“It comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living or get busy dying.” – Andy Dufresne, The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
There have been moments in my life when I wasted a lot of time playing video games, watching movies & shows, complaining left and right about my circumstances, being comfortable with doing the easy stuff, living in fear, worry, doubt, stress, and beating myself down because of my past mistakes. A lot of unproductive time instead of meaningful hours spent creating, staying disciplined, following through with my goals, and being open to new experiences and challenges that come with being a man. I can only say I am responsible for not living life; however, I haven’t failed completely since we stumble often on our journeys wherever we’re at.
Whenever I think back to The Shawshank Redemption (1994), I’m reminded of Andy’s message to Red about living life to one’s best or getting busy living in despair. I can’t help but heed that message with a strong sense of urgency to not waste a single day of my life. People are born at a single time in existence and yet face death at any given moment. As someone who sometimes struggles to see purpose in life, I reflect on the photos of my life on how precious most things are when you’re still here.
I deluded myself into thinking I needed to be what the world wanted me to be. Rich and famous, good-looking as if I were Brad Pitt, ultra-confident, turning stone into gold with every lucky touch, and being someone to be admired. Those ideals were never part of my being when I was young, yet I fell into a trap in my early 20s because of those beliefs.
Chasing those things made me feel completely worthless, to say the least. To achieve those things is nothing more than living in a fantasy and being out of touch with reality. What I came to realize is how much time I spent chasing those ideals, which only stole my soul. I wasn’t living, and instead, the authentic person within me, who needed time to grow, was dying to a lie.
I don’t know if I am making any sense, but I only kept putting my life on hold because of too many fears and doubts that piled up over the years. I wanted to be perfect, yet I never could reach it. My story doesn’t end here because I chose a life of simplicity by going after what I know will bring me peace.
Pursuing God and his son, Jesus Christ, has been a difficult walk, yet I never tend to give up on working towards faith, no matter how bleak things may feel. Maintaining strong and healthy relationships with my family and close friends is something I work on by doing my best to be a good person. Creating art, writing stories, learning various subjects, and keeping my creative spark alive is what drive my growing journey. Last but not least, traveling to new places, getting out of my comfort zone by doing something that scares me, and not throwing in the towel when rejection (love or career opportunities) strikes.
To sum up my point, I have both lived and died at moments of my life, yet as long as I breathe every moment of chances, I’ll continue to get busy living. Andy, from The Shawshank Redemption, showed me that through every challenge a man faces, he must remain stoic and hopeful to the very end. Don’t let yourself die over the calamities of life because you still have air in your lungs to propel you forward.
Cited Sources
Rising LionHeart 
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