Walk The Line

I often find my motivation when and where I can find it. Whether that's a book, an article, a great speech or a great movie, I always find myself looking for something that I can take away and apply to my own life or share with others.

Last week I had the opportunity to go see Walk The Line the movie about Johnny Cash. I was anxious to see this movie as you may or may not know, Johnny Cash was my second cousin. Though I never met the man, he did say hello to me at a concert in Albuquerque when I was like seven. I think it was because of him that I always wanted to be a singer and one day have a crowd of thousands shout my name. How cool would that be?

Though the movie follows Johnny through much of his early life, the thing that impressed me the most was the way it portrayed him dealing with his demons. Johnny had major dependency on drugs and alcohol and his behavior was nothing short of self-destructive. I think the movie does an excellent job of showing just how close to the edge he really was and just how differently his life could have gone if he continued to make the choices he was making.

All of us have our demons. We all have something that has our number. Whether that's drugs, alcohol, sex, need for attention, whatever. We all have something that we have to keep in check otherwise it could and would consume us.

In the movie, June Carter (who eventually marries Johnny) tells him and some of his friends that he can't "walk the line" and that she is leaving the tour that they had been on together. I listen to the lyrics of the now famous song Walk The Line coupled with the message that the movie gives and for me it is very powerful and motivating.

One of my demons, as I can assure you I have many, is about self-doubt. Am I good enough? Why would people listen to me? I am not smart enough. I am not valuable enough to contribute anything. I am not going to be successful at this therefore I am going to fail.

These are the little sayings that go through my mind when the demons come to play. For me, it is easy to empathize with Johnny when he turns to drugs to ease his pain. Though I never did drugs, I can relate to finding ways to retreat from the demons...ways to ignore them. As with much of life, you can only ignore things for a little while before being faced with an important choice; you can either give up or face those demons head on.

As it was for Johnny, it is a daily struggle to keep my demons at bay. However, it becomes easier when you stay your course and walk the line. Go see the movie, I think you will like it and if you find something motivational out it you care to share, please drop me a line as I woudl love to hear it!

Ripple On My Friends!