Creating with intention
In three seconds, your story has to align with my needs.
The only reason a person who doesn’t know you is interested in you is because they’re interested in themselves, and they want to know how you will help them.
Your proof is your obsession. Your work shows me whether or not you care.
It isn’t necessary to pine away hoping to be discovered. You may never get the role you want. And you risk being caught in the background, your true skills and talents wasted.
Why wait for someone else to cast you? Set about writing your own screenplay.
Play the role you want.
I’m still trying to wrap my head around this, as it is completely counterintuitive to me.
The moment I stopped trying and quit everything is when things became clear.
I’m not saying I don’t have challenges and that life is always easy, but my day-to-day isn’t filled with as much strife. There’s less struggle as I move about the world.
I think of how difficult momentum seemed in the past. Once I landed back into the grooves of authenticity, people began to take notice. It’s then that I raised money for a few scholarships, attracted over 30k views on Medium, and found myself speaking on HuffPost (look at 13:30).
I’m not doing anything drastically different. I’m simply living my life by letting passion lead the way.
I’m wondering if this principle has worked for you, too.
What if WORKING HARD didn’t equal SUCCESS? What if you stepped out of the car, allowed your excitement to take the wheel, and put frustration, anxiety, and white-knuckle-decision-making in the backseat? What if by relaxing, you allowed your “best self” to emerge?
If you’re having to work really hard to make something right, I’m wondering if it’s right in the first place.
Tweet me. I want to hear what you think.
I wrote my first post on Medium this week. Before clicking “Publish,” I was surprisingly nervous. I think because this writing is very personal, an experience that is dear to my heart and involves people I love. I almost didn’t post it.
I had no idea it would impact and resonate with so many people. I’m talking just under 10k views in less than one week.
We spend so much time trying to come up with the right strategy, the right product, company, tagline or press relationship in order to reach many people. Maybe instead we should focus on being real…and simply living.
The last few months of my life have shown me that if you follow your heart and live authentically in the world, you’ll end up right where you need to be.
A New Year is a great time to start.
You’re feeling dissatisfied, unsettled. You want better than what life is presenting to you. You want to provide for yourself and your family. Maybe you’d describe yourself as unhappy.
No matter where I’ve gone in the world (or who I’ve worked with: students, prisoners, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, monks), I’ve seen two typical responses to this situation.
Option A — Action Paralysis
What does this mean? Ideas aren’t in short supply, but movement is. These individuals fail to take any steps forward. Excuses and fear restrict their progress and prevent momentum.
“I don’t have the skills I need.”
“I can’t find a job that pays well.”
“It’s too hard.”
“It’s always been done this way.”
“It’s impossible.”
“Somebody else will do it.”
“If only I could get x, things would be easier.” (x = more money, a different job, the right partner, a miracle, admission, acceptance)
Option B — The Creators
Concrete decisions are made and acted upon in order to build a better life — no matter what obstacle is in the way. These individuals are so committed to the taste of their dreams and the potential of the future that nothing can stop them. They just do.
The Nepali shopkeeper who wakes at 4:00am daily to buy vegetables from whole-sellers and farmers to resell at the local market. He sets up shop with his wife and negotiates with customers. After the market closes, he heads to the tourist section of town to sell the rest of his bounty to hotels at a higher price.
A family uproots from their village and rents a two-bedroom house in the city. They turn one bedroom into a hotel and sleep all seven family members in the other.
The mother who sends her daughter to a different country to study because tuition is more affordable.
The corporate worker who sets aside his exhaustion at the end of the day to finish his screen play.
There are stories like this all over the world. Stories of sacrifice and perseverance and commitment and character and strength of vision.
You get to choose: do you want your story to be peppered with excuses or do you want to make something happen?
Risk frightens some people. It paralyzes others. Risk has stopped many people from doing incredible things.
Risk has also failed to prevent others from wholeheartedly chasing their dreams.
It might be worth asking whether risk is your fear dressed in disguise.
If risk wasn’t an issue, would your decisions change?