I'm at the point many bloggers find themselves after five years of blogging. It's the point where I ask myself. "What's next?"
Can I do things on an even BIGGER scale? I won't stop blogging, but I'm ready to add something new. Something different. Something EPIC. I've got A LOT of great ideas: ideas for a book; ideas for an independent film; ideas for an art exhibit. I haven't acted on any of these ideas yet. So the next logical question is,"WHY THE HELL NOT?"
In a word: Confidence.
It's probably NOT a coincidence that I picked up a copy of Tim Sanders' book Today we are Rich: Harnessing The Power of Total Confidence. I've been unsettled. I've been uneasy. I feel like a first-time skydiver riding in a small Cessna Aircraft..knowing that I have all the skill and equipment to get the job done, but wonder whether I'll have enough courage to make the jump when I'm at the right altitude and it's only me and the sky. (In fact, this is the perfect analogy. I attended skydiver training in 1987 but never made the jump then. The weather was poor the first day and I didn't have enough confidence to return on Day #2.)
"Based on your self image, which steers everything, you mind is either your success mechanism or your failure machine," Sanders said. In the book, Sanders talks about Seven principles that provide you with the courage you need to be successful in life. A lot of it has to deal with perspective and a person's willingness to accept, learn from, and move beyond failures.
. . . Shakespeare will never be made by the study of Shakespeare. Do that which is assigned you, and you cannot hope too much or dare too much. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
But, Sanders words are enough to give me a nudge when I need it. That's probably why (without even realizing it) I ordered the book a few weeks ago and started reading it a few days ago. I'm ready and I need to surround myself with messages that remind me of this when I'm experiencing my most vulnerable moments.
I'M PLANNING FOR MY OWN VULNERABILITY. And, I'm expecting a lot of it over the next 60 days: I'm planning to produce an independent film for SXSW 2012 that evolves around the July 8, Atlantis Space Shuttle launch; I'm planning to organize a social media-based art show; and I'm planning to publish an e-book with other #trust30 participants that go the distance.
This things are all new things to me. They excite me. They energize me. They scare the HELL out of me. My success at work - and my success blogging - give me a lot of confidence. And, I'm surrounded by people who love me and who will enjoy their view of my endeavors regardless of the outcome.
Unknown variables in the equation don't bother me. Inexperience doesn't bother me. Quentin Tarantino, one of my favorite directors, didn't go to film school. He worked at the Video Archives, a now-defunct video rental store in Manhattan Beach where he and fellow movie enthusiasts, including Roger Avary, discussed cinema and customer video recommendations at length. His experience? He paid close attention to the types of films people liked to rent and has cited that experience as inspiration for his directorial career. He had the moxie and the confidence required to produce Reservoir Dogs.
I've got the Moxie. In a few months, it I'll know if I've also found the confidence.
This post is #4 in a series for #Trust30, a 30-day writing challenge that encourages participants to look within and trust themselves. It's an opportunity to reflect on 'now', and to create direction for the 'future'. Prompts from inspiring thought-leaders guide participants on the writing journey.
Credits: Cartoon by Doug Savage of Savage Chickens.
Big or Little?
Reliving my first lesson in scalability: Big versus little.