Seventeen Thousand Hours

I had a very heartfelt conversation with a dear friend this evening. My friend had a very close call with disaster and walked away relatively unhurt. This left her questioning why she had been spared, and what should she be doing with her time. Earlier in the evening I had the privilege of entertaining two amazing people who had waged war on their cancer and emerged victorious and full of hope for their future. These conversations have me thinking …

If you had two years to spend on a dream, what would you spend it on?

What happens when you are good at a lot of things, but not great at one specific thing? What do you do?

It’s a common question. Maybe the universe is telling you there isn’t one thing you are supposed to do. Maybe you feel there are so many options you aren’t even sure where to begin.

Guess what? It’s okay to not know. It’s okay to have questions, to wrestle with your potential.

Do not believe the lie that says you are incapable of being excellent at something. Do not believe that you will never know what you were made to do.

”Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” ~ Proverbs 13:12

Whether your heart leads you to poetry, performing street magic in San Diego or adopting a child from Zambia, you should actively participate in your passions. Those desires are there for a reason. You can do more than dream and sigh.

Your longing to do what you were made to do, when fulfilled, will produce abundant fruit.

Remove the false idea that dreams only relate to future events. The road to your dream begins today, right here where you are. The journey is now. Not tomorrow, not someday. Right here, right now.

So you have a choice.

You can keep dreaming, wishing, and wondering. Or you can begin to live the dream, to travel the road, to make something extraordinary out of today.

Make a Choice

If you feel overwhelmed by options, pick something. Try a dream out. If it brings you and others life and there is fruit, then God is in it.

Make a list today. Write down the things that make you feel completely alive. Don’t worry about consequences or business model. Just dream. And it’s okay if the answer is long with multiple items on the list.

When you have your list, the real work begins. Seventeen Thousand Hours … just about two years. Give it your heart, give it your passion. Be happy about your choice no matter what negative responses you get. They are not you. Happiness breeds success.

In just that short amount of time you can change your world … in fact, you can change the entire world.

Get your feet in motion, and don’t stop there. Your mountain is waiting.

Happiness … is the Road.

“Look inside you
Feel the life course through you
The life that’s giving In every thing that’s living
The plants and the trees
The birds and the bees
And apes like you and me” ~ Marillion

I would be so happy if …

…I just land this promotion.

…I was in love.

…I could afford more .

Success means Happiness … right?

Most people today hold to the belief that if we are successful, we will be happy. That belief keeps us in a position of anxiously striving and looking to the next thing. We think a new job, a promotion, the latest technology, or the right people will be the answer to our discontent.

I propose to you that this way of thinking is incorrect, and crippling. It’s the other way around.

Happiness Produces Success
Happiness actually fuels triumph.

“When we are positive, our brains become more engaged, creative, motivated, energetic, resilient, and productive at work.” ~ Shawn Achor

So how does this happen? Well, it’s all about developing the habit of being happy. Many of our minds have been trained to think negatively, so it takes conscious effort to retrain the mind to think positively and gratefully. Achor explains that after a period of about 21 days of consciously thinking positively, the pattern of positive thinking can be retrained permanently in the brain.

Happiness is Infectious

How you meet you meet your fellow travelers affects them. Gloom breeds gloom, excitement breeds excitement. We live in a very negative society. Gossip, envy and avarice is the social norm. People feel it’s okay to demean and disparage someone whose view differs from their own. It’s very easy to fall into the negativity trap. Negativity becomes a burden, as it sits and becomes heavier. It can cause real physical problems.

Look at where you are and learn to be thankful for where you are. Yes, there are grand adventures ahead, but what you have right here and right now are worth celebrating. Take some time everyday to extend your senses … breathe, sing, dance. Be an infection.

3 New Ways of Thinking
Today I am grateful because…

I am going to make today a great day by…

My circumstances don’t dictate my emotions. Today I am choosing to be joyful.

Happiness isn’t magically going to find you. It won’t appear one day after you get a degree, or a job, or a promotion, or find that perfect person. Choose happiness today. and when you do … why stop there?

“Happiness ain’t at the end of the road. Happiness IS the road.” ~ Marillion

Failure is Not an Option

“It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.” ~ C.S. Lewis

 

My Friend, I have some news to share: You are going to fail.

That sounds kind of harsh, but I know you want the truth from me.
 It’s a part of the journey we are on. Gird yourself and prepare: it will come along.

Failure will happen to you.

In following  your road, you will make some mistakes along the way, in fact you need too. Some really big ones.

This is how you grow. There can be no creation or growth without some pain. It will shape you, mold you. Like refining gold, you have to purge the impurities. It’s going to be hard, but it’s the only way.

To paraphrase the movie ‘Apollo 13’, ”Failure is not an option.” That’s very true, failure is not optional … in fact, it’s a necessity. Don’t fear failure. Since I’m quoting art, how about this one: “Fear is the little death.” (Dune) To fear failure is to lose the battle before beginning it. Fear tells us to keep ourselves bottled up and protected. It tells us to play it safe. It warns of impending failure. Fear lies to us, deceives us into thinking that if we fail, our dreams are over.

Sorry. It’s just not true.

Failure Brings You Closer to Your Goal

Here’s the truth: Failure helps you succeed. It shows you what not to do or when something doesn’t work. It is the fertilizer for experience. In my career I’ve failed more than I’ve succeeded, if you want to keep a record. I’ve been fired, mocked and even booed off stage more than once. I’ve had my phone, my lights and my water cut off. I’ve had my car repossessed and evicted from my home. If i hadn’t been to the bottom, I sincerely couldn’t be as grateful as I am. I wouldn’t be sitting here writing this to you.

I’ve been robbed, protested, preached against, assaulted. I’ve been cheated, swindled and lied to. I could fill a book with promises that have not been kept. Show biz. Because of my faith, I can say that I’ve forgiven all of these. I believe in the greatness of the human spirit. I’ve failed, and I’ve kept on down the road.

Failure is the potential of success, not yet fully realized.

So Now What?

You need to keep dreaming. Keep moving down your road. What we have is this moment; so treasure what it holds. Keep breathing. 

When you stop dreaming, you become afraid. You get paralyzed, and that is where you really fail.

You will mess up. You will fall down. On your face. Hard. It will hurt.

Proverbs 24:16 says,

“The righteous man falls seven times but rises again.”

Not once, not twice — but seven times. Getting back up produces character and character produces hope.

With failure comes perseverance. With perseverance comes success.

Keep failing, keep learning. Failing means you’re doing. And if you are doing …

Why stop there?

No Excuses

My success lies in my hands. My decisions and how I act on them determine my path.

No whining.

New Eyes

(An Affirmation)

Try to forget the petty squabbles, the envy, the struggle for position … just for today.

Instead, focus on why you started down this path in the first place. Focus on your love of the craft, the satisfaction of completing a goal. What ignited your passion for this task?

In your personal life: reach back and remember the feel of wonder at the simple things. Step outside and see how vast the sky is. Remember the smell of her hair, the first electric touch. The small hand of a child, trusting you.

Forget the stress, just for today. See the world as if you had new eyes. When today is over … why stop there?

Street Lessons (Part Five)

“You can’t always get what you want.” ~ The Philosophers Jagger and Richards

5) You have to A-S-K in order to G-E-T

Cliche’? Sure? Obvious? Yes. It’s still true, nonetheless. You will accomplish 0% of the goals you don’t try for. The very key is in the asking. On the street, you earn your right to be heard. Once that right is earned, what do you say? Are you preaching? Promoting? Asking for cash? It all comes down to making your desire known. A lot of performing artists look down on the street performer, even those that started out on the street. I’ve heard former street performers demean the street theater, once they’ve ‘made it’. I’ve had more than one agent advise me that I shouldn’t discuss my street performance (especially when I’m out there in the present day) because it can diminish my working credibility. How can I possibly ask for fees in the thousands of dollars when I’m out hustling for fives and tens on the street? I submit that the negotiation is the same, the only difference is the perception, and what I’m willing to ask for. Here’s a secret to my street brethren: Do you know what brings bigger tips? A bigger hat. When your receptacle is large it sends a signal that a small hat just won’t hold what you are expecting. When I pitch, I don’t mention ones – I always ask for fives, tens and twenties. I ask, and I get.

What do you want? Money? A new job? A relationship? Whatever it is you want, there is someone out there who has it … and they are willing to give it to you if you ask for it. Don’t misunderstand me; by the time you ask, you must have already proven yourself. On the street, you have managed to stop them, you have given your show in a skillful and entertaining manner, and then you ask for their money. You have earned it. It’s the same way where you are. You earn your right to be heard, and then you ask for what you want.

There are people who have the things they want. The difference between them and you? While you were busy whining, beating yourself up, resenting them for having it and pretending like you didn’t want it, they asked. While you were busy getting frustrated, giving up on yourself, making excuses and blaming others for your place in this world, they asked. While you were busy settling for second best, looking for the easy way out, finding fault and feeling bad for yourself, they asked. You didn’t. Yes, while I’m busy pointing fingers at you, I currently have three pointing back at me. I’m guilty of all of those things, but I’m overcoming.

Look at the people who have what you want. How did they get there? Learn from those who came before you. Study them. Ask them questions. Figure out the road they took. ASK. If you came to my house for dinner and I served you a killer dish of ribs and roasted barbeque and you would like to serve that to your own guests sometime, what do you do? Do you haphazardly buy ingredients and make an attempt at the same thing … or do you simply ask for my recipe? Once you have the instructions it is still up to you to follow them and put in the work, but you’ve just cut your learning curve, and all you had to do was ask.

The street taught me this: I must listen more than I speak. I must be a lifelong student. I must be forever asking questions and seeking answers. I do this, and I will not stop. After all: why stop there?

As Mick & Keith say … sometimes the answer will just be “no” or “not now”. These are not reasons to give up. You can’t always get what you want, but you won’t get what you don’t ask for.

Sometimes you just need to ask: Ask for the job, ask for the money, ask for help, ask for a better deal, ask for a second chance, ask for her hand in marriage. Just ask. You’ll be surprised. Sometimes, there is someone out there just waiting for you to ask.

“If you try, sometimes you get what you need.”

Street Lessons (Part Four)

4) The reward is in the journey.

Philosophically: Does the constant flow of information surrounding us steal our ability to imagine? If you can simply pull up a virtual tour of Florence, Italy (for example) then why bother going outside at all, much less making the journey?

“The first question you will ask and which I must try to answer is this, ‘what is the use of climbing Mount Everest ?’ and my answer at once must be, ‘It is no use’. *** What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to live. That is what life means and what life is for.” ~ George Mallory

On the street, the performance is under constant assault. High and low temperature extremes, wind, rain … the unexpected can happen at any time, yet the show must go on. The rent is coming up, the cupboard needs stocking. Bills don’t care about the weather. The commitment has been made and the time comes to us all when we must put fear and anxiety aside and simply climb the mountain. In the documentary “BUSK!”, James Lee Walker II makes the observation that in the harsher conditions, the money comes easier. While this is true, that was not my main reason for persisting in the rougher weather. The joy of performing was my main objective and the more I worked, the stronger this conviction became. Ironically, the less I concerned myself with the tips and how much I was taking in, the bigger the take seemed at the end of the day.

In this modern day and age, I notice fewer people looking at where they are. Our faces are mesmerized by our portable virtual world to such an extent that we are missing the tangible world around us. With my street show, I engaged people, I looked at them, read their faces. I looked for the beauty and humanity in whoever I was engaged with at the time. I listened. I touched and allowed myself to be touched. I let my feelings come through in my performance, I didn’t put on a plastic smile. I came close to art.

Where are you going, virtual traveler? Have you seen the beauty outside your front door? One of our gifts is this awesome world and the creatures surrounding us.

When the show is over and the crowd was gone, I would often feel spent and lonely. I would walk back home, alone, remembering the laughter and conversations of the day. “The moon lit my way and my shadow followed behind.” I changed my world and I affected dozens of others, each day. I grew stronger and my mind grew more clear. In the big picture, at the end, we all walk alone. What we see and treasure along the way will be the biggest part of our final reward. The lives we affect, the seeds we plant. Are you sowing good fruit? Are you noticing the gifts all around you? Are you sharing love, despite the conditions?

“Happiness ain’t at the end of the road. Happiness IS the road.” ~ Marillion

Street Lessons (Part Three)

“With each step I am more certain everything will turn out fine.
I have confidence the world can all be mine.” ~ The Sound of Music

When I first stepped into the streets, I was fairly certain that I was a good magician. Being in front of people has never been a problem for me.  I had worked very hard to get to where I was and knew I could entertain people, if I could just get them to watch. My biggest problem (as usual) was my brain. Over and over in my head I kept thinking “What right do you have to be here? What makes you think you have anything special to offer?” Sadly, many talented people think they aren’t entitled to doing certain things.

3) You ARE worthy. So very often we diminish our worth in our own mind. Guess what? Many people who have done great things in their lives weren’t entitled at first, either. That’s why I call it ‘the road’. This is your journey, and you are growing with every step. Once you’ve made up your mind, set your goal and gotten started, now comes the time you must step with confidence.

You are uniquely and gloriously made. Your experiences: your dreams, your mistakes, your fears and your joy are all gifts, so share them. Put all of you into your work. Walk with your shoulders back, your head high. Understand: not everyone is going to listen! Just because you can only gain the attention of a few isn’t an indication that what you have to offer is not worthwhile. Keep at it, keep stepping. Listen to the reactions of people and adjust accordingly IF you think what they say is valid.

People don’t buy what you do – they buy why you do it. Gather your passion, believe in your journey, believe in yourself. With each step away from mediocrity and the stagnant masses, you will gain confidence and power. This is true whether you are doing card tricks on the street, trying to get in shape or moving forward in business.

What makes a person entitled enough to begin submitting their work to the world? Lots of practice, honesty with their abilities, and learning how the business works. Know that much and you’re more entitled than most people.

Muster the confidence to express your worth, and don’t stop there.

Street Lessons (Part Two)

“I can imagine the moment, breaking out through the silence. All the things that we both might say: come talk to me.” ~ Peter Gabriel

Here you are. You’ve mustered the courage and practiced your craft, you have committed yourself to your road … now what? Let’s look to the street.

2) Develop Relationships Out on my little stretch of sidewalk, I got to know the beat cops. They were suspicious of me at first, of course, because what I was doing was outside the norm, and no one likes to have their ‘norm’ changed. But after a short time watching me perform, they grew to trust me, and enjoy seeing me there. I learned their names, and used them. I always took a moment to say hello and ask how their day was. (AND I listened to their response!) They watched my back, their presence and our relationship assured the people passing by that I was ‘legitimate’.

I got to know the local shops, restaurants and bars. I could recommend specific places to anyone that had an inquiry. (“What’s good around here to eat?”) More specifically, I got to know the servers and managers of the surrounding restaurants. I knew what promotions were being run, when ‘half-price wing night’ was, which restaurants were less likely to have children present. I knew when the best bartenders were working, and I could point an audience member in their direction. This resulted in the bartenders, servers and managers recommending me to their patrons. During the hot summer months, some restaurants would send me out water. Often, a manager would come out as I was packing up and offer me a free dinner for helping drive traffic his way.

I listened to my audience. If they said something funny or got a laugh on their own, I laughed along, sometimes tipping them and writing down their joke. (I learned this by watching comedian George Wallace work. One night at the Comedy Zone he got ‘heckled’ by a fairly funny line. Before countering, George took a notebook out of his pocket and wrote down the line, right there on stage. The audience laughed at that for a solid three minutes.) They built some of my patter for me.

This cultivation of relationships led to a harvest of good paying corporate jobs and trade shows, where I continued to build relationships. This is a secret that is known in the business world as ‘networking’. Okay, so not such a huge secret, but it’s a word that’s tossed around often without the understanding of how powerful a tool it really is. The old saying “It’s who you know” is true: success is as much about relationships as it is about skill.

Potential clients, partners and bosses want to work with people who are easy to deal with: people who know how to listen and cultivate working relationships. From such cultivation does leadership take root. People will follow those that they trust – communication and ease in building relationships will put you out in front with them.

Be genuine. This is not a time to put on a character. You are a fascinating, interesting person – share who you are, really. Have you met your neighbors? Do you say hello to the people you see in the halls, or in your building? Get out there and get to know people!

We live in an age where we may have hundreds of ‘virtual’ friends online via Twitter and Facebook, but when is the last time you had a face to face with a casual friend? Build, build! We are surrounded by human beings with loads of the same kinds of experiences, fears and dreams. At the very least, you’ll make some new friends. You could do a lot worse than being surrounded by people who want to be around you.

You’ve taken your first steps on your road. Don’t Stop There.

Street Lessons (Part One)

“Just breathin’ and dreamin’ and passin’ by the time.” ~ Neil Cribbs

For years I’ve worked as a busker, an artist that performs on the streets for tips and donations. In the beginning it was the only venue I had. Street performing and dedication, as well as the ability to tell a good story under pressure on the street landed me my first restaurant gig, and those venues are what laid the foundation for my career. These days I don’t need the money in the hat, and the street act has become a bit more pure in its execution. I still take to the streets when I want to test new material. There’s no better venue to test an act under fire: those audiences have nothing invested in the show. They can and will walk away or give you immediate feedback if you fail to entertain them. Sometimes I just  go back to the street because it’s there. It’s also somewhat comforting to know that if I ever have need, I have a stage that’s waiting and a hat to collect the wages.
My street antics attracted the attention of a young talented filmmaker a couple of years ago who was telling the story of street art in Charlotte. The project can be seen at buskmovie.com . The movie is quite fun, informative and worth a couple of viewings.

Lately I’ve been thinking about how the street helped me on my continuing road, and my ‘Why Stop There?’ philosophy. I’m going to share some of these lessons in the next couple of chapters. Let me know what you think: your feedback is not only welcome, it’s desired.

1. To get started, you have to get started. I spent years reading books, practicing alone and performing a few tricks for friends. My ability to spin a story came from my Grandpa Jack, a true fisherman and weaver of yarns. This was all fine and good, but the substance of my growth didn’t begin until I took a chance and stepped onto the stage in front of strangers. My stage was the sidewalk, my audience the people walking by. This venue was born out of necessity: I found myself out of work with a few nice prospects, but they all involved mind-numbing drudgery or underpaid labor. Out of frustration, I took a small table and a deck of cards and went to the corner of Trade & Tryon in my hometown of Charlotte, NC.  I told a few jokes and did a few tricks and after a couple of hours there was grocery money in the hat. I earned about $12 an hour. This was 1993 and it was better money than I could make sitting in an office. I was inspired …

I strove to improve my craft. When I wasn’t on the street, I was reading, practicing, writing my stories and jokes down and reciting them. I took care of my family and my responsibilities.

If I hadn’t worked up the nerve to take that initial step, to just put my flag in the ground and say “Let’s give THIS a try!’, I would not be doing it today. I had to start down the road. I found that it had been waiting for me.

Who are you? Where does your talent lie? What excuses are keeping you from reaching your fullest potential? Perhaps it’s time to look at yourself, your talents and your responsibilities and ask yourself: “Why am I here?” You were made for something, you have a talent and a purpose.  There’s work to be done, there are people just looking for someone like you to follow. Take your step, get on the road to your success and move forward.

And don’t stop there.

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