Doing What You Love for a Living
I had a Twitter exchange this morning that I thought would make a great blog post–no, a series of blog posts–no, a series of blog posts and a book for creative geniuses (genii?) later on. I had tweeted, “Don’t follow trends. Write what you love.” And a writer replied, “What if I’m the only one who loves it?” That’s a fantastic question, and one I could not wait to answer more thoroughly than Twitter’s 140 characters allow. So there are a couple of truths at work here. One is this: It is not possible that in a world of 7.3 billion, no one else loves what you love. And that’s not because there are so many of us that the odds are in your favor. It’s because we all come from the same Source, and we’re all evolving at roughly the same pace, in the grand scheme. We don’t have too many still living in caves these days. There’s a powerful collective consciousness underlying the human condition. I pointed out that there is an audience out there for anything you can invent, because if you are drawn to it, so are piles of others whose tastes have been shaped by similar experiences here on Planet Earth in the 20th-21st centuries. And the basic truth is that we’re all just shoots from the same root. But there’s something even bigger going on here. And that is the powerful Law of Attraction, which, very simply put states that like attracts like. If you, deep down in your heart of hearts, believe you are the only one who likes your creations, then that is the signal you are emitting, and that is the reality you are attracting and the experience you are creating. If you believe that there are hundreds of thousands of people out there who will love your creations, then that is the signal you are emitting, the reality you are attracting and the experience you are creating.
Reality isn’t fixed. It’s a projection of your thoughts, focus, beliefs and expectations. And you can change it simply by changing your beliefs.
There’s science behind this now. The field of epigenetics where doctors and scientists are finding that, while many of us might be born with the same gene associated with a certain disease, each person’s beliefs can determine whether that gene activates or not. Genes are like light switches. They can turn on and they can turn off. And we are the only ones who can control those switches. We flick them on and off at random, not even knowing we’re doing it, until we learn how to exercise that control.
The field of quantum physics is showing us the same things. A single photon (the smallest particle of light) exists in multiple places at the same instant in time, until an observer looks at it. As soon as she does, that photon exists only in that spot, and nowhere else. The observer’s attention determines the physical reality. So what if you’ve been a negative Nellie for a while now? How do you change a belief on a deep enough level to change your reality? It’s both simpler and harder than it sounds. You can’t just channel Natalie Wood in Miracle on 34th Street, chanting “I believe, I believe, I believe,” in a tone that clearly conveyed that she did not believe. She was trying to believe. She wanted to believe. But she didn’t. It would have taken her a little bit longer to manifest that miracle if Santa hadn’t been the real deal. But we’re in luck, because as my favorite spiritual teacher often says, “A belief is just a thought you keep on thinking.” So the key to changing deep beliefs is to start by changing your thoughts. And all that takes is practice and persistence.
Pay attention to what you say, what you post, what you tweet, what you chat about with friends and family. Often, a little self analysis will reveal stunning information. Look back over last year’s emails and social media posts, the personal ones. How many times have you complained about your health, the economy, your business failing to take off? How many times have you mentioned your lack of money, success, acclaim, energy levels? How many times have you complained about the latest Facebook or Amazon policy change, or your weight, or your age, or your husband or your kids? Complaining is focusing on what you don’t want, and therefore creating more of it. Read that again please. Because it’s the key to taking control of your life. Complaining is focusing on what you don’t want, and therefore creating more of it.
This is the very first change you can make to your life, and it is the basis for all the other wonderful changes to come. Stop complaining. Every time you catch yourself complaining, stop yourself, and shift your attention to something you do like right now. Make your topics of conversation about the things that are going right, not the things that are going wrong. I have two homework assignments for you. I hope you’ll come along on this journey, because I’m going to continue this series of blog posts for creative souls, and by the end of the year, it will be a book that you will not need to buy, because you will already be achieving your goals like never before. But don’t worry. There will be many others who will buy it. Your Assignments
1. Get or make a notebook, blank book or journal. The prettier the better. Every night before bed, write in it ten positive things about your creative business, or your life in general. Try not to duplicate them the next night. 2. Take the complaint-free challenge. Put an easy on-easy off
bracelet on, and don’t complain orally or in print. If you catch yourself complaining (that is, mentioning something that is not going the way you would prefer) switch the bracelet to the other wrist and start over. Your goal is to go 21 days without having to change wrists. Every time you complain, you start over. In my version of this exercise, due to the wise input of my friend Sharyn, you get a free pass for screaming at the television during football games. *Bonus points if you manage to make a few of the things in your journal be positive observations about something you almost complained about that day! And until next time, make sure you are doing what you love in absolute joy.
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