Jason Aldean's "The Only Way I Know"

This song by Jason Aldean (featuring Luke Bryan and Eric Church) always makes me think of my determination and work ethic that I've had my whole life.

Even though these guys are singing about working on farms in the country ("Soaking in the rain, baking in the sun"), I still can relate to hard work, even if it's not physical labor. The line, "Don’t quit 'til the job gets done" certainly resonates with me. I'm not a quitter: when I say I'm going to do something, I do it. I know people who quit school courses half way through the term because they were afraid they'd get an F (why not work hard to get an A in the first place?), or people who don't finish grad school (look at the money you wasted for no degree!). I wanted to be valedictorian of my high school graduating class: I was. I wanted to attend Dartmouth College: I did. I wanted to work for an environmental non-profit: I am. I set my mind to something and I do everything in my power to make it happen. That's a nice segue into the chorus:

"That’s the only way I know
Don’t stop 'til everything’s gone
Straight ahead, never turn round
Don’t back up, don’t back down
Full throttle, wide open
You get tired and you don’t show it
Dig a little deeper when you think you can’t dig no more
That’s the only way I know"





For me, there is no option other than doing what needs to be done. And I stick to what I believe in and what I'm doing, too. If I'm doing something that someone else doesn't think is worthwhile, I don't just stop because they say so. I "don't back down" if other people try to put their opinions on me. All of this doesn't just apply to work, either. These words bring meaning to my personal beliefs as well as something as minor as my tennis game. You keep going, and you stand up for yourself, no matter what. And you do it your way:

"Maybe there’s another path that
Will get you there a little bit faster,
But I’m sticking with the one inside of me"


I'm not going to change the way I'm doing something just to achieve a goal (see this previous post). I'm going to take the route best suited for me. I'm going to get the job done, and I'm going to do it my way. This is how I'm going to continue to live my life; I can't see myself being happy unless I'm doing what is right for me, and doing it in the right way for me.