Less Self-Conscious
Having two million followers won’t make you less self-conscious.
But which do you value more? Which do you work to achieve?
We want to be comfortable in our own skin…and scrolling a screen rarely helps us get there. But it sure feels comforting.
It’s the discomfort of real life that will help us become less self-conscious.
What Are They Paying For?
They’re not paying you to get it right. They’re paying you to feel something.
It’s why we don’t care that Adele often doesn’t sing in tune but still makes lots of money.
It’s why lots of singers in Nashville are great at singing in tune but don’t have a career in music.
»» This idea plays well in the arts…less so in things like medicine and structural engineering.
Attending vs Throwing A Party
When you attend a party you get to show up, participate, and simply walk away at the end of the night with an experience and an opinion. It might be fun, stimulating, exciting, connective, too long, boring, awkward…but all you had to do was show up. Not a bad deal.
Meanwhile, when you throw a party, you know every detail of everything going on. And you’re paying attention. If people don’t seem happy you wonder if the food went bad. If they’re not talking enough maybe the drinks are low. If they’re talking too much maybe the drinks are low. Maybe they’d be having more fun if they were standing over there rather than over here. Should the music be louder? Is there enough laughing? And you put a lot of effort into making this thing whole thing happen.
So if you’re an attendee, enjoy it knowing that the simple joy of the party was a lot of work for other people.
And if this is a hard concept to grasp, throw your own party. You’ll get it.
»» Party= show, event, gathering, dinner, meet up, rally, exhibition, parade…
Listening To Music
For all of us who are music makers and music lovers…
Turn on an album. A favorite album or a brand new one. Dim the lights. Or close your eyes. No distractions. Just listen.
Listen to the beats and the instruments and the voices and how amazing it is that they can be organized into something like that.
For most of us it’s been a long time since we’ve done something like this. But music has a way of giving more the more intently we listen.
(Music is unreliable in giving anyone a career but quite reliable in opening depth in our lives)