“Why not go out on a limb? That’s where the fruit is.”

(Mark Twain)

Safe is a word that many people use every single day. Safe is also a place where everyone wants to be. We are then secure and nothing will hurt us. The truth is that while nothing will hurt us, we are hurting ourselves.

Going out on a limb as Mark Twain so aptly put it can be stressful. There may be dangers lurking in the corners and we might stumble and fall. Yes, these possibilities do exist. It does not mean that they are inevitable and guaranteed to happen.

If we stand still, we give way to turning into stone. Apathy takes over our lives and we find ourselves in a self-imposed prison with bars of failure. Not trying constitutes never knowing if you could. If you are a writer and you don’t put your ideas down on paper, you will never experience the thrill of having people take your words and make them a part of their lives. If you are a mechanic, not going out on a limb will never give you the feeling of accomplishment in knowing that you solved the problem, you found the source, and you helped someone. All jobs and careers involve the possibility of advancement, increased knowledge, and the ability to reach out and make a difference in the lives of other people.

The fruit at the end of that limb may be a new friendship, the learning of a new skill or technique, and even the wonderful warm feeling of having done a good day’s work for a day’s pay. When you serve that order in a fast-food restaurant, even if your efforts are not readily appreciated, you know that this person was treated in a very pleasant and helpful way. You did what you could do, and hopefully, they will go on to do something nice to someone else. You started the chain reaction or you kept it going. Either way you did not stand still, you did not stagnate, and you made a difference.

Your words, your actions, and your attitude will be evident to everyone around you. There is always the possibility that someone you think is out of hearing distance or is just not paying any attention does take note of you. Don’t risk the chance that they just may need to hear a person that takes life and makes the most of it. This hope of knowing that one person out there is not going to let the world get them down may just be the push they need to keep on trying, and not quitting.

As an author, when you tell your story or relate your feelings, or even report on an event, it’s the way you present what you are writing and in essence, it is sharing yourself with others.

Whether you do write, or paint, or work in a factory, you are what the world will see today. Go out on the limb. Don’t let a single day go by that you don’t give your world all the strength you can muster, and the ability to know that you are reaching for that fruit at the end of your limb. Maybe, and you may never really know, you helped someone start climbing their own tree and even reach that prize that at first seemed so far out of reach. Believe in yourself, reach out for new heights, and give only the best example of what a person can do with the life they are given. You will reach people, you will touch hearts, and you may just be the one person that makes a difference to another between closing that prison door of self-imposed failure or opening a window and breathing in the fresh air.

Whatever you do in life is never self-contained. Every action is like a pebble that is thrown in the water. The ripples grow larger and larger. Your actions or attempts at living the best life you can will have that same effect in the world. If you don’t throw in your stone, then that ripple may not reach the one person where only you can make a difference. Don’t let this tragedy happen. Give of yourself to whatever you undertake so that others may grow. Your own harvest will just be that much sweeter. ©Arleen M. Kaptur 2002 May