Always Show Up
September 3, 2025
Always show up. That’s where it all begins. For me, the struggle has always been real — not finding words, but getting them on paper. My mother loves to tell how, once I learned to speak, I never shut my mouth. The words were always there. The problem was translating them into writing.
I’ve carried that struggle from childhood into adulthood. Being right-eye dominant and left-handed didn’t help. Maybe it’s wiring, maybe it’s stubbornness. Either way, the connection between brain and hand has always felt broken. In school, I procrastinated every writing task. I’d wait until the night before, sit down, and wrestle painfully to form sentences. More often than not, I failed. But I still showed up.
That’s the key: show up, even if you fail. Show up, put in the effort, try again tomorrow. Effort matters more than perfection. Laziness is the only unforgivable sin.
Today, nearly 54 years old, I’ve finally found the tools that connect my thoughts to the page. Voice recorders. Transcription. Technology that turns spoken words into written ones. For me, that bridge has made all the difference. Writing is no longer painful — it’s fun. The guy who can’t spell can finally write intelligently. That’s a miracle in my world.
The right tools always matter. Whether you’re writing, shooting, fixing a car, or cutting a tree — the right tool makes the job possible. For me, that tool is transcription. Now, my thoughts flow onto the page without the old barrier.
I even passed that lesson to my daughter. I challenged her to write something today. To show her I meant it, I shared another piece of mine:
Finding His Voice.
I didn’t just tell her to write — I showed her I was doing it too. That’s what fathers do. We lead by example.
Maybe she’ll struggle like I did. Maybe she’ll find her own tools sooner. Either way, she knows the lesson: always show up, even when it’s hard. Because the struggle leads to success. And the right tools make it possible.
