I am constantly calling myself in to question. Am I on the right path? Is my work important? Does it matter?

Humbleness

We over estimate what we are capable of. Especially when there isn’t adequate information of what it is we are setting out to do.

There is a natural tendency to create an us versus them mentality. This is the result of black and white thinking without regard for accepting the grey. Most of us believe there are only two options available in given set of circumstances. It is a thought process which expects benefit at the expense of something or someone else. This is often prevalent in group situations. Self-importance becomes equal to identity, self-esteem and a sense of belonging. Pride and egocentricity take precedence.

This kind of thinking severely limits the possible outcomes of circumstances and relationships.

Learn to accept that you don’t know everything. Value the opinions of others. When ever possible, be available to help others. When you can, put other people first. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Think of the people you know who have achieved the highest levels of success. Do you think they accomplished it by themselves? The high achievers I know have different associations which have facilitated their journey.

I have talked to many people at the top of their game. There are many attributes which impress me. They are kind, compassionate, approachable, likeable, grateful and passionate human beings. For the most part they have struggled to be where they are today. These folks know the path they took and know from experience how difficult it was and still may be. They are grateful and understand they haven’t got all the answers.

Remember from whence you came and how far there is still to go.

Curiosity

As human beings, we are hard wired to be creative; that is our natural state.

Is there a different way to do things?

What are the most important questions of your life?

Probability is the primary factor of our decisions. Even as simple as driving our cars; driving can be pretty dangerous. Chances are pretty slim that we are going to have an accident. Yet there it is.

Bigger decisions require more preparation.

It might seem like I’m wandering around here, but stick with me.

It is likely you know some one who has a successful career in their art; at least more success than you. Yes, there is luck involved. You might think luck sticks to some people. I agree with you. But here’s the deal – how many different ways did these “Lucky” people prepare for their success.

Did you know the average millionaire has at least seven different revenue streams? That, according to the IRS. That’s a lot of different surfaces exposed to varying degrees of possibility.

Most career oriented musicians have several different aspects to their profession. Performance, Instruction, Recording, Writing, Networking, Collaborating… and the list goes on. They have a multifaceted approach to how they negotiate their passion.

There are several different surfaces that luck can stick to.

The deal is this, we need to find many passions within our creativity that fire us up. It’s up to each of us to explore the possibilities. Of course there will be walls that will close us in, some doors won’t open and obstacles will stop us. But there is always a way over, around and through these things. We only have to search for them and discover how to maneuver our path.

Curiosity is key to rethinking what we are doing.

Fear

People seem to need something to fear.

In Paleolithic times, we had to be cautious. There were any number of threats which could kill us. Life as a hunter/gatherer was dangerous. There were many threats that needed navigation. High rates of infant mortality, predators, lack of modern medicine and starvation, to name a few.

There was a lot of stuff to be worried about.

Society has had rapid change in the last ten thousand years. Our brains haven’t evolved fast enough to keep up. Mechanization and automation are part of our modern world. Here we are, still afraid of saber tooth tigers.

Fear can be a motivator. The challenge is to use it as tool.

What do I fear? I fear lack of autonomy, mastery and purpose. Not living life in the power and simplicity of purpose, that’s what I’m afraid of. I use these as intrinsic and extrinsic motivators.

As a creator, I have to remember this:

All that you do begins in yourself; all those ideas and passions flow through you. Once you process it, it flows out to the world.

Full Circle

One door closes, and another opens. Commitments and possibilities come to an end. Often times another set presents themselves. What was once part of the game plan can become an obstacle. The choice is to climb over it. Sometimes what stands in our way is insurmountable. Then the choice is to go around it. Either way, we end up on the other side.

The worst that can happen is letting what blocks us stop us in our tracks.

For ten years of my life music was not a priority. It was always there, but I had other desires I deemed more important. Love, career, family, you know, some pretty important stuff. I threw myself into the pursuit of those things. Consistency and persistency is pretty much the way I approach life.

That ten years was spent in frustration. None of it came to fruition. It took rediscovering myself to get back on track.

Rethinking is a continuous process. What are the priorities motivating me? Is its weight too much for me to bare? Am I carrying animosity, disgust, disdain towards another person? Isn’t life tough enough? Why keep coming back to the things which I can not control.

Put it down and move on. My mental energy is better spent on forging ahead..

Doubt

Out of silence comes the greatest creativity. Is that true?

Sitting still is one of my biggest challenges. There’s a lot of fidgeting that goes on; listening becomes a low priority.

The challenge has been trusting myself. The road I have traveled is littered with failure and disappointment.

I have read, life is a sentence of failures punctuated by successes. Guess what? This week was a perfect example. I won’t go into the details but it involves a very good friend letting me down.

I have to own up to my own self doubt. There isn’t time to be second guessing another person’s motives. People over estimate themselves and I’m still learning this.

How to conquer doubt?

This is the way I see it and what I strive for:

Essential change is the essence. It can’t be superficial, it has to go to our very core; we need to be authentic and different. The goal is not to change our behavior, that can become artificial. What it comes down to is sorting out the raw truth – What is it that defines me and how can I effect change?

I could live in a world of self doubt. I have quite a track record of failure. Much of that is based on the trust I put into others. I take people at face value.

The path left for me is to keep on failing till I accidentally stop failing. That looks like what’s in the cards.

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