Stand And Deliver

“Practice makes perfect”…

“Preparation is key”…

“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail”…

Yeah fuck all that.

Practice time is over.

Your twilight’s coming. So whatever your craft, project, opus, crescendo…

Whatever it is you’ve been planning…

Whatever it is you’ve been waiting to reveal…

Let it be now.

Not next month, not next week.

Not when the kids are out of diapers, or out of school, or out of the house.

NOW.

Each day is a diamond, glinting with possibility, and each night’s passing flushes it from your hands and down the drain, forever irretrievable.

Yes, I know your heart’s been crushed, lacerated, calcified by the failures…

…That you remain haunted by this galling gap between what you want to be capable of, and what you actually, at this moment, are.

No matter.

The unbearable thought of letting your eyes go bright once more with hope… to seek, yet again, to rise…

It’s what we do.

No matter how deep the hole…

No matter how total the last defeat…

No matter how caked the cynicism…

We strive, fall, rise, and strive again.

Polishing your craft, practicing, “boning up”…

That’s not the answer. That’s just you fooling everyone but yourself into thinking you’re still in the game.

The only way stay in the game is by PLAYING the game: win, lose, or fail.

So stop the preparations.

Stop the endless provision gathering.

Shake the scabs from your hair… spit the mothballs from your mouth… break out the torches.

While other men make their sad little peace with shrinking…

Lick wounds, drag legs, rise:

While other men collapse, ass to couch in defeat…

Stand and fucking deliver.

Bryan Ward is the founder of Third Way Man and author of the LIT Black Paper

Comments

  1. Ebdullah Khan says

    I’m going through all the articles Brian and love them all. Plain English. Clear explanations and no B.S.

    Keep it up buddy! Look forward to always reading your articles.

  2. I imagine the end-scene of “King Arthur: Legend of The Sword”, where, knocked unconscious by his demon-mongering relative, the true heir has a visit with his father who reminds him of who he is, what he has, and to “take it”. He rises, leaning on his sword for support, accredits the uncle’s attempts to oust him from life & leadership as the very reason he is now succeeding him…”I am here now, because of you”.

  3. Bravo Mr Ward. Timely and well said.

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