Attitude is Everything
First off, I want to thank you all for reading these posts and following along on my journey as a coach and consultant. I get many kind messages from people saying that they connect with the posts and take them to heart. That really keeps me going!
This month, I have been racking my brain trying to think of a message for you that will sum up this year, or at least lend you some energy to get through to the next. To say the least, this has been a hard year. Many artists have suffered terrible losses and somehow found the strength to keep creating. It has made us reach deep within ourselves to find that one thing that will get us out of bed, into the studio, back on our feet.
I like to think that the arts have had much to do with our survival. Although we haven’t been able to get together in the flesh, we’ve found ways to connect through song and dance, painting, drawing and photography. YouTube’s recent compilation of videos Getting Through 2020 #withme demonstrates how people bonded through videos this year. And kudos to us all for dealing with new technology or working from home or entertaining kids 24-7. We are resilient beings!
The idea of “Getting Through” reminds me of a book I read in college, “Man’s Search For Meaning” by Viktor Frankl. Frankl was an Austrian Holocaust survivor, neurologist and psychiatrist. The gist of his philosophical memoir is that our thoughts and attitudes construct our destiny. In Frankl’s words: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
Attitude is everything - and it takes a lifetime to master. I remember my mom always saying “Only boring people get bored.” She wasn’t insulting my intelligence - she just wanted me to discover my innate capacity for creativity. She already knew that I was a curious, imaginative innovator, but I just hadn’t tapped into those abilities yet. When I discovered photography and the art of looking, I was never bored again.
We can use the opportunity of isolation to get to know our own interests and passions. Once we know what we deeply care about, distractions fall away and our attitude shifts. Victor Frankly also quotes Friedrich Nietzsche who once wrote: “If we have our own why in life, we shall get along with almost any how.”
My advice? Us this time of transition to the New Year for some self-examination. Seek out your true passions and prioritize what is precious. As we have seen, the world outside persists in our absence, and your inner world is patiently waiting to be mined for gold.
If you find yourself with some extra time on your hands, get to know yourself better. Maybe take a personality test like the Myers Briggs or one of these online freebies:
16 Personalities: https://www.16personalities.com/
Color Test: http://www.testcolor.com/personalitytest/personalitytest.php
“Who Am I” Visual DNA: http://you.visualdna.com/quiz/whoami#/quiz
And just for fun…
Spirit Animal Quiz: https://www.spiritanimal.info/spirit-animal-quiz/
Use these last few weeks of a tumultuous year and check in. Be kind and generous with yourself as you would be with your best friend. Focus on your best moments, learn from your mistakes and find yourself on the other side of fear.
Last month I met a milestone birthday and celebrated in Mexico. It was a wonderful opportunity to examine my journey so far and think about what might be next. During all of the “unprecedented” things that happened in 2020, my experiences interacting with artists and clients have helped me know myself better - and now I can look confidently into the future.
Happy Holidays and Cheers to a New Year!