C'mon, People, Go Do Your Thang
Today’s post is inspired in part by International Women’s Day, which was yesterday, but you probably already knew that. One of my colleagues told me about Diane Von Furstenburg’s foundation and the DVF Awards.
They are giving $50k to the non-profit that gets the most votes. So go read about ‘em and vote. That’s the first thing I want you to do.
The second thing I want you to do is listen to the thoughts in your head. What comes up when you read about what they’ve done?
Are you a little jealous that they threw caution to the wind and set out to change the world? Good.
Are you coming up with reasons why they could do it, but why you can’t?
THAT’S what I want to talk about.
Because you CAN.
The only thing, THE ONLY THING, stopping you is you. What stops you are all those pesky, feverish little thoughts that tell you “It’s just not realistic. I’ll never make any money doing it.”
Perception is reality.
How you interpret the world will determine the action you take (or lack of action) and the results you get.
So, you are correct: If you are telling yourself that it’s not realistic and that you can’t make enough money writing, painting, selling soap, flying kites, building bikes, whatever your dream is, then it’s true. You can’t and you won’t.
Because you’ve already decided you can’t; therefore, you won’t take the action necessary to go do your thang.
I’m not here to beat you up about this. Not at all.
I’m here to plead with you to please, please, go do the thing that you’ve been dreaming of. Please.
The world needs more people like the women featured by the DVF; people, who despite all the naysayers and how unrealistic, went ahead anyway to follow their passions and their dreams, thereby making a positive contribution to the world and to people's lives.
You know where they started? With an idea. By talking about it. By committing. Then they took action. And every time they took action, they learned something. And then took more action.
What is your idea? It doesn’t have to be a save-the-world dream. (However, I AM hoping it’s not an end-the-world dream.) It doesn’t have to be big and fancy or glamorous, it just has to be YOURS.
There is only one you; your job on this planet is to be you, wherever that leads you.
It's selfish NOT to be you.
Yes, that's what I said. Trying to be something other than yourself is, well, like pushing a wet noodle up a wall with your nose.
You want to make pies for people, go make pies. Stop saying, “It’s not realistic to make pies. There are already too many pies in the world. You can’t make money from pies. There’s too much gluten. No one eats gluten anymore. I can’t make pies. I’m not even good at it.”
What is your idea? What is the contribution you want to make to the world, however big or small?
Go ahead, write it down your idea on a piece of paper right now and put it in your desk drawer or a jewelry box or underneath the q-tips in the jar in the bathroom. Or put it on a post-it note on your laptop. Write down your dream, your idea, your desire.
Take a deep breath. Then ask for guidance. From the air, the universe, Mother Nature, a god of your choosing, a unicorn, your dog. Just ask for guidance and listen.
See what the answer is and then take a step, some action however small, that is in the direction of your dream. This is how we can make the world a better place, serve others and be happy. Do your thang.
