The Graveyard of Ambition

The Graveyard of Ambition. What a poetic name! I’m not surprised though, everything about Galway, my new home, is poetic. I could try and explain why it’s such an apt name, but Will Sullivan did a much better job than I could (click on link to read his article).

I can’t afford to have this place be any sort of graveyard as far as I’m concerned. I cannot have my dreams fizzle and be replaced with by some sad state of acceptance. I just can’t have all the sacrifices I’ve made come to nothing.

No, Galway is going to be the place of my rebirth. One day I’ll tell people that it was in this so called graveyard that my dreams came to life. In Galway I’m going to write the first of my articles that gets published by a newspaper – and it will be followed by many more. I’m going to develop my writing here. I’m going to learn how to build clean, sharp, professional web sites. I’m going to conquer my fear of ridicule and my addiction to approval. I’m going to start up my web business and do great things. And I’ve already begun!

It has been about 2 weeks since I started this blog, and although it isn’t the busiest place on the web, I’m grateful to those few people who have begun to drop in regularly. Although it’s still difficult to say exactly what type of blog this is, I know it will take shape and a community will grow around it. And although I’m doing better here than I am on my other fronts, I’m not discouraged. Actually, even if my success on this blog is modest, it motivates me to keep at it on all my other fronts (freelancing, learning web design, photography and ecommerce).  

Galway was also at one stage Europe’s fastest growing city. Hopefully, a little of that will flow my way.

I’m walking away

My wife says I’ve always been a non-conformist. That surprises me because I hate sticking out. Don’t get me wrong, I like attention as much as the next guy, but I don’t like sticking out too much. I’m happiest when I’m in a group and feel like we’re all going in the same direction. You know how most normal people grow out of wanting to change the world and become realists? That hasn’t happened to me.

Of my friends, the one I look up to most went to law school and tried to set up a business when he graduated. It’s been 3 years now, he’s moved back into his folks’ house, but he’s still determined. The reason? I guess he’s just really stubborn and has decided to walk away from the rat race most of our other friends are in. I guess he just can’t handle being a comodity in some manager or director’s eyes. Since he can’t live in their world, he’s trying to create his own. Now maybe, God forbid, he’s an idiot who just doesn’t have a solid grasp on reality. I hope not, because I’m following in his footsteps.

My plan is pretty simple. I love writing and discussing ideas and sharing opinions. So I’m going to try and make a living writing. I’ve also taken up photography and I’m going to teach myself how to design and develop web sites. The plan is that by the end of the year I’ll be able to get by on something that’s birthed out of these activities.

This blog is going to be a record of my journey. Not to mention practice writing and maybe, my very first audience.