One of my favorite quotes is by the late author and motivational speaker, Dr. Wayne Dyer, who said, “Don’t die with your music still in you”.

The first time I heard that quote, I was in the midst  of a divorce.  I was searching for the next steps in my life.  I realized it was a moment in time when I could actually regroup and get on the road I was meant to travel.

I have always known that there was “something” I was supposed to do with my life.  I felt it in my bones.  I just could not figure out how to go about finding my true calling.  I spoke to many people and read many books.  Oddly enough, there were numerous people in my life who actually tried to convince me that most of us are essentially worker bees who are never really meant to make a difference in any meaningful way.  I suppose for the worker bees, it is comforting to believe that is true.  It makes them feel better about the drudgery that is their life.

I never once believed it.

Did you ever walk through a cemetery and stop to look at the gravestones?  The overwhelming majority of epitaphs read, “Beloved Wife and Mother” or “Beloved Husband and Father”.  It is shocking to think that, for most of us, our legacy will boil down to our decision to get married and have children.  Although we may be the most important person in the lives of our loved ones, are we really only meant to find a mate and propagate the species?  Could it really be true that most of us will live and die without making a meaningful difference to anyone except our own families?

I refuse to believe it.

I have met many talented people in the course of my life who did not recognize their own God-given gifts.  On more than one occasion, I have encountered people who were artists at heart and found myself trying to prove to them that they were indeed talented.  Do people think so little of themselves?  Do they expect so little of themselves?  Is it that they are simply unwilling to invest time and effort in themselves?  I wonder how many “Beloved Wives and Mothers” could have been successful entrepreneurs or great artists.  I wonder how many “Beloved Husbands and Fathers” could have changed the world.

Believe in yourself.

I struggled for a long time to figure out what my special talent might be.  I remember reading in one of the  many self-help books I purchased over the years, that if you are having trouble finding your true calling, think back to what you wanted to be when you were 12 years old.  There is something about that age that provides clarity about the person you wanted to be before the world got to you.

For me, it became very clear that I wanted to write although I was not exactly sure what I should write about.  I started with this blog, with Twitter, and even by expressing myself on Instagram.  I accept that I  may not be the greatest writer in the world but that is not the goal.  I may not be as eloquent and learned as others but I feel like I have something to say.  I may find that no one is interested in listening to my viewpoints but I have to get them out.  Whether I am successful or not, it is satisfying and gratifying to put words on the paper.  My hope is that my words will linger in cyberspace, cropping up when least expected, keeping me alive long after I am dead and proving that I was here and that I was not just a worker bee.

I wrote this post  as a challenge to those who might be harboring an idea that they have  yet to express.  Imagine all we would have missed if Monet had not picked up a paint brush or Mozart had not sat down at the piano.  If there is an idea in your head or a dream in your heart, you owe it to yourself to get it out into the daylight.  The world is waiting to hear the music still inside you.