walks fear. Now although fear is about as welcome as a fart in a spacesuit, feigning tiredness or showing it last years holiday snaps will not make it go away. It is ever present and man, don't we hate ourselves for feeling like this? In some ways it creates a self-fulfilling prophecy as the negative stuff takes hold: I'm not good enough; an international best-selling babe-magnet author? What was I thinking - I'm definately not good enough. Thus any ambition you once had has been tied in a sack and drowned in the canal. Well you wait ages for a cliche and two turn up together: "A life lived in fear is a life half lived," is one and, "You have nothing to fear but fear itself," is t'other. Now these might kick-start the motivation, but we need some fuel in the tank - we need constructive anger. It's the anger that fuels the resolve; that allows you to take that second step and then the third. Like I said, fear is ever present, but with constructive anger, it is much diminished. I lied and a double portion of apology for that. I lied because this afternoon I took that second step. I got good and angry as I loathed the self-loathing, causing it to gobble itself up. Then it was out with the old grey tracksuit, cue the Rocky soundtrack and, with envelope in hand, jogged down to the postbox. Job done - sorted.