A.W.K. Archive

Dear Doug, Thanks for writing! There's a lot of things that I did and didn't do that helped me get here to NYC - I mean, there's a lot of things that a lot of people have done to get to a new town - but that doesn't matter nearly as much as what YOU are going to do! You know what I mean? It's all about your desire! And even more than that, it's about your effort! Trying and trying and attempting and giving it your foot - the whole way through. When I decided I had to move there I just did - but I did work up to it and get ready for it over a few years time. If I had just decided out of nowhere, then I might not have been able to pull it off. A lot of it was good fortune and luck, and a lot of it was other people around who helped me - that's why every one's situation is different - the one thing that will be constant is this: you've got to want to do it more than anything in the world, and you've got to be willing to do almost anything to get what you're looking for! Would you give up all you've got to get the things you want? And would you give up all you want to keep the things you've got? We have to face our fear! What's the worst that could happen? Go for it, and never stop trying. Don't judge yourself on what you get, but look at how hard you've tried and what you've given up and sacrificed. That's the way it's always been looked at. We might never get exactly what we want, but we can always try... and true effort is the whole point of living. Trying for something. Your thing. It's about what it means to YOU. I can tell you a way to get out of your current situation - LEAVE! That's right! Just leave! Save up enough money to buy a one way ticket to wherever you want to go and bring a bag full of food and as much extra money as you have. Now, it's very possible that you might get to where you're going and immediately run out of money and have no place to stay and go freezing on the streets, or you might be able to work something out, or you might not - but you know what? At least you tried! YOU ACTUALLY TRIED! You stopped thinking about it and you stopped complaining about it and you did something RIGHT NOW that actually put you one step closer. I'm not saying that you should do anything dangerous or truly unintelligent, but at the same time, what is life without adventure and risk? When everything is telling you know but your blood and your heart is telling you yes - that's when you go. When you KNOW so clearly that it's not even a question. Fear doesn't enter into your mind, you have not only the will and the desire, but the true power to at least try to do anything that comes your way. If you always believe that you're heading to where you're going, than nothing can stop you, because every action will be pushing you to that destination, even if it means going through incredibly difficult challenges and obstacles - you are still on your own road, and you're not letting up no matter what! This is your chance! This is your time! This is your life, and this is what it means to live it - and while everyone else is telling you why you can't, you're going to SHOW them that you can, by trying, trying, and trying, over and over and over and over again. Until you die. That's what life is. It's a brief journey through some sort of understanding of time and space, and while we're here we might as well go for it. If you have what it takes, then you have what it takes, and no one can tell you if you have it except YOU. So... do you? Your friend, Andrew W.K.