“Make It Real!”
A wise young friend of mine is fond of the mantra, “Make it real!” I am not sure if he prefers it with an exclamation mark, but I think that it deserves one.
It is a good reminder for all of us who are better at thinking and speaking (or writing), but not so good on follow-through. Actually, my friend is very good at follow-through, in my judgment, but he is probably wise to remind himself with this make-it-real challenge to himself.
Making it real isn’t the easiest thing in the world, however. Faking it is much more popular. Many of us feel that reality sucks, most of the time. Perhaps we’re right; maybe it does.
But making it real is not a matter of feeling good. Reality rarely feels good initially. But committing ourselves to the real is, I think, a much better long-term strategy.
But the word “make” is as important as the word “real.” Reality is something that lands in our lap. Reality is something we do, something we make.
To be content with mere thought, with nice feelings, with wise words—this is not enough. We were made to make. And what we were made to make is reality.
My mom was awfully fond of the saying, “Pretty is as pretty does.” Perhaps we need a similar saying for the real. Something like “Real is as real is made.”
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