Our best life work
When we were children it was easy to bring our whole selves to every activity. To be all in. To get lost in the joy of making and discovery.
We did not worry about if what we made pleased others. The fun was in the making. In the application of every part of our being to the work of art, the sand castle, the game.
When we watch a great performer on stage their greatness comes because at some point they cross the threshold and are all in. Nothing held back. It is simultaneously terrifying to do and unbelievably liberating. Apologies not required for being totally fully themselves.
The audience knows that the performer has risked exposure in the giving of their art. Risked being seen in the full majesty of their being. This is what we want when we pay for a performance. Nothing held back.
It was what Brene Brown did in her TEDx speech in 2010.
Our best life work might be found in the garage on the weekend, or it might be found by stepping out into a new role that leaves behind the safety of conformity.
To ignore its call is to ignore your heart’s desire and longing.
Paint, play, create, make, build, design, write…
Be sure to give your best life work a stage, no matter the size of the stage. Show up, cross the threshold, go all in. Do it for yourself. And be sure to applaud after each performance, wholeheartedly.
October 5th 2018
Photo taken October 5th 2018
