I'll admit it. I'm in love with Rose Dawson.
Rose Dawson? Well, of course, her real name is Rose DeWitt Bukater Calvert. But Rose takes Jack Dawson's last name while checking in on a rescue ship after surviving the RMS Titanic sinking in 1912.
Yeah. I know Rose Dawson is dead. And yes, I know she'd be around 126 years old now if still alive. (I like older women...)
Of course, she's also a fictional character in a movie, but her heart still lives on, right? Let a boy dream...
Why am I in love with Rose Dawson, you ask? Settle in, Friends. This post could be about as long as a Trans-Atlantic journey on an ocean liner. (Hopefully, I'll get to finish the trip, though. Sorry, Jack.)
Admission #2: I cry every time I watch this movie. But I don't weep for Rose or Jack or because of the incredibly tragic loss of 1503 lives resulting from this mortal disaster. Nope: I cry tears of joy.
Spoiler Alert: Rose survives, Jack dies. (Hey, somebody (living at the bottom of the ocean) might not have seen the movie yet...)
Ok. Back to crying. So, why tears of joy?
I cry because of the Life that Rose Dawson chooses to Live following the Titanic tragedy. Despite her privilege. Against the norms of the day. Unrelenting. Unapologetic. And with gritty determination.
What's not to love?
Yeah. I know. It's a movie. Rose isn't a real person. But the Life she chooses to Live? Isn't that the ideal? Isn't it what many of us want for ourselves? Choosing our path. Making our own decisions. Being who WE want to be, and not what bossy Mother Bukater wants and demands of us?
Oh, and perhaps you didn't know, but Rose is based upon a real person.*
Pilot. Big game hunter. Sport fisherperson. Riding horses in the surf. Mom.
The overwhelming message we're served at the end of the movie is that Rose Dawson goes on to Live a Life of extreme happenings. Accomplishment. Daring. Risk. And with an unabashed appetite for adventure. Carefree of the prevailing, limiting attitudes and opinions of those around her.
THAT's why I tear up. The beauty of it all...
Imagine a Life filled with: I can. I will.
Free from Fear. Unleashed from drudgery. Uncoupled from conformity.
A Life fired up by a Free Will that charges forward toward one's Goals, Dreams, and Desires.
Many of us cling to the rails, daydreaming of Bigger Things, while our ship goes down around us. Others, though, are out there jumping overboard into the Sea of Life, making a splash and swimming to that Further Shore of Happiness and Self-Actualization.
What separates us from those who dare, though? What makes Rose a rose?
I think it's a combination of things, really.
Confidence. Confidence is a belief in oneself, the conviction that one has the ability to meet Life's challenges and to succeed. - psychologytoday.com
Bam! Yes, please! Make it a double.
The lynchpin of a successful Life, Confidence is the power that pushes us through adversity. When we believe in ourselves, we possess the strength and the fortitude to meet every challenge, to overcome every obstacle.
Confidence is acquired through experience, accomplishment, and self-assessment. By attempting new and more complex tasks, our success breeds Confidence. And when we stop and recognize our victories, Confidence grows and becomes ever more powerful.
If we fail to attempt anything of value, we rob ourselves of the opportunity to acquire Confidence. And, instead, we subject ourselves to the dark influence of Self-Doubt and Insecurity.
Acceptance. Once I fiiiiiinally came around to embracing who I inherently am, Life became a lot easier. Letting go of the angst - the great gulf between who I wanted to be and who I am - Everything started to fall into place. No, I'm not going to be a Rock Star. No, I'm not going to be tall, dark, and handsome (even with a great tan). But I have my unique skills, value, and attractiveness. And so do you...
Beating myself up for what I am not is a loser's game. And it only serves to undermine Everything I might want to attempt with my time here on Earth. But by recognizing the strengths, skills, and qualities I have to offer to the Universe? Once I started putting that out into the Cosmos, the proverbial planets began to align in my favor. Carl Sagan would be so proud...
And when you start to act and believe that the odds are in your favor? The opposition seems to melt away.
If I had only realized or accepted this in my twenties. Sigh.
Courage. The quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without Fear; bravery. - dictionary.com
Here's the big one, folks.
Confidence. Acceptance. Courage. When you combine these qualities, Friends, you're creating the Ultimate Force Majeure in your Life. When you can open the door each morning, walk out into the World, and say out loud, "Bring it, Bitches!" - You're about to be one Badass MoFo!
In a World filled with Fear, insecurity, Self-Doubt, and timidity, you are going to Crush It! I mean, seriously - who's going to get in your way?
Courage is a decision. Courage is acknowledging the Fear rising inside you and taking Action, anyway. Courage is choosing to forge ahead even when Self-Doubt is screaming that you're going to Fail. Courage is not knowing precisely what you might be walking into but taking another step forward anyway.
Courage is what makes things happen, Friends. Nothing good or great is achieved without the driving force of Courage behind it. And it all comes down to a simple decision: Will I? Or won't I?
The further along the Road of Life I advance, the more sure I become that this will be the primary question I'll be asking myself later. And I'll be asking it a lot.
What if I had put myself out there?
What if I had tried?
What if I dared?
And... Why didn't I?
Afraid of making mistakes? Get used to it. You're going to make a lot of errors, anyway. There's no avoiding this. You might as well swing for the fences, Babe.
Afraid of risking ruin? Well, then, you'll probably avoid ruin. Unless, of course, Life delivers ruin to your front doorstep like an Amazon package with a Prime subscription. Two-day shipping and Free Delivery!
Afraid of wrecking your reputation by failing in public? Whelp, most of the folks around you will be dead at some point anyway, so who's going to know? Besides, with Success or Failure comes something far more critical.
The knowledge - the surety - that I tried.
No regrets. No wondering. No nagging feeling that it might have all worked out.
No staring out the window from my blanket-covered wheelchair, contemplating what could have been. Razzberry Jell-O can only offer so much comfort to the unaccomplished elderly. (Big sponsorship opportunity right here, Kraft Foods!)
The older I get, the more optimistic I am about risk. I'd rather die knowing I tried and failed than wondering if I might have succeeded.
I'm not leaving this Earth unsure if I could have started a rambling, disjointed blog on Positivity that no one will ever read. It turns out I'm nailing it, Friends!
Hello?
But I digress...
Sure. There may be an Afterlife. Heck, there might even be a Next Life. But what about This Life? Don't skip feasting on a sure-thing entree of This Life for the unknown availability of a Next Life dessert. (Poetic, I know.)
Back to Rose Dawson. The (elderly - ok, dead, fictional) woman of my Dreams...
Talk about disasters - her Life was a Disaster. Her mother was a b-otch. She was going to marry an insufferable jerk. Women weren't permitted to do much in those days. She almost died in a shipwreck. And apparently, a drawing of her naked was only worth ten cents. That's harsh.
And yet? She tossed Everything away and decided to Live like there was no tomorrow. And quite frankly, there almost wasn't a tomorrow for my dear Rose. Thanks a lot, White Star Lines!
Sure - she had the security of The Heart of the Ocean in her baggy coat pocket. Fantastic wealth is available to her at any moment with just one quick visit to a Pawn Shop. That's a reasonably comfy cushion when Failure knocks you on your ass, no doubt. And yet, she never cashed in: on the jewel or her values.
And finally, as a dying old lady hanging off the ass-end of a research vessel (tossing away her granddaughter's inheritance), she's done almost Everything anyone could hope to do.
When approaching your final days, what do you suppose your take will be on the sum and total of Life's journey? And how would you feel if your Titanic ending was scheduled for tomorrow? Still going to fire up Netflix and chill tonight? April 15, 1912, comes for us all, folks. We all have a First Class ticket.
If you're not Living the Life of your choosing... If you're making choices and decisions based upon what you think others want or demand of you... If you doubt yourself or your abilities... It's time to set sail, folks.
You can Dream.
You can find your Purpose.
You can design the grand plan of your Life.
And you can take the necessary Action required to put Everything into motion.
There's no time like Today. There may only be Today, so you probably ought to get started immediately. This Life, this Ship of Dreams, only steams along for so long. And as we all know, there aren't enough Life Boats to go around.
Oh, and meet me at the clock, Rose. My Heart can't go on without you...
*Meet The Real Rose Dawson here!
More on Dreams, Purpose, and Positivity: Practicing Positive.com
