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After a truly horrible fall/fall, I struggled every day to #remember. To breathe. Eat. Sleep. Write. Perform. Be me. I'd rally once in a while with the help of friends. But even those brief moments of clarity were fleeting upon a simple smell or sound. It's not that I stopped believing in myself. But I had lost faith in others.
Never again.
Who am I? The embodiment of passion, of life itself. Everything is joyful. Because, I take very little for granted. When I do, it's unwitting. I live life so fully, that 10 years for me is like 20 for any other typical human. And when you live with that kind of intensity--feel with that kind of intensity--everything is magnified. Even the difficulties.
A few days ago, I was given a powerful reminder of who I am by a famous musician who happens to be a fan of this very blog. Lucky me. Because the gift I walked away with was #peace.
This musician not so subtly told me I was an incredibly #beautiful person--from the inside out. That I belong on a stage every day. That my smile will bring #light to tens of thousands of people every single year. And, that he will be among my audience. Because, what's inside me is special. Unique. As is the way I share it with the world. Anyone who doesn't respect who I am is insecure and unworthy. And ultimately, knows it. Kind of hard to argue with a guy who has multiple platinum albums....
Just like that, no more pain. No more sadness. No more looking backward. It's only been a few days, but I have not had a single sinking moment since. Just relief. The burdens of my past lifted by the promise of a truly extraordinary future. One that not only I believe in, but someone who has been where I am, and successfully made the leap to where I'm going.
No circumstance or person can ever truly keep me down. Or, you. Life has taken me all over our incredible planet. For good reason. And in 2016, if we haven't yet had the pleasure, I will see you then. And in 2017, 2018...for many years to come.
When you forget who you are--and it happens to the best of us--think about how different your life will be a year from that moment...if, that is, you decide to make it different. While our past will always be a part of our present and future, it does not have to dictate what is yet to come. The past best serves as a platform from which we bravely dive forward; we're not meant to tread water for too long. Dissatisfaction with our known reality is a life-imperative that pushes us toward evolution. Obstacles become part of that forward momentum. We are forced to be resourceful, find a way around them, over them, through them--stronger and more confident for it.
Unless you choose to do nothing. Except, of course, cower before obstacles, too afraid of failure to even try. Fear lives your life for you in that moment. You may not feel responsible, but you will feel stuck. When that happens, insecurity, jealousy, envy, anger, resentment, and frustration will be your constant companions. You become a victim, reactive. The only way to free yourself is to embrace the proactive.
Survival is necessary in order to thrive. I survived a terrible fall. And just like every time before, I got up again. It wasn't easy, but being exceptional makes easy nearly impossible. It's a choice you know. You can choose to be average. To live the same year over and over again until you die. Or, you can choose to be #extraordinary. Choose to thrive. It takes little-to-no effort to survive. But thriving, that requires a certain level of talent. Elegance, even.
When you #remember who you are, you are free to make any choice you wish. What will yours be???
I've already made mine....
#Remember