inspiration & perspiration :-)

I was thinking late last night about the 'inspirational talk' I'm giving later this month. I haven't felt very inspired about it - not that I don't talk all day and every day about the creative process and its capacity to lift us and move us forward - but everytime I think about it, I get this picture in my head of what the audience is going to see, and I picture them saying to themselves, 'yeah right, like she knows anything'. And right there is the problem with most performance anxiety.

I decided to overcome that by reading a book about public speaking. Funnily enough, it just happened to be on my sister's bookshelf yesterday when I was browsing to see if she had any interesting novels to read. I've read the first few chapters now, and one truth that jumped out at me was that if you talk about something you're passionate about, you will engage an audience. I see this as Passion plus Courage = Inspiration.

I get many comments from folks on how much I do and how deeply involved in music I am. But for me it doesn't feel like I'm doing anything extraordinary - I'm just living my creative life, fueled by the passion to do so, and thrilled everytime I am inspired to create, teach, perform and play.

When you have a healthy passion for something that lights you up inside - whether it's collecting elephants, running, or songwriting - and you embrace that passion on a routine basis, and you make choices in your life that support that passion, then I believe that light shines through you. And that your act of being passionate about that great thing you love to do.... sends ripples out into the energy of the world and because of your creative act.... someone else you probably will never know will be inspired to do the same. You don't set out to 'be' inspiring, you just 'are' because you are living your life with a meaning that you have defined for yourself.

Just think what would happen if half the world's population got passionate about peace. And they started by looking inside themselves and finding peace within, doing acts of peace like meditation or running or writing or painting or whatever it is that makes them feel still & serene inside. They worked on understanding their programming & preconceptions, and live with compassion, tolerance and understanding. They learned to listen rather than preach. They learned to hear instead of judge. They passionately believed that most human beings have the potential to be something extraordinary, if they could rise above the doubt, the integrated limitations, and live with passion. Slowly, as their passion for peace manifested in their own spirit, they'd begin to do acts of peace in their own family, in their neighbourhood. They'd make it a goal to have a peaceful home and a peaceful community, and they'd approach that work with passion, compassion, and belief. Passion would motivate them to overcome the setbacks. They'd 'pay it forward' whenever they could.

See what I mean :lol: - I started to talk about something I'm passionate about.... and that's what came out of my head & heart. Thought for the day, I guess.

I hope this week you will renew your passion for music and embrace it everyday in small ways as you walk along the path of life.