"Rip the Tape Off" & Sing, Dance, Act...Your Talents!

“Who do they think they are? How did they get there when I have just as much, if not more, talent as they do?”

Will you share your gifts and talents with the world while you’re on this planet for a short blip in time? Or will you bring them to your grave, wishing you had ripped that tape off your mouth when you had the chance. Your choice… The power to unleash your wildest wishes and dreams upon us is in your hands right this moment! Reveal yourself, please!

Here’s a topic that’s been coming up frequently in conversations lately and has always been one of the MOST popular topics in my Artist’s Journey courses. Just recently actually I shared my interview with Bass-Baritone, Curtis Sullivan which is scattered with incredible insights on this very topic. This topic is plain human nature and everyone of us can experience it from time to time as we create and travel along on our artistic journey.

Success doesn't just appear out of thin air, I think we can all agree on that. It's easy to look at another person's career and think "How is this person doing so well in my field and I'm not?", or "I could do that just as well as they can, why wasn’t I chosen?"

Why is it that we get so triggered when we see someone else in our industry doing the very thing that we want to be doing? Also, when we see examples of their success or their courageous steps towards what their life’s vision is, it can be so easy to get paralyzed and end up in a downward spiral with those questions swirling around our head. Let’s face it, these days it’s pretty impossible to avoid seeing what others are up to. It’s plastered it all over Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. Even if you’re not on social media you can still get bombarded with what everyone else is doing from TV, Magazines, Emails, word of mouth, social circles, etc.

We can never pass judgment on another's success because the fact is, we have no idea how much hard work and dedication to craft was poured into their endeavors. Behind the stunning and lavish presentation of a production, a piece of artwork, a breathtaking performance, a high powered and influential career, is a TON of preparation, thought, insane sacrifice, and carefully calculated baby steps & seed planting! Do you think these people are just sitting around on their tush all day long just wishing these achievements into existence…NO WAY! (Every wish you have for your life MUST be fueled and backed with inspired action.) So, while you’re sitting their feeling sorry for yourself, pondering what to do next, wondering why things aren’t working out the way you’d like them to, scrolling endlessly through your news feed to what everyone else is up to (gotta love that self-sabotage cycle), these in-your-face people are OUT THERE, on the field, working it every second they can. A lot of these people have a ‘you can sleep when you die’ mentality because, well it’s true. While it’s important to get a good night’s sleep there are only so many hours in a day. We all have the same amount of hours to work with and as the famous song lyrics go, “we aren’t here for a long time…we’re here for a good time.” These go-getters have a plan they’re working, they cease every day and every opportunity to squeeze in as much hustling and seed-planting as they can so that when those opportunities arise they can be all they’ve longed to be.

So, what’s holding you back anyway? You get ticked off or jealous when you see someone share something they’re up to, slouch back into your chair all defeated and let your self-sabotaging ego take over, you have a little Bi*#@-session with yourself or a friend about how dare they show off their gifts or how you could do it so much better…How much time did you just waste when you could have used that scenario to your benefit and planned out some steps of your own towards something you’ve wanted to achieve?

Worried what others will think? Who cares! They only wish they had that courage to start taking steps towards their own goals! Think that person never has any of their own negative self-talk? Not a chance, they do indeed but, they’re choosing their dreams over their fears. Worried what ‘they’ will say? You should only PRAY someone ‘poo-poo’s' your efforts and achievements, know why? It means that what you’re doing is working and that you must be doing something right if they’re triggered by your dedication and efforts. It also means that they‘re realizing that deep down inside they’re the ones not living their dreams and taking inspired action to make their own wishes come true...or maybe they're making SOME efforts and need to kick it up a notch to break through to the next level but are terrified to face that fear. You get to be a mirror for them so that they can choose to take responsibility and take some new or more focused action. Remember…pissed off at someone else’s dreams coming true means we’re not taking enough action or responsibility on making our own dreams come true! Being in action and seeing progress fuels even more action and progress which then takes the focus off what others are achieving and makes us feel pretty awesome about what we’re up to in the world.

We can choose to use other people’s success and dedicated action as motivation, inspiration, and permission to follow our own dreams. Or, we can choose to let it burry us deeper and deeper into our own self-pity. Acknowledge and credit them, and then take a look at your own life, art, desires, and take some inspired action of your own. Do what you do and do it well, share it with the world. Bust out of your straightjacket of self doubt, hopelessness, and just do something…anything. I promise you, it will be a freeing experience and it will begin to snowball into more than you could have ever dreamt if you just keep going. We don’t have to wait for it to be perfect. People don’t want perfect, people want real and authentic. People want the sincere touch of your gifts you have to offer in their lives. Don’t believe me? Ask yourself this question…Would you prefer to have your friends/colleagues presence around you when they’re in a self-sabotaging, poor-me, head space? NO way, makes you wanna run, right? Or, would you rather them be sharing their happy and lit-up spirit in your presence because they’re actually living and working towards a life they love and taking steps necessary to achieve the things that make them happy and fulfilled? No brainer!

So, let me ask you this question one last time...Will you share your gifts and talents with the world while you’re on this planet for a short blip in time? Or will you bring them to your grave, wishing you had ripped that tape off your mouth when you had the chance. Your choice… The power to unleash your wildest wishes and dreams upon us is in your hands right this moment! Reveal yourself, please!