“Just Be Yourself” – Cool, awesome, thanks for the advice! Now… how do I do that?

“Just believe in yourself.” I hear this advice a lot. I don’t know what to do with this advice.

In her last post, Sam Kamras wrote about graduating from school, and how small she feels in the midst of this giant industry. With so many artists pursuing success, I often find it intimidating to even compete. Especially against people who appear to glow with self-confidence – the professionals; the people who appear to have it all together.

“I feel like I’m lying when I portray myself in a confident way,” I somehow mustered the bravery to say at a conference. “I’m so aware of all the things that are insufficient/wrong with me, that it feels like a lie to parade myself in any other way than insecure and broken.”

The speakers response:

“You’re not broken. You are human… just like everybody else.” I’m paraphrasing, but that response really helped to change the way that I think about myself.

The ability to believe in yourself, and ‘having confidence’ are pretty closely intertwined. But when you say the first one, it’s more that what they’re talking about is something you feel from inside, not another mask. Confidence is not a mask.

What is confidence?

“a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something.”

Okay, so I guess believing in yourself and confidence are the same thing. Well then.

Next Friday I’m hosting a workshop on the Isha system. The focus is on developing the ability to be creatively confident.

Because a large part of creativity lies in the ability to make mistakes in an empowered way, you sort of need confidence to be able to do that. Not to mention the fact that most creative projects are collaborative, and you need confidence to buy others into your vision.

There’s some other questions that I’m curious about:

• How do you stop self-sabotaging and get comfortable with growth and momentum?
• How does growth even take place? What does it feel like? Will it be scary to leave an old version of myself behind?

Isha says that we are not our thoughts, feelings, or emotions. Then what are we? I wondered. Matthew Schmidt – the Isha system facilitator – answered this question beautifully in a 2 hour conversation I had with him at the start of the week.

“That is the most terrifying question in all existence, but it has the most amazing answer in all existence. And the answer is not a thought because it’s an experience. It’s the experience of what you are, and what you are is pure perfection, pure unity, pure joy, pure beauty.”

And then another question: How do you evolve from one self to another?

My friend Jax, reflecting on her life, said some of the stories she lived in her past don’t even feel like her. It’s like she’s remembering multiple lives, not one. I can certainly resonate with that. Can you?

During this Isha system workshop we will be exploring all of these questions, and working to understand our relationship to this somewhat intimidating word.

How does your confidently creative self live in the world? 

This is the last day (Thursday, May 7th) to take advantage of the early bird rate of $36 for this 3 hour intensive.

I hope you’ll join me. I can’t wait to share this experience with you so that we can grow and make shit happen together.

LEARN MORE BY CLICKING HERE!