“Might paint something I might want to hang here someday,
Might write something I might want to say to you someday,
Might do something I’d be proud of someday.
Mark my words, I might be something someday.”
– Tegan and Sara, “Someday”
What I love about this song is the optimism it exudes. The claim of potential greatness isn’t a desperate plea for more time, it’s a confident statement of what might lie ahead. And it doesn’t mean that you’re unhappy with who you are currently, or that you don’t feel proud of your accomplishments to date. Real faith in your potential comes from a strong sense of self-confidence.
For years, my mother has told me that I have potential.( Of course she usually follows that positive statement with a ‘but’ clause and goes into how I’ve squandered that potential, but that’s a story for another day. ) Every time she would say that, I would feel mildly panicked. I did not believe that I had any real potential, and any that I may have had I was locked out of by my anxieties and general shortcomings. Really, I would feel a wave of guilt as if I was deceptively presenting myself as a talented individual. I can say now, clearly and confidently, that I do have potential. Reams of it. Giant, terrifying piles of potential, growing bigger and badder every day.
And I don’t see the optimism as being tied to achieving the promised greatness. My only hope is that I can keep improving, and if I do something fantastic, then great. But, if I never reach the dizzying heights of astounding success, I will have the satisfaction of having met a parade of interesting people, and I will have a lifetime full of wonderful experiences. The best part of the whole deal is that Max is going to watch me on this journey and learn from my both my triumphs and my astounding mistakes, cheering for me along the way. Mark my words, I might be something someday 🙂
Chris Loblaw, Author 
Dude you are something today!
I am finally learning that there is a journey I just have to make and that I can’t skip the learning bits to get straight to the accomplishment. Sounds like you’ve already got that sorted. Thumbs-up! (Why do mothers think that they can add ‘but’ to the end of their complements? Mine does the same one way or another. sigh.)
Wow, I gotta tell you, that this blog is scary sometimes with the way that some of these experiences you write about mirror my own. Rather than go into a long winded speech about the particulars that would bore me to type it as much as it would bore you to read it, let me just say; one of the things that helped me overcome my own obstacles is this blog. Proof positive that you are doing good. I am confident that you will grow into astounding success however you choose to define it.
Keith
Thanks Keith! The support I’m getting from you and the other faithful readers gives me the energy and enthusiasm to keep at it. I think we’re building something neat here.