Pony or unicorn?
A while ago I read an inspiring book by James Victore: Feck Perfuction.
I would love to share some insights.
Dragons are real.
Heroes are real, too.
We all have dragons, but we’re not all heroes.
Every morning, your dragon curls around your shoulders and quietly snarls into your ears: You’re a failure.
It’s easy to accept the idea of failure, to accept that you’re a failure, than to do anything about it. It’s easier to stand down, stay in bed, and not risk failure by not risking… anything.
This tactic doesn’t make the beast go away.
It makes it bigger.
At some point in our lives, we all hear the call to action. Our heart tells us: This is your time! Seize the opportunity!
Then we’re stuck with the vastness of the task:
Opportunity demands we take chances, stretch our limits, and grow. But fear grips us, and we become reluctant.
To make a great painting, you have to get started.
To lead people, we have to stand up and speak.
To start a business, we have to risk everything, including making a fool of ourselves.
Dragons don’t leave you. Ever. Even after achieving new levels of personal success, you still have to face them.
Heroes are the reluctant ones with the courage to face their dragons.
The ancient Indian text the Bhagavad Gita tells about the ongoing struggle between the light and dark forces of nature.
There comes a moment when Krishna tells Arjun: You’re not entitled to the fruit of labor, only the labor itself.
No way! You want to have the fruit and you want it now, right?
The reality is a bit different.
If you focus on the reward, you’ll never be happy.
The fruit - the money, the fame, the whatever - will never be enough. Even further, focusing on the reward means not focusing on the work. The process becomes secondary, and we learn to hate the process.
For great artists, writers and scientists, the process of learning and growing is the reward.
Where there’s victory, there’s defeat.
It’s the law of duality.
In a nutshell: learn to enjoy the struggle. The reward will take care of itself.
(Enjoy my age-three mugshot.
I mean, the word struggle was
not in my dictionary.)
The pony or the unicorn?
If you do what’s expected of you and accept what life has to offer, the best you’ll get is high blood pressure and a beer gut.
If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
Asking is hard, but the universe is wealthy and happy to provide for those who make the effort to ask.
Dream XXL. If you want a pony, ask for a unicorn.
Your dragon’s lying.
Being an artist is about anxiety and fear, mercy and bliss.
What sparks fear or embarrassment around being creative for you?
You may have tried courses before and experienced lackluster results.
Maybe you decided to go it alone.
My courses free you from fear, overwhelm and the knowledge gaps that hold you back from making art.
You rub your eyes and blink hard. No, you’re not dreaming. This is really happening.
It’s OK to dream XXL.
If you want a pony, ask for a unicorn. 💎💎💎
Marenthe
XO
PS
It’s great to nail your wishes and dreams, but they need to be applied and lived. My courses free you from fear, overwhelm and the knowledge gaps that hold you back from making art.
Get this genius inspirational masterclass for free. Also? You will my secret tips!