I was once at a dinner, seated next to a record producer, and asked him if there was anything that stood out in the people who became successful in the music industry versus those who didn’t. His answer was, “Absolutely. The musicians who are dedicated to their music will eat, sleep, and play regardless of circumstances. They will live on the streets if they have to. Nothing stops them from playing their music.”
That answer sums up a lot of things, and for most of us who allow our song or story or gift to languish inside because we are intent on making a reasonable living, the image is clear. We trade off the gifts of life for the illusion of security, and yet, when we do this, what happens to our inner life?
It is evident to me that people who come into our lives are mirrors of what we need to see, want to be, or what we need to overcome. And in the viewing, we may not get the full meaning of their message aside from friendship. I have several people in my life who are dedicated to their gifts, and are living life on the edge. They are unwilling to compromise and are stressed in the material sense, but totally fulfilled in their creative pursuits.
They have a sense of aliveness that eludes many of us who sell out the gift of Spirit for a paycheck. And yet, in viewing these creative warriors, I mistakenly have seen them as not being realistic…of not having a Plan B to fall back to should their work not hit the mark they are hoping for. However, my image of what they “should” do to be “safe” is totally contrary to their expression of life, and in my own unwillingness to take the gifts I’ve been given and find ways of bringing them forward more fully, I miss the point of their message to me. It is the same message I’ve received for years every time I have gotten concerned about making a living, and taken on jobs that aren’t really my soul work, but pay the bills. And each time, I end up depleted and frustrated because my own work seems to stop.
We cannot serve two masters. Either we serve the Spirit of our gifts, or we serve the pursuit of mammon. And unless we put Spirit first, our end result will be frustration. We may make a pay check, but we will not be fulfilled. Over and over we are told to do what we love and the money will follow. But what are we willing to sacrifice in doing this? For those who are safety conscious and fearful of losing security, that is a tall order. Yet, that is what life is about – thrusting us out of our comfort zone into the world of risk and reward.
As we see the results of trying to make a living when the cost of living is beyond so many, and the level of depression has skyrocketed as a result, we are all being called to simplicity and simplifying our wants and needs. Many will be challenged as more and more jobs are taken over by robots or sent overseas, and it is scary. But we can use this time to become what we were intended, and in the unmasking of the illusion of safety, we may indeed find out just what we are really made of and chart a course that will allow our soul potential to come into full bloom
Risk and reward is not about gambling, but about giving ourselves to our heart’s desire with full focus and attention. As we do so, we may have to find alternative ways of living, and we’ll find out how little we really needed, because when we are engaged in purposeful living, we are deeply nourished and satisfied.
These are extraordinary times that most of us never experienced before. There are great challenges and even greater opportunities, but we must overcome the fear that has held us in bondage, and be willing to march to the tune of the inner drummer. Then we will all see just what we’re made of and what might be possible.