Ask?

Go ahead, ask yourself what you see, what you feel, what you want. 
   Even though I see a stack of pizzas on top of a mountain covered by rivers, glaciers, lakes and meadows, with a warn August sunset, surrounded by all my friends, I'm not going to expect that to happen. But if I do imagine a mountain with me on top, I may ask, how do I get there? Do I need to train my body, learn the "ropes" and get the appropriate gear? Is this something I do alone or do I need a buddy, and if so, is there a community or group that could help me along the way? Then I may ask myself the most important question, what is stopping me?
   Not everyone wants to climb a mountain, but everyone has a mountain to climb. How and if we get to the top is greatly dependent on our choices. One the greatest tools I have come upon is asking. By asking what we want and what it would take to get there, empowerment is born. The power that can "remove" yourself from the things stopping you, so even if you don't accomplish your goal, you know you did your best. If nothing else, we are empowered to ask the next question, to take the next step. This is not an easy task, for our loudest critic is often ourselves, but when questioned, even it will give an answer. When we know we have done all we can, that we didn't hold ourselves back, a sense of peace comes over the outcome, and the word failure loses its meaning.
   Stepping back, what I mean "removing" yourself is, in essence, not giving a damn what others think. If I want to learn how to surf, I'm not going to be embarrassed if I don't stand up on my first wave, I'll enjoy the learning process, push myself at my own pace, and stand when the time comes. My first painting won't make it into a museum but I can appreciate and grow from the experience by asking what the process means to me.
   No one is great at everything, but everyone can give it a try. Furthermore, there is always a starting point if we ask, it is the end that is dependent on us. So now I'll ask, what do you have to lose? Embarrassment? Failure? Or how about an opportunity? A passion? A mountain? The only person that misses from not asking is the one who doesn't hear the answer.