'Whoa'

“Never say ‘whoa’ in a horse race” –Jim Dahl

I was reading about this man in an obituary in the newspaper, and about how his life was full of adventure and accomplishment. They said that he lived his life by that phrase, "Never say 'whoa in a horse race," and I struggled with fully grasping what that means. I think to me the horse race is life and the decisions we make therein. At this point, opportunities are laid out in front of me and I can take any path I want, say yes to any option, gamble on any uncertainty, and the only thing that is going to hold me back is fear. Fear is what constantly causes me to hesitate, start thinking of all the possibilities, and put the breaks on the adventures and opportunities in life. I don't know if all of life is a horse race, but my life right now is, and I think I'm going to take Jim's advice and stop saying 'whoa' in the face of all the adventure, success, and happenstances that take courage to take hold of. Instead I need to take a leap of faith, grasp the reigns tight, and ride it out in full force till the end. No use short changing myself in the midst of one of the most future molding times of my life.

7/13/11