About 10 months ago, I was invited to participate in a program called Rapid Success Experiment, a program designed by Tina Ferguson to catapult you into your dreams and quickly bring them into reality with ease and grace. I got into it thinking that I could rapidly grow my company Rainbow Outsourcing so I could pursue my true passion: music. I knew Tina to be a true advocate of people’s true nature: she has the amazing talent of seeing people’s truth – real truth, not the truth that we’ve been led to believe is ours by our parents, teachers, advisors, etc, etc, but our truth. I had a session with Tina (she does these True You sessions that are amazing…I would recommend that you check them out) about a year and a half ago where I was able to confirm that singing and songwriting was truly why I was on this planet. As some of you know, pursuing that with a profound hearing loss is quite the challenge, but when my whole heart screams that this is my journey…so be it. I’m up to the challenge.
So, for a year, I dabbled in wanting to be a musician. That meant “wishing” I was playing music more. Wanting to be a better singer. Blah, blah, blah. Then Tina asked me if I was showing up as a musician. I had to think of what that meant. I live with a professional musician and I see how he shows up: daily practice, booking gigs, intense listening to music, discovering new music, analyzing music (time, rhythm, meter, etc.). Jonathan does all this on a daily basis and as a result, he plays with the best jazz musicians in town and is quickly recognized as the outstanding bass player he is. Me…I was wishing, but making excuses: too much work, too much house cleaning, too much homeschooling, etc. The truth: it was all a bunch of excuses and I wasn’t really showing up.
What came out in the Rapid Success Experiment was my true desire to travel the globe, playing music with my family and homeschooling my children in various cultures, experiences, and the diversity of life. When I started to step into it, amazing things happened. I immediately got a weekly gig on flute, which turned into flute and vocals at Agape Center for Spiritual Living playing with top-notch professional musicians. This gig expanded me exponentially. I learned to improvise and be able to perform with minimal preparation. I get to go to “school” each week with professional musicians and learn how they think, how they work and what they do to be their best. It brought my dream of being a musician much closer to home.
So, here I am playing music every week. Is that the goal? Nope. Not enough. So, back to the question…am I really showing up? I’m practicing. I’m taking lessons. I’m writing when I’m inspired. Is that the key?
I went to a BBQ with friends and colleagues this weekend and was drawn to talk with one of the artists Roger Light. Now when you check out his website, you’ll find him to be quite prolific. So I asked him how much he paints…6 hours/day. Again, I had to be honest with myself. I was just dabbling in this “I want to be an artist” role.
My question to you…are you showing up for your dreams? Are you diving in? Our are you just wishing things were the way you want them to be? There is a big difference between intending to pursue your passion and just wishing it was all here. I find that the intention starts with developing the clarity. Then I spend time visualizing what that looks like in my life. Then I ask for the next step through meditation and when the inspired action comes in…I take it. When I do that…magic happens.
So this week…I’m diving in even deeper to show up for my dreams.