I tell wonder-filled stories about hope and healing
I want you to get angry, and don’t wallow in it. Use it. Anger is energy and it’s fueled incredible changes: the Civil Rights Movement, women’s suffrage, gay marriage, and every nonprofit with a passionate mission. Some of the very best things I’ve ever done in my life started because I was angry – Compass Yoga, Sing After Storms, Chasing Down the Muse, my education. Anger builds fire and fire transforms everything around it. Let it motivate and inspire you to build a better world.
Lately I’ve been a bit restless. I’m looking to break out of all my routines, to let go of anything and everything that makes me feel the slightest bit stuck. I’ve been here before and there’s only one way to fix it: let’s run amok.
I’ve been thinking a lot about how to financially turn more of my attention toward my own professional projects. There are a lot of options available to business owners today to finance their work – debt, investment, crowdfunding, grants, partnerships, sponsorships. The list is endless. For the next 3 months, I’ve got a full work plate. After that, I want to take some time and figure out how to refocus on this very long list of ideas that may deserve their shot at a life off the page. I’m already excited about taking that journey.
We found our leading man for my play, Sing After Storms. I was originally thinking of him for a completely different role and then he walked into the room and knocked it out of the park to play Jack. His instincts, movements, and timing were brilliant. Just goes to show that while it’s good to have a plan, we need to be open to wonderful surprises and possibilities.
Lady Gaga was one of the headliners at SXSW this year and her message was clear: don’t sell out; sell in. To your art, to making something you’re proud of, to creating the life you want. Dedicate and commit yourself to that. Go all out and all in. It’s the only way to really know what you’re capable of doing.
Some people need proof to believe something is true. I’ve often found that if I believe first, then the truth finds me. When I look for goodness, signs that I’m on the right path, hope, and inspiration, I’m more likely to find them if I believe that they can actually be found. And in the rare instance when what I seek I can’t find, I recognize that there is a gap that I am empowered to fill. If I think there needs to be more joy, laughter, peace, kindness, or empathy in a situation, I can create it. It all starts with belief and the greatest belief is this: I have what I need, the world needs what I have, and my only goal is to find the place and time where my gifts can do the most good.
Have you ever worked on a project and then re-worked it many times over hoping to get something just perfect? Then by the time you finish you realize that the world has changed and the idea has passed you by. Or worse, someone has already done what you’ve been planning to do. Nothing you do will ever be perfect. That’s a tough and necessary pill to swallow. Put your heart into it, roll up your sleeves, and get your ideas out into the world. That’s the place where they will make a difference.
If you haven’t seen the documentary 20 Feet from Stardom about the history of backup singers, you must. Their stories of passion, music, persistence, and dedication will make you cry, laugh, and reflect on your own life and talents. Here’s the best thing I learned from it: you must shine your own light on your talent. You can’t wait for nor expect someone else to do it.
I’m in the midst of reading Dr. Michio Kaku‘s new book, The Future of the Mind. He explains that our actual vision is largely imagined. Our optic nerve should always create a large dark spot in our field of vision. It doesn’t because our mind actually compensates for it and fills in the details. Our mind guesses what’s there in that space that the eyes can’t actually see. We are imagining every moment of our waking lives. We are using our creativity without even realizing it. That’s how deeply embedded our sense of creativity is in our minds, in our very being. We invent the world around us.
I was trying to solve a few challenges over the weekend. My brother-in-law suggested we go to the Met at night before they close. He wanted to sketch a few statues so I took myself for a walk in the Eastern art section. As soon as I started to walk, completely alone with my thoughts, the answers to those challenges started to bubble up to the surface. I was reminded again that walking shakes my thoughts free. I have to walk to think and see clearly. It helps me make sense of all of the jumbled pieces of a situation and then I’m able to better see how well they fit together in a different configuration than the one I’ve been trying to construct. That’s all it takes – 20 minutes and the open road. Simple tools. Powerful results.
