It is important to keep momentum, no matter how things may appear.
This past week has been rather bleak, almost as if we have been hit over and over again and this was a particularly hard blow. Like 2020, when the death of George Floyd rocked the country; we are all waiting to see what the fall out will be with the death of Charlie Kirk and the new school shooting will be. As an artist, political climate can affect so many aspects of our careers. Financially our markets change, emotional stress effects our creativity, and concerns about the future ca make us wary of future plans. All of these things can affect our momentum, our ability to keep moving forward with our career or creativity.
Recently, I was notified that I had been awarded an opportunity. I looked at the future and thought, “there is no way I can make this work.” I also took advantage of a free business seminar and one of the things that it pointed out was that I was “self sabotaging” my own career. It wasn’t just the opportunity, it was other things that I was dropping the ball on. I keep talking about keeping focused on your goals, how can I point to this and not recognize that I am guilty of losing focus myself.
Time is going to march on with or without our active involvement and we will be carried along with it as unwilling passengers. We all try to plan ahead, but let’s face it; we can’t really see the future. With so many things going on all over the world that are frightening, and with the uncertainty in our own country, why would we take chance and do something that is a real chance of failure? Because, we can’t sit and wait for things to get better. The optimum time might be right in front of us and while we are waiting for things to get better, it might just pass us by. We must take chances, no matter what is going on in the world. Whether it is a job, a love, an opportunity; we have to have hope that life will be better tomorrow.
It is said all the time, in churches everywhere, “Sun rise is God’s promise.” The world keeps turning and each sunrise brings us new hope and new chances for a future. Life is more than just survival, it is joy, beauty, happiness, and hope. Without any of these things it is bleak and sad, an endless grind of daylight and night time. We can’t live in fear, it wears us down and grinds us into hollow forms of our former selves. You have a right to have a chance at joy and reach for your dreams, no matter what is going on in the world. Don’t feel guilt because you want something for yourself. Reach for the brass ring and if you can, bring others along with you. A journey is always more fun with companions and we always need our friends.