Author: Jim Gohrick (Page 157 of 159)

Renaissance man, Jack of All Trades, Utility Player, Multi-Talented . . . . For whatever reason in my household those names had a negative connotation and I’m not sure why. Even though my Father was a staunch proponent of being a multi-sport athlete. So much so, that was exactly what I was through high school.

However, when it came to other roles in life, such as work and my career, I got the sense I needed to focus on one and only one profession. Often times, as we do as young adults, we try to please our parents instead of listening to the small quiet voice within us that points us in a direction that doesn’t follow the logical steps our parents’ have laid out for us.

Ehh, whatcha gonna do? I chose to listen to the small quiet voice. How else do you end up in L.A? Anyway, as I got older, I began to relish and respect my different interests. And I cultivated them. Developed them. Whether it’s music, Meditation, Writing, etc. I accept them as different aspects of who I am. This isn’t some great revelation, I know, but for me it’s validation for who I am as a person, father, husband, brother, son, friend, artist and more. I accept all of these as part of who I am. I used to believe, “Jack of all trades, master of jack$#!+, but I don’t believe that any more. I can have various roles to jump into when I feel as such and it all nourishes me.

And for that I’m not cynical, I’m grateful.

Do you have to have a master’s degree, a best-selling book or sold “X” amount of albums to be legitimate – to be a force – to be heard? I’m not sure. My instincts tell me no.

I have seemed to pick up extremely valuable advice and tidbits of gold that I have been able to apply quite successfully in many different aspects of my life from “regular ole folk.” It resonated with me, so I kept it. And used it. It meant something. I was able to mentally articulate it so that it made sense to me.

Maybe I asked this question because there is a part of me that believes you do need a degree. Then again, the areas of my life where I have the deepest well of knowledge has come from living life. Not a piece of paper or a target number or any other accolade.

It’s a perspective I’ve gained by committing to the process. Caring. Refining. Growing. And Loving.

Deciding to evolve.

Most people look better with a smile on their face. Not a disingenuous one, but a smile that says, “I’m in a good place, a willing participant and aware of the big picture – we’re all in this together.”

This doesn’t necessarily mean they are happy in that moment, but they wear it knowing it’s one part of a series of choices they make in order to get the perspective they want in life. Nothing wrong with that.

For whatever reason people choose to wear a smile, I’m alright with it. When I see someone walking down the street with a big grin on their face, I think they must know something I don’t know. And what is it?

Because I wouldn’t mind having that look on my face.

It seems to me that everyone believes they know EXACTLY how tomorrow is going to go. Even if they don’t have their day all scheduled out. I believe we all kid ourselves because we are terrified of the unknown. I certainly have been in the past. It’s something I work on daily. Part of it for me is doing my best to stay present in the moment without trying to “steer”my day into a particular direction. As the old saying goes, “Make plans and then watch God laugh at them.”

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking about pessimism. I’m referring to allowing each moment to come to you exactly the way it needs to. But, always expect the best. Some will argue that in order to get what you want you have to “take the bull by the horns” and make it happen. I hear that. There is nothing wrong with self-motivation, perseverance, tenacity and effort. What I’m saying is, keep your intentions clear and true and move forward the best way you know possible. Whatever is going to happen after that is going to happen. Just because you think you are controlling every aspect of your day and all the moving parts – that are completely out of your control – doesn’t mean you are.

So, as they say, “Let go and let God”. Or whoever or whatever allows you to cut yourself loose from the binding ties of anxiety, stress and worry. I tell my kids all the time, if I thought it would help to resolve your problem by laying in your bed and crying all night, then do it. But it doesn’t. And you shouldn’t. Let it go into the unknown. There is power in letting go. It frees you up and empowers you to move forward and it allows the universe to bring you what’s next. And in my experience it’s not as bad as your mind creates it to be.

My goal is to live in the unknown all day. I believe the unknown is where the really good creative stuff comes from. The blackness of the unknown.

Here, anything can be the gateway to everything.

Silence is a precious commodity these days. I don’t think people get enough of it and what is maybe more concerning is they’re not even seeking it out. I have heard it is the space between the bars that holds the tiger in the cage and it is the silence between the notes that help make up the music. If that is true, how are we to process this constant noise in our daily lives with no end in sight? My guess is, not very well.

A friend of mine once entered an anechoic chamber to see how long he could remain in there in absolute silence (It is a room within a room used for testing products and other experiments). It is so quiet that the background noise measured at negative -9 dBA. You can hear your heart beating, your stomach gurgling and even your lungs. He lasted 15 minutes and he though he was going crazy for the first 5-10.

We’re not used to sitting in silence. We’ve been convinced that we need the TV on in the background, our AirPods in our ears while we run or talking incessantly while out in nature. Maybe not. Try turning these devices off, opening your window and listen. You may be pleasantly surprised at what you hear.

More importantly, you may be surprised at what you don’t hear.