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You only get one life.

We are told, all the time; “life isn’t a dress rehearsal”, “live every moment as though it was your last”…

Today is Easter Monday. We were supposed to be having a family trip to Oxford. Visiting the Ashmolean Museum, wandering round the beautiful streets of Oxford, stay over night and then tomorrow visit the Road Dahl Museum. We had it all planned.

Then our plans changed. Something came up, and to be honest the weather forecast was horrendous. Instead I woke up this morning. Fed the hens. Put some washing on. Cleaned the bathrooms. Did several other little jobs and then made a comforting lunch for the family.

This afternoon we decided to snuggle up and watch a film. 

The children have been wanting to watch Jumanji 2, so today seemed like the perfect day.

Out came the popcorn, crack went the Easter eggs and we sat under blankets watching the rain pouring down the window.

It was a great film. There aren’t many films that we all enjoy because we all have such different tastes, but this one was great. 

The thing that I took away from it though was the life tattoos that the characters had when they were in the computer game.

If you haven’t seen the film, when the characters are transported into the computer game they realise that they have three black bars tattooed on their inner arm. They soon realise that these are their lives in the computer game. When they regenerate a bar vanishes.

At one point the characters discuss this, and one points out that in the real world they all only have one life, so what difference does it make that they are down to their last life?

It got me thinking.

My theme for this year seems to be “you only live once, so just do it” or as my friend Emilio would say JFDI!

I am constantly being pushed out of my comfort zone and feeling the fear, but doing it anyway. Last week I went on a course with my lovely friends Taz and Asha; “Awesome PR and Social Media”. What a great day!

As always these two not only filled the day with fun and fabulous information, they also pushed us way out of our comfort zones – for the whole day.

We don’t get to see each other very often so we went for a cuppa and a chat after. Typically, their mentoring didn’t end at the end of the day. They continued to push me until the moment we said goodbye – including having me do a Facebook Live in the middle of McDonalds to overcome my fear of video! 

One of the things I promised myself after my tumour, and honestly, one of the most natural side effects of my illness, was that I decided to live for today. To be brave and face my fears.

But that was 10 years ago now and it’s amazing how those side effect begin to wear off, to dilute over time.

 

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

Winston Churchill

So now, I’m working on it. Really working on it. 

I’m reading and learning. I’m flexing my comfort zone muscles. I am planning the live videos I will be doing. I have recorded a podcast which will be released very soon, and I am putting myself out there.

I’m terrified. I really am. But I’m more scared that I won’t do it. That I’ll be sitting one day with a long list of “should’ves” and “could’ves” and I’ll regret the chances I didn’t take and the brave, bold steps I never made. I have never had any real desire to have a tattoo, but the idea of having one black bar on my wrist to remind me that I only have one life, is very tempting. I will certainly internally carry that message with me.

So I’m going to take a deep breath. Write it in my planner and JFDI, because the thought of not doing it is much more terrifying than the thought of doing it. 

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