Walk Through Fire if You Must

“What matters in life is how well you walk through fire.”

The legendary writer Bukowski said it with an utter clarity and simplicity. Even though myself and Mr. Bukowski only have the literature as intersection points in our lives, I find him highly inspirational and the most truthful American writer.

I always found more inspiration in this man than in any “self-help guru” who usually speaks from his imperial throne of luxury about how important it is to “work hard”.

Those gurus who preach the benefits of hard work are as empty as the ones who promise you a Lamborghini after the one secret investment that all millionaires are making.

It is pretty much the same, they just idolize the opposite sides of the spectrum. There is nothing there to hold on to.

How well you walk through the fire of life is the only thing that matters.

I am inspired by artists, because just like me they know what it is to make art for the sake of it, because you don’t know any other way.

I am inspired by artists, because they think daily about giving up and that maybe, just maybe they are not going to make it.

They have to work in blue collar jobs because nobody understands their art. They have to believe in themselves when nobody does.
They have to keep “hustling” specially when they don’t have a dime in their pockets.

It is easy to be grateful when you are being paid thousands of dollars in one day for a rather simple job (public speaking, for example).
It is easy to be grateful when you run a profitable business by inherantance.
It is specially easy to be grateful when you start at a 3 million dollars mark.

If you are real about yourself, if you have been on the grind, then the idea of giving up have crossed your mind and more than once.

Maybe it is time to face reality and get a 9 to 5 job.
Maybe you will never make it.
Maybe this is not for you…

… the silent voice repeats to yourself.

Bukowski knew that being an artist is no easy or romantic task. Bukowski knew that the fire burns and you have to walk through it anyway, either you want or not… because you know no other path.

You will give up. You will fail. And you will crush your hopes.

You will accept that you don’t have what it takes and stop giving a fuck about all of this.

In that moment two things can happen: you can either quit it for good or you might find yourself being more creative, more antifragile and more resilient than ever. You quit, remember?

When you have nothing to lose you allow yourself to do the unthinkable.

That is when you are free.

I realized this because that is where I am right now. After having failed at 3 online businesses, not being able to land a high paying contract, not having sold as many book as I wished, having to come back to my parent’s home, having no money for gas or car insurance… I feel that I am Bukowski.

I have to walk through the fire because I really gave up. Is not that I will stop doing what I do, — because I don’t know what else to do, but I just don’t give a fuck anymore.

Being grateful matters way more when you have nothing than when you are sucessful.
Being grateful is way more powerful when you felt that you failed than when you are on the top of the world.
Being able to move forward matter a lot more when you are disappointed than when you are flying in your dreams.
Being grateful when you give up is when you become truly grateful.