Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Photograph Compliments Of Lucie Hosova

Do I need to think again?

I am constantly calling myself into question. Here are the things I must consider:
Am I on the right path?
Is my work meaningful, and does it matter?

Think Again With Humbleness

It is part of human nature to overestimate ourselves, especially when there isn’t adequate information about what we are setting out to do.

We have a natural tendency to create us versus them mentalities, resulting from black and white thinking. Most of us believe only two options are available in any given circumstance. It is a thought process that expects benefit at the expense of something or someone else; this is often prevalent in group situations. Self-importance becomes equal to our identity, self-esteem, and sense of belonging. Pride and egocentricity take precedence.

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

Learn to accept that you don’t know everything. Value the opinions of others. Whenever possible, be available to help and to ask for assistance. 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 associate with use different alliances which have facilitated their journey.

I have talked to many people at the top of their game; many of their attributes impress me. They are kind, compassionate, approachable, likable, grateful, and passionate human beings. These folks know the path they took and know from experience how difficult it was and still may be. They are thankful and understand they haven’t got all the answers. Their biggest challenge is the struggle to be where they are today.

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

Think Again With Curiosity

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

What are the most important questions of your life?

Probability is the primary factor in our decisions. Even as simple as driving our cars. Driving can be dangerous; chances are pretty slim that we will 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.

You likely know someone who has a successful career in their art, at least more successful 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 other 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.

Successful artists utilize several different surfaces to which luck can stick.

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.

Think Again About You Fear

People seem to need something to fear.

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

There was a lot of stuff to be worried about.

Society has rapidly changed 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 a tool.

What do I fear? I fear a lack of autonomy, mastery, and purpose. I’m afraid of not living life in the power and simplicity of intention. 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 end; often, another set presents itself. 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 alternative 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 what I thought were more critical desires: Love, career, family, you know, some pretty important stuff. I threw myself into the pursuit of those things. The habits of consistency and persistency are pretty much the way I approach life.

I spent ten years pursuing priorities other than music; ten years of 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, and 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..

Think Again About Your Doubts

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

Sitting still is one of my biggest challenges. Much fidgeting goes on; listening becomes a low priority.

The challenge has been trusting myself; failure and disappointment are part of the road I have traveled.

I have read that 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 an excellent friend letting me down.

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

How to conquer doubt?

What do I see and strive to attain?

The essential change is the essence. It can’t be superficial. It has to go to my inner core; I need to be authentic and different. The goal is not to artificially change my behavior. What it comes down to is sorting out the raw truth. What defines me?

I have quite a track record of failure.

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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