In the opening of the musical Hamilton, the last stanzas of the song are:

And I am not throwin’ away my shot
I am not throwin’ away my shot
Hey yo, I’m just like my country
I’m young, scrappy and hungry
And I’m not throwin’ away my shot
We’re gonna rise up (time to take a shot)
I am not throwin’ away my shot
We’re gonna rise up (time to take a shot)
I am not throwin’ away my shot
We’re gonna, rise up, rise up
It’s time to take a shot
Rise up, rise up
It’s time to take a shot
Rise up, it’s time to take a shot
Rise up, take a shot, shot, shot
It’s time to take a shot, time to take a shot
And I am not throwin’ away my
Not throwin’ away my shot*

This tune really just grabs me, and takes me down memory lane, not so much in terms of the historical accuracy of the refrain, but down the memory lane of my own life. How many times have I had an opportunity and squandered it? How many times have I wished to make a move, but was gripped by fear, and let the opportunity pass? How many times have I acted too quickly, taken the next step a bit too soon, and lost the opportunity? This phrase, “I am not throwin’ away my shot!” is a wartime metaphor for the age.

Both taking and failing to take a shot can be “throwin’ away your shot”

Growing up, my next door neighbor would grab his shotgun on New Year’s or the 4th of July and shoot into the air. We were instructed to stay inside to avoid the horrific fall out from the eventual effect of gravity on a bullet. The noise could be deafening, and to young children sobering and frightening. My Great-grandmother would comment, that the old man is just “wasting his shot.”

In one of the only times I remember holding a gun, my Grandfather was teaching me how to shoot, more particularly how to hunt. When a rabbit appeared at the edge of the forest, he whispered to me “shoot,” but I did nothing. I watched the rabbit wander out into the field, still in my line of fire, but simply could not pull the trigger, feel the kick of the weapon and watch the fall of the creature. The rabbit scampered back into the woods oblivious that its life had been spared. Of that, Grandpa said, I had just “wasted my shot,” noting that “when you are hungry enough, you’ll take the shot.”

Back to Hamilton, one might guess from a historical perspective that a “shot” in a musket or pistol during the Revolutionary War, at least on the Brown (or Blue or Gray) Coat’s side, was an exercise in frugality and opportunism. There were concerns about munitions running low. Wasting a shot that was not certain to hit a target could be costly later on. And missing the target was possibly a precursor to being shot and killed or desperately wounded yourself. The decision to spend a shot was a serious, considered decision, and eventually, the war’s tactics adapted to the revolutionaries’ hesitancy to waste their shot. They became strategic, they adapted better recognizance and spy networks, and used their knowledge of the terrain to change the ways of battle, adapting new warfare tactics.

How a simple question can become a measure of effectiveness

More than just in war, as dramatized in the musical, not throwing away one’s shot is a metaphor for decisions in many aspects of life. Wasting the shot are the ways in life that we miss opportunities, squander our time, and pass on the great chances. Throwing away the shot are ways that we avoid risk, waste money, and resist commitment.

Hamilton and his crew were determined as they stood on the precipice of adulthood, that it would not be said that they threw away their shot. Rather they embraced life, took chances, made some right choices, some regrettable choices, but in the end, faithfully embraced the call on their lives.

When you look at your plans in the various areas of your life, are you focused on making the best of the shot you have? Have you been squandering your opportunities? Did you waste your shot by taking an ill-advised long-shot? Are there any shots in your proverbial musket that you should have fired, but are still holding on to? It’s not too late to adopt this measure of effectiveness – ask yourself, “did I throw away my shot today?” Aim to consistently (and honestly) answer “no.”

I’d love to hear how this resonates with you, as well as any of your take-aways from the tune.

*Songwriters: Bootsy William Collins / Joell Christopher Ortiz / Kejuan Waliek Muchita / Lin-Manuel Miranda / Roger Troutman / Tariq Trotter / Albert J. Johnson
My Shot lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc, Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management, A Side Music LLC D/B/A Modern Works Music Publishing