We spend our whole lives viewing our worlds from the inside of our heads out. We can get so tripped up by the squirrels running around between our ears that we can't think or see straight - ever notice how much easier it is to figure out other people's problems than your own? This is because your perception of them is squirrel-free. And so it goes for your friends. Lots of times what is so baffling to us is crystal clear to the people around us. Ask your friends what they think your best qualities are and what they could see you being happiest doing. Obviously the final choice is up to you, but you can get some great perspective looking through other people's eyes.
Listen to Your Friends
Monday morning, and Savannah Monroe opens the front door to dash out on the porch, grab the newspaper, and duck back into the house before brisk air saturates her robe. Instead she finds a calico kitten rolling with the paper, tackling it as if it were a football, gnawing the rubber band."Hi, Sweetie," Savannah says, slowly kneeling, forgetting the icy breeze. "Who do you belong to?"The kitten jumps to its feet, meows loudly, and runs to Savannah, flopping across her slippers. As she strokes its matted fur, she estimates the kitten to be six weeks old, part of a feral colony living in the overgrown lot down the street.
Here's what I learned about finding your passion from The Boss:
Cut to:
By the time I first saw him it was 1993 which meant he had long-ago earned his status as The Boss, and had probably forsaken his humble Jersey roots for a mansion in Westchester somewhere, but he was still a hard worker, was still connected to his message and he still loved what he did. And by golly so did I.
What sort of activities make you lose track of time? What magazines do you gravitate towards in a bookstore? What sorts of things fill you with nervous excitement? A lot of times the answer is standing right next to us, but we're so caught up in worry and indecision and panic over choosing the wrong thing that we walk right past it. Pay attention to what makes you happy, down to the teeniest tiniest little things, and do it without judgment or any thoughts about what should make you happy. It's just like what happened to little Patty Scialfa, singing back-up for Bruce, pining away while he went off and married a supermodel. When he finally stopped living the I'm a Rockstar So I Have to Marry a Model dream and woke up to find his girl still waiting for him, he found his true love. Or that's my version of how it went down at least.
"I'll bet you're hungry," she says, feeling the kitten's ribs poking through its caramel and ivory coat.Suddenly a low growl escalates behind Savannah as Thoth, her Maine Coon, discovers the reason for the open door and chilly breeze swimming throughout the living room. Before she can stop him, Thoth lurches for the kitten, which scurries like a white mouse beneath Savannah's robe and into the house.Hearing the howling, Horus bounds down the stairs and helps Thoth corner the hissing kitten under the kitchen table, while Savannah slams the door and rushes over."Move back, boys," she says to Thoth and Horus, gently pulling the cats aside so she might crawl under the table to rescue the shivering kitten. "Let's clean you up a bit," she says to the kitten, as it tries to hide in her arms.
When I lived in New York I worked for a big fancy record company that signed a lot of big fancy artists. We got free CDs and tickets to just about everything that came through town, so I'm not proud to report I was pretty blase when I snagged 15th row seats to Bruce Springsteen on the last night of his sold out world tour. In New Jersey.
So remember to stay open, don't be a snob about the things you like and don't like, listen to your heart and your friends and follow the things that make you happy, step by step, and eventually you'll wind up standing on your chair, fist in the air
MBT Lami Shoes, sobbing.
Springsteen takes the stage, plays one, two, maybe three notes and I am standing on my chair, fist in the air, sobbing. I saw every single show he did on the east coast after that and staunchly defended his honor to any pinheads who badmouthed his music or even lame old Clarence Clemons. Because here's the thing about Bruce Springsteen: he played every single note as if there was a sniper in the audience who might take him out at any second. He was 100% in the moment, giving it everything he had, pumping us all full of red-blooded Jersey sweat and tears and all us girls wanted to be Mary barreling down Thunder Road in his GTO with our head on his shoulder and a beer between our legs.
Pay Attention
"We could sell these for a couple thousand each and fly to Paris for a pastry," I said to my friend. She was dubious. She wasn't a Springsteen fan either
Kansas City Royals, but she was as obsessed with music as I was and argued that his live shows were supposed to be the holy grail of all live shows. "I know," I said
Philadelphia Phillies, "but...Born in the U.S.A? Cheesy ole Clarence Clemons?" We went back and forth until she finally convinced me - "It's free, he's a legend and his fans are hot and know how to work on cars." So off I dragged myself via subway, commuter train, bus and cab to Brendan Byrne Arena for an evening of ho hum music alongside New Jersey's luckiest fans.
Don't Wait For The Thunderbolt
Inspiration and enlightenment usually trickle in rather than showing up all at once. If you're waiting for the big bang to go off in your head, for everything to come together in one giant undeniable bolt of clarity, you may be waiting your whole life. Answers can come in strange packages, and you never know the gem that might be lurking behind something you'd normally pass over. Just keep moving forward with what feels right, take it step by step and stay open. - "I love music, I hear he's a great performer, it's free, his fans are hot, etc." and soon enough you might find yourself swept up in the very thing you love.