Half-Hearted Living Is Its Own Kind of Failure!

This week, let's listen to Charles Bukowski's hard-hitting poem, 'Go All The Way.' Understand what the core message is here. If you choose a path in life that is truly yours, not the safe one, not the socially approved one, you must commit completely, because anything less will probably break you. The central idea is that half-hearted living is its own kind of failure. The poem describes finding something that grabs you so strongly you feel compelled to pursue it. Once you find this thing, Bukowski argues, you have to give yourself to it completely. This poem is not a motivational speech. It's actually a warning. 'If you're going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don't even start.' It means: Go all the way because something inside you tells you to. Bukowski, like me, was suspicious of conventional success. Neither of us is saying everyone should quit their job and become an artist. This poem is asking something more personal. What would happen if you stopped protecting yourself from failure? If you truly commit to taking the path called Against the Grain, you may have to embrace uncertainty. You may disappoint people and lose friends. You may look foolish. You may fail. But the biggest danger in life is almost always worse: living safely while knowing you never really tried. The poem ends with the idea that if you go all the way, you may eventually arrive at something extraordinary. 'It will be worth it.' 'Worth it' means being able to say: I actually lived according to what mattered to me. GO ALL THE WAY! If you enjoy this newsletter, the best compliment I could receive would be for you to share it with a friend or restack it. Until next week, rememberthe function of Freedom is to free someone else! If you'd like a detailed plan on how to find your Freedom, you can purchase my book by clicking on the link below: https://www.amazon.com/Against-Grain-Ditch-American-Create/dp/1544525427/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ZJBGY3P44ZQS&keywords=craig%20perkins%20against%20the%20grain&qid=1645041856&sprefix=craig%20perkins%2Caps%2C164&sr=8-1 Crush the Sunday Scaries | Craig Perkins is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.