Needs, Wants, and Songs

The Rolling Stones wrote, “You can’t always get what you want but you get what you need”. No truer words ever written because if you’re reading this you have everything you really need. It is easy to struggle with things in life because of the influence of others telling us what we do and do not need. They’ll tell you that you “need” to have a certain job, a family, success, a certain way of living and so on. Parents, family, and friends are notorious for adding this sort of pressure to us in our lives because perhaps they didn’t see or do all the things they wanted to do in life and feel that they are “doing what they need to do and you should to”. To a certain extent every one of us has to deal with this, I know I did and until the moment came in my life when I found out that all my basic needs were always met then became completely and wholly grateful for them; air in my lungs, a beating heart, food, shelter, a mind to do my own thinking, and an imagination that allows me to dream. To somebody else’s standards I didn’t have much and I paid the price for trying to be what others thought I should be. I was lost and had no direction, a prisoner to my own fears of not being good enough. That is different today even though those fears still creep up on me at times, each day knowing that I’m closer to the life I want guides me away from fear and allows me to stay on the winding path of my dreams. I read recently “To travel is better than to arrive”; a simple and very effective way of saying that we are never really forced to simply live a life of needs and we can always take risks to live the lives we want.

Just as true as The Rolling Stones, The Beatles wrote “All you need is love, love is all you need”. Love begins with yourself and morphs into the desires, ambition, and passion for your dreams and the people you allow into your life. Sometimes we are not sure of what we want along our journey and when it comes to us we may stumble a bit and resist because of our experiences or lack of them when it comes to facing change. Every so often reality has told me to quit pursuing my dream of acting; this is something I want badly in life and have the determination and will to make it happen. Day to day I’m not always sure how to get there, only that I’m going to. The ability to constantly evolve and grow and figure out the “how’s” is the greatest part achieving what you want. That is a case of something tangible that you can use your will and desire to get what you want. Love itself is not a tangible desire and yet, it is as John, Paul, Ringo, and George said, all we need. When it hits you fully it becomes a reason for striving and going on the greatest ride of your life. I love acting and found out that I love loving itself and these wild desires make me feel alive. They keep me moving and allow my heart to risk it all and keep moving in the direction of my dreams. Love also allows me to feel free and allow others to do the same. Sharing this passion is quite simply the greatest gift known to man and to have someone to experience it all with enhances it beyond imagination. As Dr. Seuss said, “We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird, and we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love”. I had no idea I wanted that until I tasted it. No matter what it is that makes you tick and makes you feel alive; love yourself and when the time comes to risk sharing it, remember to chase dreams and know you already have everything you need.    

Independence

As my alarm went off this morning at 4:45 I remembered the significance of this particular day, Independence Day. We celebrate it with fireworks, vacations and cookouts. There are parades, radio stations play songs of freedom and patriotism. In this part of the world, of all days that SHOULD be celebrated, this certainly is the one. 

"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among them are LIFE, LIBERTY and THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS"...These are some of the most powerful words ever written, not just here, but in all of the world. I started to think about these words, poured my first cup of coffee, plugged in the music that moves me and began to dream. These ideas were created for a country, but they trickle down to each of us. Our own individual freedom comes from a place inside ourselves; we have a choice each and every day to chase our dreams. Those of us that decide to chase dreams are most likely to catch them, no matter how big or how uncommon they may be. Long before any of us got here, there have been women and men who have paved a road that gives us permission to do whatever it is that makes us feel alive.

I honestly think a lot about the things in my life that I would have changed and the honest answer is nothing. Though I have had some difficult times, fears and failures; they have made me who I am today and this day is all I have to try and pave the way for myself and those I love. For me, our purpose is to keep on going through struggles and victories with a sense that after every single storm there is the calm of a perfectly sunny day. Nature tells us this and so does life. Years ago, my then sixteen year old niece answered the question "What is the best feeling in the world?" Her answer, "Defying the odds". I can't lay claim to giving that to her, but that is exactly what Independence Day is about; her words had a great impact on me. We are all capable of anything in life that we imagine and we are free, individually, to discover exactly what kind of mark we want to leave on the world around us. We are free to risk everything!

There is no age limit on fulfilling your dreams or to begin dreaming for that matter. Whatever your desires are, you have the power inside of you to stake your claim to them. If the odds seem against you~ defy them. When people or situations get you down and they will~ forgive them and move on. The right people and situations will surely be in your life, always at the right time. Remember that hope costs just as much as gloom but the rewards of hope are far greater. The pursuit of happiness is the greatest gift we have, get after it!

Places

You don’t really need be in any certain place in life to know where you are going. The present is all we can really control and the reason to get out of bed in the morning. When undue pressure is put on people to be someplace else in life’s journey, it makes it difficult to move forward. Whether you’re “established” or just starting out it may constantly seem as though you are trudging uphill to get to the place you feel you should be. We will all get there, sometimes quickly and sometimes slowly; the key is to work right now at the aspects you can control. Always remember what is important, that the connections you make and the lives you touch will be what is remembered in the long run. Drive and ambition are wonderful gifts to have, it means you are in constant motion trying to evolve, grow, and succeed. The trick is to balance it with human connection and love and support of everyone’s own journey. Be grateful at all times that there is air in your lungs and visions you see; there is no dream too big when your heart is full of gratitude for the “little” things that keep you moving toward your intention.

Often times I feel as though the path I chose, actually the one that chose me is too difficult, that I’ve already overcome enough obstacles in my life to be striving for an “impossible dream”. There is plenty of rejection, disappointment, and perceived “failure” that I could simply be content with where I am, to stay complacent in my current situation; God knows I’m in a pretty good position, one I would not have dreamed of ten years ago. Therein is my truth~ that I will continue to move on my path, to strive to get after my ultimate dreams. If you have a vision of where you want to go, then simply put, it really doesn't matter much where you are right now as long as you’re doing what you can to move forward. We are all on a level playing field so long as we are progressing toward that place we really want to go. Nobody is in a better spot than anyone else as we move toward our goals; strive to be a work in progress. Growing into what we all want to be takes constant discovery and the willingness to adapt to the challenges and hurdles life throws at us. “A calm sea never made a skilled sailor”. Keep moving! Because frankly, you never can tell just how close you are to the place you really want to be.

Intuition vs. fear and silly odds

I’m going to go on ride to nowhere, wherever I end up, I will create something. Sometimes driving simply allows me to have my 60,000 thoughts a day at a slower pace. Possibly, in my case it’s more like 80,000 thoughts but that’s something for another day. I've got some time for the first time in a while and that means there are some odds to beat. I always wonder where “experts” come up with crazy reasoning about everything in life and try to dissuade folks from going after something they want. Inside of everyone is a powerful voice that says anything is possible. I recall sitting in a room full of people the better part of a decade ago and the authority figure up front basically said that “1 out of 35 of you have a chance to make it and even that one person will fail after 2 years". The voice inside me began to laugh out loud because my intuition always tells me to beat the odds. So far, I have knocked that one out of the park! I plan on defying many many more "odds". That’s not to say that fear doesn't try and creep in at any given moment in life, those are the moments when the thoughts multiply and confusion could set in. These are also the moments when after a little time you weigh in on the intuition vs. fear battle and make a decision. Once a choice is made, you either give into fear or believe in your intuition; passion, love, will, determination, forgiveness, and faith are all the byproducts of trusting the voice inside of you that says “screw the odds”~ We got this!

It doesn't matter if it’s a career choice, a relationship, personal battles, or anything else. If something inside of you tells you it is right, work hard at it and don’t, by any means, allow fear to set any limits on your dreams. The world belongs to the risk takers, the folks who laugh at the experts and go after what they want. Circumstances will come and go; maybe you will doubt yourself because you’re not exactly in the place you want to be. This is a good thing! The fire burns inside and complacency is not an option. I’m there right now, at this place where I have to evaluate and create a way to get to the place I really want to go. Imagination on the big picture and eyes set clearly on what to do right now. Fears and doubts were creeping in for a bit, but they never ever win out when my intuition tells me the three important factors in beating the odds; what I want to do, who I want to share it with, and where I want to go. I am certain of all three! Today perhaps, a few pages get written or an audition comes up or I simply drop down to 40,000 thoughts. No matter what, the direction will be evident. Whoever the experts are can take their story elsewhere, we got this.  Whatever the odds, love your chances and trust your heart!    

ALL OF IT

I went to New York City today. I had no plan, no real reason to go, or even an idea except that I needed to get some clarity. Sounds a little ironic that one would go to the busiest place on earth for clarity I guess, but I simply love it there and when I’m in a rut; New York City or near the ocean is where I need to be. A lot has happened since I last wrote for people to see, quite a bit recently so I chose to act, to get moving back in the direction I need to go in order to be full of life again. I have a whole lot of energy in me and somewhere over the last couple of months I got caught up in something that kept me from flourishing in some incredibly important areas. In fact, I was stopped dead in my tracks recently. I have a fantastic job that I’m proud to do and find many rewards in simply doing it. Also, without a doubt, I have this amazing dream of telling stories; of acting and writing and having an outlet to release all the fears and doubts, experience and joy that goes along with being me. So maybe I did have a plan, a reason, and an idea when I left for the big city. I was in search of something, the connection to myself that will keep me growing into the man I want to be.

In another ironic twist, I ran into an old friend on the bus! We sat next to each other and in approximately 40 minutes engaged in a conversation about life and love and the “knowing” when you’ve found something great; when you’re connected to someone or something that brings out the best in you every single time. It helps you to run on a creative plane and teaches you to really listen and understand the complexities of what you say at any given time. As I walked through this bustling city, with all of its character and "characters", I realized that I have to practice fearlessness when it comes to the considerable gifts I’ve been given. I have to make good on my dreams and confidently walk toward them. I know what I want and who and I want to share it all with; it’s time to put any fears aside and go get it, ALL OF IT. To truly give the best I have in me, there are risks I need to take and risk has never stopped me before. 

The choice is yours

The choice is yours, to do anything in the world that will make you feel alive. It starts by aligning your thoughts with your heart's desire and taking that crucial first step. A dream may seem distant at first, and many times people give up on them when instant gratification does not present itself. There is no trick really, perseverance is a learned characteristic that you have to teach yourself by constantly asking the questions that lead you to the next right action. Those who are constantly sitting in limbo about what will make them happiest usually can't be content because they do not make up their own mind and they allow outside sources to dictate how life should be. The choice is yours.

Make decisions quickly and change your mind slowly; as opposed to making decisions slowly, which will have you changing your mind often and will lead to confusion. Your deepest fears and struggles cripple you from not being able to choose. The people, circumstances and ideas will always enter your life when you're open to enough and have decided what you want. Those who have accomplished great things in life; whether it be inventing something, writing inspiring songs, raising wonderful children, or simply becoming teachers to others, always practice the concept of choice. Feel alive today, make your decision and step toward your own dreams. Watch in awe and avail yourself to the great possibilities that come into your life. The choice is yours.

Faith, Honesty and Perseverance

This part of the ride will be rewarded by the very human elements of faith, honesty and perseverance. Inside the heart of a winner is the ability to let go of the negative forces in their life no matter how difficult it may seem at any given time. There will be people, places and situations that occur that can distract you from your purpose and leave you insecure. By being honest with yourself and true to your individual vision there is nothing you can't accomplish in this world. The simple idea of changing your perceptions will, in time, deliver an unmistakable feeling of security and hope that begins in the present moment. Believe that you deserve all of the desires in your soul. Take responsibility for the life you create. Keep moving, keep trusting and keep working toward your dreams.