Tag: self-awareness

creativity · Me · Music

“What you don’t know, you can feel it somehow.” 🎤

patmcg5 Comments

I always liked the song Beautiful Day for its optimism and presence.

It’s a beautiful day. Don’t let it get away.

Sure, that’s the obvious takeaway and a great reminder that every day counts.

But the last part of the song has been inspiring me even more as I dig into a scary new skill, which I hope is the right kind of difficult for me: playing, singing, and eventually writing my own songs. 😱

I do not have a good track record here so far.

I have spent most of my life as the kind of guy who could play Stairway to Heaven on guitar and be done with it. “I’m a guitarist.” 🤷🏻‍♂️ Then I recorded a cover with a friend and built up some confidence.

What I really want is to do find my own voice. Literally.

Despite never considering myself a singer (and consistently receiving negative feedback whenever I have tried 😆) I am jumping into singing with the help of an expert music teacher who always sees the best possibilities.

And that’s half the journey.

Touch me, take me to that other place
Reach me, I know I’m not a hopeless case

Which brings me to the best part of Beautiful Day: the last bit, the part about forgetting what you don’t have now and feeling your way, somehow, into the new.

What you don’t have, you don’t need it now
What you don’t know, you can feel it somehow

Stay tuned. 🎤

What a beautiful day.

You

The trick to confidence

patmcg3 Comments

Confidence is one of those things that is easy to understand but hard to execute. But I just realized there’s a simple trick to it. All it takes is a little faith.

And believe me, this is hard-earned knowledge.

Confidence does not mean that you think you’re the best. It does not mean that whatever you’re doing will automatically succeed. And it has nothing to do with arrogance or self-delusion.

It has everything to do with letting go and having faith.

This attitude is more like a monk than a hyped-up cage fighter.

Do you have something interesting but kind of oddball to say? As long as you believe it, it’s within your values, and you’re prepared to back it up, then go for it. The backing it up takes some faith. ^ That faith is confidence.

The trick to confidence is the same as overcoming fear. You commit to it right now and don’t worry about what happens.

👉 You can’t be confident without being scared

Yeah, you may fall flat on your face or have no results whatsoever.  Confidence says, “Don’t worry – do it anyways. See what happens.”

Knowing yourself, especially your purpose and your values, will help you act with more confidence because you have a solid footing to act from.

*Usual disclaimer for any “just go for it” advice: your actions should always fit within your personal values, ethical norms, and legal constraints. Don’t do dumb shit. 🤷🏻‍♂️😆

Quotes

“Hearing ‘no’ doesn’t mean ‘never'”, and what to do about it

patmcg1 Comment

This quote that came up on a list of quotes to help you deal with rejection. It underscores the idea that rejection is a milestone, a sign of progress, a proper kick in the butt. It’s a sign that you need to work on something, be patient, or change your direction.

Whether it’s for a job, a goal, or a relationship, rejection is oddly empowering. You took a risk; you put it out there. You should be proud. Hopefully you leaned something and know how to move forward with new wisdom.

Hearing “no” doesn’t mean “never.” The only things you can do are to constantly pursue growth … and make sure you’re prepared to walk in the room.

Antoinette Robertson

I like how this quote focuses on self-reflection and growth rather than wasting your time feeling bad or, worse yet, becoming resentful.

entertainment · Quotes

Fear and the 100-foot wave 🌊🏄🏻‍♂️

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Just like some movies are about lots of different things, the surfing documentary series 100 Foot Wave is also about lots of different things: surfing, yes, and stunning scenery around Nazare, Portugal. It’s also about family, friendship, aspirations, a community, sanity, the ocean, tragedy, triumph, and perhaps above all: fear.

These people are surfing the biggest waves they can find and risk their lives every time they go out on the waves. The fear is real: tragedy does sometimes strike.

The series starts off with an inspiring quote about fear and how facing it head-on can transform you.

The goal is to face fears, to go straight at the fear, to release it, to free it.

In doing this and facing this fear, I’m gonna discover a part of myself that I didn’t know was there.

Not everyone should jump on the next gigantic wave to change themselves, but everyone has a fear to face.

For me, it was living on my own and really being by myself for the fist time in my life around age 45. Now I’m pretty damn happy on my own. Or upgrading jobs when I had an easier option. Or even something small like sharing some ridiculous photos.

Yes, you do need fear, but don’t let it stop you from moving forward or let it become a mind-killer.

Quotes

“You have to have a direction before you can get movement.”

patmcg2 Comments

A wise man told me this recently in regards to a specific problem, but I think it applies more generally.

You have to have a direction before you can get movement.

Unlike most of quotes I post, this one didn’t even come from a famous person, just a wise friend. 👨🏻‍🚀🙏

I would love to be able to illustrate like this myself some day, but for now I’ll borrow from Alex Mathers. #goals