Ten Things I Absolutely, Positively, Have to Say To You!

First of all, please everyone link to this site it's pretty interesting

Well, this is it guys, the last blog post.

And while I am not returning to this blog itself,  I will continue to use this medium in the future and will export some of the writing I have done here or at least link to it. So it's not the end of the world, but it is the end of SAGEWORDS.

But before I go, if anyone ever reads this, there is one last assignment I have to complete, and it's really important.

These could be the last things I ever say to you (who ever yo may be), or even the first, But I've learned a lot from this experience so it would mean a lot to me if you read them.

Okay, here goes...


10. WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN

This is so important. I haven't lost the greatest ideas of my life because I was too lazy to keep a journal, but I have made things a lot harder on myself. Keep a notebook with you, even if it's digital. And read it sometimes. Not obsessively, but down the road when the dust settles and the drama dies down you'll be surprised at how your perspectives on things shift.


9. KEEP WORKING AT IT!

It takes time to make things happen. It's important to treat creative endeavors as more than trivial pastimes. The best ideas take years to truly develop, but only if they've been nurtured with hard work along the way. I've heard it takes 10,000 hours to be really good at anything. Put the time in. and that leads me to the next one...


8. CHOOSE SOMETHING YOU LOVE TO DO

If you want to be really good at something it will take a long time to get there, so pick a field that you enjoy. I love writing, but I didn't put the time in when I was younger to develop a career as an author. So now, I'm studying digital animation and games, because I love them and will enjoy doing them on a day in and day out basis.

7. LET YOURSELF FAIL, BUT NEVER LEARN TO LIKE IT!

Defeat hurts.  But there's a reason you lost. I don't mean some bigger reason in the grand scheme of things, I mean there is actually a reason (or more likely a complex series of reasons) why you got beat. Learn what it was, and use it be better next time around.

It probably was in your preparation somewhere, but it may have been something beyond your control, in fact...


6. LIFE IS BEYOND YOUR CONTROL

Life isn't fair. We all know that. But you have to learn the difference between Acts of God and just not being ready for a given situation. Things will go wrong, it's just the way life goes, but there is more to it than just that. I would even go so far as to say...

5. YOU'RE LUCKIER THAN YOU WANT TO ADMIT

Luck is something that happens to the other guy. If it wasn't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all. Yadda, yadda, yadda.... The truth is just being alive is lucky. Just getting born is lucky. You've come some distance in your life, and you should be proud of whatever it is, but realize luck played a hand in it. Be thankful for it. Just don't rely on it.

4. REMEMBER WHERE YOU COME FROM

Everyone starts somewhere. It may not be where you want it to be, but you can get where you really want to go from any starting point. In artistic terms your formative days will forever be a part of your creative voice. So be true to your roots, and let them be the base you stand tall upon.


3. TELL THE TRUTH

I know, everybody lies. But I believe that a creative work, whatever the text is, is some form of story. And we all want to figure out what the best stories are, because that, my friend, is the golden ticket. and I think the next thing I'm going to tell you is very, very true...

A few years ago, my best friend graduated from a very prestigious school in the east, and they had  a world renowned playwright named Athol Fugard (Pictured above) give the commencement address. He said he never set out to be a great writer, if in fact he was one. All he'd ever wanted to be was a good storyteller. That's what I want too. And what he learned in his struggles, toils, and travails was this:

"All good storytellers tell the truth".

So don't take it from me. Listen to Athol. I wish I'd listened to him from day one. But I believe it now. And it's really helped me get where I am, which compared to where I was, is a very remarkable achievement. And THAT is the truth.


2. KEEP THE FAITH!

Don't give up. It isn't too late for me, so it definitely isn't too late for you. You can get where you need to be to be a happy, creative, and successful person. Keep trying. Even if it seems like a small thing to do, do it. Even if it doesn't have a clear path to your goals, if it looks cool and interesting, try it. And don't lose your faith because that is what will nurture you when all else fails.

It could be religious, or spiritual, or personal. It could be just believing in something, anything, bigger than yourself. It could be whatever you cling to in times of trouble. That's up to you.

More than anything else, first and foremost I want to be a man of good faith. I'm not a devout person, and I'm not comfortable with labels like agnostic, humanist, or secularist. Those are terms other people want you to agree to so they can feel comfortable. We all want to categorize each other, but it's just a defense method and no label will ever fit a well-rounded person. Even "well-rounded person" doesn't sum anyone up who really is one.

To me, good faith means I keep my word to those I give it too. I don't give it lightly, not anymore. And it isn't easy. But life and love get better and better when you drop the bullshit and just follow through with what you promise to do.

Now here comes the Reaaaaallllllllyyyy important one.....

Drum-roll please!

1. I LOVE YOU!

I do. I know it's corny, but it's true. That doesn't mean you don't drive me crazy sometimes, or that your actions never deserve criticism, or even that we know each other. But you made it this far, you read this much, and for that I love you.

Loving each other is where it all starts. Why do we sing? Why do we paint? Why do we copy some thoughts down while leaving others to dissipate into the ether?

We do it because we want to love someone and be loved in return. Everyone with any ounce of sanity, regardless of affliction, wants at least that much. Truth, Understanding, and Love. That's the recipe we all crave.

All my life I wanted to be part of something special. I didn't know what it would be, but I thought I would know it when I saw it, kind of like the Supreme Court's feelings on obscenity.

So I searched and searched. I tried a million different things. Some were good ideas, some were not. Some were dangerous but thrilling, some were just self-destructive. But in the end, all the endeavors I tried, I never found that one thing could look at and call something special.

Then I fell in love. And she loved me too, and we got married, we're in the middle of the whole happily ever after part, which I hope isn't in any hurry to finish up. I never looked back. It's been the greatest, scariest, most amazing thing I've ever done. And it's the toughest, saddest, most difficult thing I've ever done as well. But it's worth it. It's sooooo worth it. Because love is where it's at. I love my wife, my step-kids, and my bat-shit crazy dog. I love my life, crazy and unpredictable as it is. And all that love has given me this perspective that I'm sharing with all of you.

I love making art, and I think my best ideas, my best stories, and my best work is still ahead of me. I think I will create something that will reach an audience outside the friends list on my Facebook page. And I think you all can too. But you gotta believe in yourself, love yourself, forgive yourself, and most of all be honest with yourself.

If anyone who reads this ever wants my help with their art, even if all I can do is give an opinion, I'm there for you. I'd love to be there for you. Because despite all our differences...

I love you.

Peace out, home slices.

Victor Sherrick has left the blogging.