Sometimes I just need to turn off my brain and let a higher force, a more inspired and open force, take over. Tonight is one of those times. Here goes:
Thank you, Chris. It is wonderful to be received. How you let this voice in, even as you are noticing feelings of overwhelm in yourself, that you nonetheless allow in this voice of calm, inspiration, and love come in. Great job!
There really is nothing wrong. No matter what it seems like. Okay, so you don’t have it all figured out? Who does? Does anybody have it figured out? Even if they look like it, ask anybody, and they will probably admit that they don’t have it figured out. If they say they have it all figured out, they are lying, or not admitting to themselves what they do not know.
You don’t have to have it all figured out in order to feel good. You don’t have to know how everything is going in order to feel well. Being happy is not about “having it all together.” It is about being joyful. It is about enjoying the moment, enjoying your part in this moment.
It can start with merely noticing the moment, without fighting it. Just start by being here right now.
Okay. Very good advice. I like it. I admit that I am experiencing a bit of overwhelm right now. See, I have this TV appearance in a few days, I will be playing piano, I have been thinking this over for several weeks, and I have worked on some of the music I am doing, that’s going well. Today I heard back from the person at the TV station about the times I am going to play. They want me to stay for three hours. All of a sudden, the “doingness” of it struck me, and I got kind of overwhelmed, I admit it. It was not pleasant.
No, it is not. Yet what is that overwhelm about? It is about believing your mind when it starts to say things such as, “You won’t figure it out. You are going to screw this up.”
Yet how does it know this? Look at your track record. Are you really likely to screw this up?
No. I’m likely to pull it all together and have it all go great. I am likely to be very happy afterward. That is always how it is. I always come through. I guess my mind was worrying, and I believed it. Yuck.
That is okay. That happens. The key is to focus on the moment. Stay present. Start looking for ways to move forward, to get prepared. You know what to do. You have done it so many times before.
Yes, this is true. I guess I’m just a bit nervous, and I have all these possibilities, and need to make decisions about what I’m playing and stuff.
Yes. Because you really want to “take this on,” to make the most of it, and you will. You are challenging yourself to stretch, to go above and beyond the usual, to do something you haven’t done before. And that can bring some stress of the unknown with it! You are doing great. Now be patient with yourself, calm down, focus, and think it through.
Yes okay thanks. Now that you have embarrassed me publicly on this blog. Just kidding. I chose to type this. I let this be on here. I could have made a different choice.
Seriously, though, I appreciate the re-frame. I was getting overwhelmed there, and I let the uncertainty get to me. Now I realize that I’m just involved in a project, and by necessity there are unknowns. I’m okay with that now. It’s part of the process.
Thank you for the reminder.
Of course, Chris. You are doing great. It is not easy to stretch yourself, to step into the unknown, sometimes you feel like you are “over your head.” Yet you never are. And if you really are, then you make a new decision, you change direction. So everything will serve you in some way.
Well I certainly know what it’s like to be in over my head. That can really not be fun. I don’t think that will happen here, but it just brings up the necessity of really choosing my music wisely. Playing the music that really fits, and feels right. And not getting in my head about it.
Realize that all is perfect. There is a part of you that is getting caught up in “making something” out of this. That isn’t serving you. Let go of trying to get somewhere. Instead, come from expression, and the joy of sharing. Be led by joy, and you can’t go wrong!
You are absolutely right. I needed to hear that. Thank you very much.
Yes, yes, yes, so much wisdom here for all of us, not just music artists with genius minds.