I’m not really one to disguise my feelings. I don’t think I could, even if I tried. My heart is slapped right there on my sleeve. Big. Bold. And in your face. No apologies, either. That’s who I am. It’s how my parents raised me and it’s how I love to live my life. People either love me or….not. And I am confident enough to know that it’s okay. The alternative to me isn’t realistic. For me or my life. And I fully respect if people keep things inside, I just don’t think it’s healthy. But I’m not going to judge. I have no right to.

 

What I do know is that if you want something for yourself, you have to make it happen. Jump off the ledge. I get it, it’s not always the easiest thing to do. So what do you do? How many times do you try to change something before you give up? Well, I guess that depends on how badly you want to change something. There’s always the option to try a different approach. There’s always the option of just trying again. I say, try what you can, however you can, but don’t sit around and wait for it to change itself.

 

I hate waiting!

 

I know that there are times when the choices your faced with are not the most appealing. So what do you do in that case? I once posed this question to friends. I said, “I guess I make a choice, pick a pool and decide which of the piranhas I want to swim with.” To which, a friend quickly replied, “But, if you jump hard enough, you can make a big splash and [move] people.” And I guess that’s the point. Sometimes the choices aren’t good. But you still have to jump if you want something to happen. And you never know what will happen until you take that leap.

 

So how do I instill this fearless confidence in my kids? How do I teach them the difference between striving to achieve their dreams through hard work versus reckless abandon? I want them to be leaders, not sheep. I want them to succeed and contribute to the world. I want them to be responsible and kind. I want them to be themselves and not conform to what people want you to be.

 

I struggle to find the best way to show my kids the right path in life, and I’m doing my best not to break them. If I let it, the pressure could break me. So while I am going to try to keep it together, I promise only to teach them what my parents taught me.

 

I don’t think I turned out that bad.

 

In honour of this, I chose Bon Jovi’s It’s My Life for the Musical Monday song of the day.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

by Bon Jovi

 

 

This ain’t a song for the broken-hearted
No silent prayer for the faith-departed
I ain’t gonna be just a face in the crowd
You’re gonna hear my voice when I shout it out loudIt’s my life, it’s now or never
I ain’t gonna live forever
I just want to live while I’m alive

It’s my life
My heart is like the open highway
Like Frankie said I did it my way
I just wanna live while I’m alive
It’s my lifeThis is for the ones who stood their ground
It’s for Tommy and Gina who never backed down
Tomorrow’s getting harder, make no mistake
Luck, it ain’t enough, you’ve got to make your own breaks

It’s my life, it’s now or never
I ain’t gonna live forever
I just want to live while I’m alive

It’s my life
My heart is like the open highway
Like Frankie said I did it my way
I just wanna live while I’m alive
It’s my life

Better stand tall when they’re calling you out
Don’t bend, don’t break, baby, don’t back down

It’s my life, it’s now or never
I ain’t gonna live forever
I just want to live while I’m alive

It’s my life
My heart is like the open highway
Like Frankie said I did it my way
I just wanna live while I’m alive
It’s my life

It’s now or never
I ain’t gonna live forever
I just want to live while I’m alive
It’s my life

My heart is like the open highway
Like Frankie said I did it my way
I just wanna live while I’m alive
It’s my life