This week: Try Your Luck! Edited by: NaNoKit More Newsletters By This Editor
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When did you last try your luck? Did it work?
You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. So you might as well try!
This week's Action/Adventure Newsletter is all about taking a chance.
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When is the last time you tried your luck? I’m not entirely certain about mine, but an ‘I might as well try’ moment from the past year was when I sent a letter to a company in Finland in the hopes of it reaching their brand ambassador.
Back in the 90s I managed to get a signed picture of my favourite Formula 1 driver. Unfortunately, it was stolen from me (along with other stuff). The driver has long since retired from the sport, so I never thought to try for a new one… until last year. When I learned that he’d become a brand ambassador for that company I decided to try my luck and wrote a polite letter. I included a self-addressed envelope and a couple of Euros for return postage, just in case, and the wait began. I didn’t even have to wait that long. A few weeks later an envelope with my own handwriting showed up in the mail. To my delight, it contained a hand-signed picture. The company didn’t have to pass on my letter. The driver didn’t have to fulfil my request. They decided to do so, however, and it genuinely meant something to me. It felt as though a wrong in my life had been righted.
A lady from a Formula 1 forum crocheted dolls of the drivers . She eventually decided to send them to the teams. She didn’t have any real expectations, but received some lovely goodies and feedback, and one of her dolls even made it into a team video! The associated driver very much liked the doll and wanted to give it to his nephew. The lady who created it is, of course, over the moon.
When I was younger, I was extremely shy. Still am, but back then it was even worse. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, so I sought out a career advisor. Not long after, I discovered that the police were looking for someone with my skill set and I thought it might be a nice job for me. My career advisor cautioned against it. What with my height (5 ft 2) and the shyness, they did not think that a career with the police was the way to go. I understood their reasoning, but something about the job called to me and I figured I might as well see how the interview goes. Even if it was unlikely that I’d get the job, why undermine myself by backing out of a challenge? The interview went well, and I was offered the position. They saw my potential, and were willing to support me. I accepted. I loved that job.
It can, then, be worth having a go at something even if success is not guaranteed. If it works out, great! If it does not work out, not much is lost because you knew beforehand that it was a long shot. You may gain something anyway, be it experience, or simply that important lesson that it’s okay to not always succeed in your goals. It’s a part of life, and can help you refine your future choices and decisions.
Of course, as with anything, there are limits. Going back to Formula 1, a current driver is having an unpleasant time of it because his home address got leaked and some people think it’s okay to show up on his doorstep to ask for selfies and autographs. That is not okay. One should always be respectful of others, and that includes their right to privacy. Also, it is advisable to maintain some level of realism. If I decide tomorrow that I’d like to have a go at being an astronaut, I oughtn’t feel disappointed when that does not happen, because there is exactly zero percent chance of success. The odds should, ideally, be somewhat more in your favour!
It can be daunting to put yourself out there. I know this. That is especially the case where romance is concerned. When I was in high school, I wrote a love letter to a boy and he shared it with his friends and they all thought it was hilarious. That was embarrassing. I hardly dared to show my face for the next week. If we never try, though, we may miss out on so much! Fortune favours the brave, it is said, and this may well be true (within reasonable limitations, as mentioned above). You can’t expect for good things to simply knock on your door, and the same goes for people. Embarrassment passes. Don’t miss out on someone who may be the love of your life.
This, too, applies to your writing. Why not try out a new form, or a new genre? I’ve tried many, many different forms, styles and genres during my time on this website, with greater and lesser success. Some are unlikely to be repeated in the future, but others I’ve very much taken to and have even earned me contest wins and awards.
You just never know what will happen when you try. So, go for it!
NaNoKit
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Wishing you a week filled with inspiration,
The Action/Adventure Newsletter Team
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