Yes, everyone, it’s Saturday again. Which means it’s time for my second installation of…well, what I have written in the title line.

Today, I would like to write about a song by one of my favorite bands ever, Jimmy Eat World. The summer before my sophomore year in high school (2001), this band released an album called Bleed American (which was renamed and released as a self title record after the September 11 attacks) that contains a song called “A Praise Chorus”. This song caught me the first time I ever listened to it. I was 15 years old, stuck in Brandon, Florida, feeling like I was going nowhere, just another face at a school of 3,000 kids. Then, I heard this song, and it spoke to me.

Are you gonna live your life wondering, standing in the back, looking around?

Are you gonna waste your tie thinking how you’ve grown up or how you’ve missed out?

T-t-t-things are never gonna be the way you want, where’s it gonna get you acting serious?

T-t-t-things are never gonna be quite what you want, even at 25, you gotta start sometime.

I’m on my feet, I’m on the floor, I’m good to go

All I need it just to hear a song I know.

I wanna always feel like part of this was mine

I wanna fall in love tonight.

Imagine that! Imagine being an insecure, awkward 15 year old kid who just needed something to inspire her. That was me! And this song told me that you can’t sit back and wait for awesome things to happen to you. You have to actively seek these awesome thing out. You can’t just stand around, doing nothing, hoping to be noticed. You have to make yourself noticed! It’s so important, especially as a young person, to know that you have to have an active part in how your life is going to go, because up until then, I didn’t. It’s up to YOU to decide who you want to talk to, what actions you want to take, and what person you want to be.

Lloyd Dobbler once said, “I’m looking for a dare to be great situation.” I am pretty sure that is what Jimmy Eat World was talking about also. I am sure everyone is looking for a dare to be great situation. But here is the thing you have to remember: when your dare to be great situation comes along, you need to jump on it! You’ve gotta be on your feet, on the floor, and good to go, or you are gonna miss out on so much, so many dare to be great situations. The good news is, they come along more than you think. If you miss a chance to be active, and do something great, you will probably have another one. Even at 25, or 35, or 45 (some of you guys are old), you do, in fact, gotta start sometime. So jump on it (not in a way that makes 14 year old boys giggle) and do something. Take an active look at your life, and stop standing around waiting for something great to happen. Be ready, so that when something great does actually happen, you can take advantage.

And that is all I have to say about that. Thanks Jimmy Eat World.