Message to Self

BREAK IN CASE OF SEVERE LOW-ESTEEM

It's not that hard really. All you have to do is take the first step, take the plunge.

Remember when you were taking swimming lessons and they forced you to dive into 12 feet of water? You didn't take the first step into the unknown. You chose to grab the railing and cry until they left you alone. You chose instead to swim across 8 feet of water. What would have happened if you just jumped in? Where would you be now?

Why are you so afraid of failure? You should have jumped a long time ago. Maybe that would have cured you. But you didn't. You never would have drowned even if you jumped into 30 feet of water. But you didn't.

You should have. But you didn't; and now you'll never know. You'll never know what would have happened if you had just jumped, if you had just taken the Mambusho scholarship, if you had just joined all those contests that always seem to find you, if you had just did what you were supposed to do, if you had taken another course (and damned anyone who told you otherwise). You'll never know.

But that's all past now. There's nothing you can do about it anymore.

But here you are again, on the diving platform looking down on the water.
Another contest (short fiction this time) that found you.
You'll never know until you try.
Do yourself a favor and just jump.

Don't think; jump!