One stormy October evening at midnight, I found myself on the cold kitchen floor of my beautiful Penthouse Condo, curled up in a fetal position, rocking back and forth, feeling like I wanted to die…
I made one million dollars that year.
I did EVERYTHING I was “supposed to” do to “be successful,” but inside, I was a mess.
We’re taught that it’s ALL about external success at ALL costs, status, power, money, prestige.
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Too many of us spend our lives comfortably numb, sleepwalking, frozen by fear, and in a hypnotic trance that’s been programmed into our minds since birth, from an unawakened and consumer driven society.
I know because I was one of them.
We’re taught that it’s ALL about external success at ALL costs, status, power, money, prestige.
We’re given the message that we’re broken and need to be fixed, giving us an underlying belief that we’re not good enough, that there’s something wrong with us, creating an entire industry to “try” and solve “the problem” that never existed, it’s now a multi billion dollar industry.
I still battle with doubt sometimes, getting lost, falling off track. The programming runs deep, but now I know how to access something bigger in me that helps me focus on what matters most, and what I know is always true …
My HEART.
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We’re busy chasing money, consuming, trying to fit in, be perfect (according to the media and other people’s opinions), and worse yet, spending our entire lives doing what we thought we were supposed to do; thinking that’s “the answer,” so that we can FINALLY be happy ONE day, get our piece of the American Dream, and THEN start living.
“They” say it’s time to celebrate; because you’ve finally arrived.
The American dream! “What else is there?” they shout!
What else indeed. Only everything…only our very souls.
Why do you think you were you put on this earth?
Is it for the money?
The house?
The car?
The fame?
The recognition?
The approval?
The acceptance?
Those can be a great part of the human experience. But is that what you’re REALLY looking for?
Is that what you REALLY want?
Is that why you’re REALLY here?
I doubt it.
What about YOUR TRUTH?
What about YOUR HEART?
What about YOUR SOUL?
Where do they fit into your life?
I learned these lessons the hard way; more than once, more than twice. The reason SO many of us suffer is because we’re disconnected from our TRUE Self, and what’s in our heart that’s been buried for years.
Your CALLING is calling YOU.
Most of us ignore it at our own peril.
I know this to be true—the Universe will have its way with you one way or the other.
Listen to what it’s telling you, dive into it, and things will go smoother. Run from it, and you will eventually get smacked upside the head until you do.
Those come from love, and sometimes love hurts until you align with and surrender to it, then it becomes your best friend.
It’s your spiritual GPS, your SOUL PATH reaching out to you to go ALL IN.
“I SEE You.” It says. “There’s nowhere to hide.”
It may feel good or look good for a little while doing what you’ve been doing, but eventually you’ll wake up and feel the pain of separation from YOUR Core Truth, gradual at first, then more and more until you pay attention, because if you don’t, it may take you out.
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I started playing piano when I was 5. Not because I was told to, but because I needed to. It was a must for me.
Something about it felt right inside me, it was calling me; I came here with the gift of music.
At 10 I started taking photos for the same reason. It felt good. I could see the world through the lens of the camera, I saw LIFE in the presence, I was part of a bigger story, I came here with the gift of seeing.
Then I started writing.
I also made people laugh a lot.
I could see and feel into people’s souls.
I felt things.
I saw things.
We ALL have gifts embedded in our DNA and our Souls, yet, we don’t listen, and that’s where so much of the pain stems from.
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There was something in me that knew life was different than what I was being shown. These are the gifts of my Soul. They’ve been with me since the day I set foot on this planet. I stuffed all of them down, locked in the basement of my Soul with duck tape over its mouth, for decades.
Music, writing, photography, storytelling, using my intuition, sharing my spiritual wisdom, creating entertainment, and comedy, etc, these come natural to me AND they give me ENERGY.
We ALL have gifts embedded in our DNA and our Souls, yet, we don’t listen, and that’s where so much of the pain stems from.
It’s those urgings, callings, whispers from the muse, internal guidance, feelings, and your heart talking that are the maps that lead you home.
I was told that I couldn’t make money playing music, doing photography, writing, or being in entertainment, because artists and creatives don’t make money, go be like everyone else and join the rat race, (happiness not included).
It’s total B.S.
Some part of me ALWAYS knew it was.
Now more than EVER, you can make an amazing living being creative. YouTube millionaires anyone?
But I, like a foolish child, bought into the lie.
So I got a finance degree and became a trader, got rich, and had a breakdown, (AKA a Soul Calling), that woke my spiritual ass up out of the trance, and led me to explore what was real and what was programmed. It took me almost two decades to disarm that bomb in my mind.
The Matrix still tries to lure me back in, and I may get sucked into it for a few minutes, days, or even weeks, but I ALWAYS come back to my truth.
Because the pain of separation is TOO painful, and the connection to my heart is intoxicating, joy filled, expansive, and where the Universe will BUST A MOVE in your favor.
This human thing is a rocking wild ride to be FULLY embraced, with ALL of its experiences.
To me life is ART, and EVERY ounce of sh*t, we go through, makes our Souls stronger, gives us wisdom, insight, compassion, and a way to help empower others through our voice, our creativity, our experiences, and our Truth.
It’s easy to get lost in the spiritual wilderness of the human condition without a map. The biggest gift I’ve received is knowing that the map is inside me, and will always lead me home.
In my view, we’re all artists and creatives in one way or another.
It is our CHOICE how we want to live.
There is NOTHING heavier than the weight of regret.
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We can let society, our own egos, and the opinion of others run us or we can CHOOSE to let our SOULS take the lead, by getting quiet and listening, trusting that the inner guidance will trump any and ALL intellectual decisions and choices.
Two VERY different life experiences.
My call?
Go with YOUR heart and align with YOUR OWN TRUTH.
EVERY TIME.
What happens is ALWAYS better than we could ever dream of on our own.
YOU are a Spiritual Bad Ass, and it’s time to start acting like it.
We don’t need any more posers…we DO need MORE people who are FULLY ALIVE.
And remember, we’re ALL just visitors passing through…
So don’t blow the visit.
You’re here for a reason and you’re NOT broken.
Give yourself PERMISSION to…
Create NOW.
Fully live NOW.
Love NOW.
Align with your Soul Calling Now.
The sad part is that the majority of us will die with our music still inside us, don’t be one of them.
There is NOTHING heavier than the weight of regret.
And there’s NOTHING more powerful and life changing than GIVING YOURSELF, and ALL of US, the gifts inside you, your Soul expressions, a taste of life from your lens, your stories, your experiences so that we and life can somehow be better because you walked this earth with us.
Source: 30dB.com – American Dream
“Looks like the American Dream is still barely above water in Social but there doesn’t seem to be much middle ground between the supporters and detractors.” – Howard K. 30dB
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This post is republished on Medium.
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Beautifully said and written Scott –and incredibly, poignantly true. Just know one thing though, listening to one’s Heart takes tremendous courage and living with the uncertainty that following it may not lead to a comfortable life. You apparently have found a way to do both –and I applaud you for it. I’ve spent most of the last 40 years as an entrepreneur with more “successes” than not, only never to feel truly fulfilled despite the financial rewards and professional acclaim. I now am pursuing that calling (which happens to be very similar to yours — helping people to take down… Read more »
One more thing –given that we are talking about being authentic. I went to your site and, quite frankly, was completely turned off. It aggressively tried to sign me up several times for your newsletter with pop-up windows. And, it just smelled a bit like info-marketing with a spiritual “hey bro!” vibe which, just saying, came off as anything but authentic. I’ll admit to being a bit leery of this kind of marketing because I’ve personally witnessed so many “Life Coaches” tout new-ageisms yet rarely walked their own talk. They were in it for the money and rationalized what they… Read more »
Thanks again for sharing Michael, I appreciate your comment. Although I’m not an “info marketer,” I’m more of an artist and entertainer, I do know the importance of building a list so I can stay in touch with the people who want to stay connected. It allows me to continue to make a difference through my writing, my music, my speaking, and my comedy in their lives. I’m run by, and will always be run by my heart and my passions, I’m here to use my authentic gifts to serve and make a huge difference in the world, with no… Read more »
Thank you for taking the time, effort and Heart to respond Scott. I totally own the fact that I have a “charge” about this issue having been burned (along with others) badly a number of times. We live in a society where attention is the currency and it is becoming more time consuming every day just to be seen and heard. I struggle with this all the time and I’m not sure myself as to what the best approach is –except to listen to my Heart as well -something my head and ego often violently disagree with. Thank you again… Read more »
Thanks for sharing Michael. I agree with you that the path with heart isn’t always easy, and takes tremendous courage and faith, but like you said, I wouldn’t trade it for anything either. I found out early the emptiness of success and wealth without a purpose or mission and calling. My path hasn’t been easy and is emerging new every single day, but I do know that I don’t think there’s any other way to live because what else is there besides being in alignment with our Soul and the calling from the Universe that is unique to our individual… Read more »