One Shot
The other night, while having a family dance party, I shouted to Alexa, “Alexa, play Lose Yourself by Eminem”. As my wife, two kids, and I were busting moves, it hit me, especially the first few lines:
Look
If you had
One shot
Or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted
In one moment
Would you capture it
Or just let it slip?
We really only have ONE SHOT. To make a difference, to apologize, to get it right, to be who we are. We raise our kids with ONE SHOT. We don’t get a do over. Take what you have, right now and go.
ONE SHOT. To do whatever we can to help kids succeed. No excuses, no waiting, no nothing. Just get it going and DO. Try something don’t wait around. As my friend and #edudhero @adamwelcome reminds us in his recent blog: Just. Start. Doing.
ONE SHOT. For you to be a learner. A leader. A failer. A hero. This is the here and now my friends, time is of the essence. We have a new government, a new view on education. What are you going to do to change? Wait until tomorrow? No, that is too late.
ONE SHOT. To show others what you can do. The most impressive innovation is failure. Too many amazing people have shown us this over and over again. It begins with a thought, a scribble, a note, but then a push, no a jump into what most times leads to failure and then another iteration. Keep going. Keep trying. Keep pushing. Others will see this and say “Whoa, that dude’s got it”. He/she goes for it.
ONE SHOT. How many times have you thought to yourself “Darn, I wish I could do it over.” Or, “I wish I would have done it this way.” OK. Now. Go for it. This is your time, your opportunity to seize it!
ONE SHOT. Maybe now you should go for that new job, or try out that new experiment, or show the students in your class you are willing to put it out there, on the line. This. Is. The. Time. This is your “Liner” in 4 square, your mulligan in golf. Laugh hard and often, like my friend Lindsy Stumpenhorst, @lmstump says. And. Then. Just. Do.
ONE SHOT. So many times as an educator I have driven home and reflected on my day. “Gosh, I wish”, or “Darn, I shoulda, coulda, woulda”. OK. Put it into action now and don’t hesitate. What will happen? You fail, mess up, or better yet, you kill it! How about that! Imagine that you actually kill it and succeed and find some amazing coolness from what you thought you could not do!
“You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime you better…”
Eminem said it, and I challenge you to this:
Try. Right now. Go for it. Risk something today.
We cannot produce leaders and resilient students with GRIT if we don’t get after it and go for it. Innovation is only as good as our next failure my friends, because really, we only get ONE SHOT. Do it now.