Photo Courtesy of National Library of Scotland flickr page

-Sometimes there are boundaries for protection.

-But sometimes boundaries exist because no one has ever dared to push past them.  And sadly, what was waiting just beyond the fear, was something amazing.  So those gifts and opportunities wait patiently for those who are willing to be afraid and do it anyway, for those who know how to launch outside their comfort zone and for those who trust in things they cannot see.

~lme

Photo Credit:  This person 🙂

Ecclesiastes 1:15 – “What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted.”

What this verse meant to me~

1.  We can’t right all the wrongs in our lives.  People will let you down.  You will let them down.  You will eventually learn the deep pain of sin if you haven’t yet.  And it’s a fruitless chase to seek vengeance and recompense on this world.

2.  Perfection will never come to you.  He won’t be in the form of a shining knight and it won’t be the happiest career of your life without any baubles.  You are not perfect.  I am a broken vessel.  And oddly, that’s what binds us closer together in our search to be better and good seekers.

3.  You can’t assume something where there is no evidence.  To count your chickens before they hatch is arrogant.  and to puff yourself up will only result in eventual humbling and embarrassment in some form or another.

4.  You were given what you were given- be it small or great.  Use it- but don’t use it or any power you obtain negatively.  Don’t neglect your gift, bury it, pass it off to another.  Remember it’s not yours and you can’t take it with you.  So spread it like dandelions in the wind while you’re here.  Set out on the world to do good.

~lme

Time isn’t unlimited.

It’s a precious resource

Money is a means.

Don’t let it reinvent you.

Your energy isn’t overflowing

Use it wisely.

Your heart and soul are precious.

Don’t allow them to be handled by wolves.

~lme

Photo Credit:  Loren Javier

There is something inherently raw and human about a need to prove oneself.  Our teens and twenties seem to be freckled with instances of having this need and asserting this need.  I have felt this often in me- this burning desire to prove to the world that I am here, I belong, I am important and that you should know who I am and what I do.  But that has begun to change lately.

Clearly we all have an intrinsic need to belong. But how often to we – myself included seek recognition and view that as a determinate of our own success?  Basically, do we let the “others” factor of our lives become what guides us?  We say to ourselves- when others love my art, then I’ll be at peace.  When others pay be lots of money, then I will have found success.  And when others cant live without me, then I will belong and be of the utmost importance in this world.  But this is a precarious way of thinking.  For the more we focus on gaining others attention, the less we focus on the real and true things that demand our attention.

Time and experience tend to cause our fiery side to become more honed, less angsty and more focused on the important aspects of our lives. 

 Here are some results when we lessen our need to prove who we are in this world:

1. We will actually enjoy doing what we do for the right reasons.  Without the limelight as our goal, we will have a healthier focus and we may actually begin to realize that the right kind of people and circumstances begin to arrive at the opportune time.  Trusting in God is only real trust when we are willing to let go of some reigns and say- it’s going to be ok- it will happen in the way it should.
2. We will have a healthier self image when we don’t feel pressured to prove to the entire world that we belong.  This may sound ridiculous, but for a long time, I have felt this way.  I have always felt the need to have some amazing life circumstances to tell others.  Maybe I like the wow myself, but sometimes there is beauty in the simplicity of life.  There are wow moments and then there are sigh moments- and both have their place.  And here’s a shocker for everyone- not everyone will adore you or what you do.  If we’re honest with ourselves, this baffles us deep down.  Why would anyone not want to be my friend or be interested in what I do?  Because, my friend, we are all selfish.  We have our own plates full and things pressing for our time, energy and resources.  Once we realize this, we begin to find enjoyment in what we do because it brings us joy and not because we have an image to uphold.  Sadly, much of the music industry is sick from this disease of self.
3. We will begin to find satisfaction elsewhere (which I hope is in the one true Being), so the pressure to continually look good, act perfectly and impress others will begin to melt from our minds.  If our fulfillment does not rest in our earthly goals and achievements, we won’t feel as discouraged when we happen to fail or miss the mark.  We will realize we are human and fallible and that oftentimes we do not get what we want.  This is all a continually learned life lesson of “It’s not about me.”

I hope Tuesday brings positivity, wonder and a peace of mind.

~lme

“It is easy to sit up and take notice.  What is difficult is getting up and taking action.” ~Honore de Balzac

Photo Credit: Joe Wilcox

There are some things we simply cannot change.  But a large portion of our life is within our scope of affecting.  How often do I complain of an ill in society or in a fellow human being or the way my field is constructed (insert music industry)?  But then how often do I actually do something to change what is bothering me?

 To begin the change you want to see in others and society, you might try this:

1. Sit up- Change starts first in the mind.  Are you wanting to chart a new course, do something that has never been done in your field or tweak who you are in positive ways?  Then situate yourself for success.  Sit up at the drawing board and say what are some ways I’d like to influence the spheres in which I reside?  Are there changes in a relationship or changes in my creative goals I need to reassess?  Why do I want to make these changes?  What is my motive for generating revenue in certain areas and for aspiring to greater things?  Is it for self or for others or for both?  And more importantly, how can I do these things with reasonable goals in reasonable time?
2. Take notice.  We humans seem to have the innate ability to detect inconsistencies in others and ideas as well as realizing when we feel we are being wrongly treated.  When we see something like this, instead of griping, do we begin to generate a plan for changing that, even in some small way?  What if the next time you thought something could be improved, you jumped in and got your hands dirty and saw a goal through unto completion?  By thinking of causes and areas in which you are passionate, you may find ways of volunteering and doing that will affect those involved for much good. 
3. Put up- if others scoff and believe that what you are doing is a waste of time, and you do not agree, ignore them.  Sometimes combining faith and talent may take a different form or road to the destination.  Sometimes faith will require us to think outside the box and figure out ways we can use our talents in unconventional ways.  Sometimes it will require us to use our talents not for ourselves, but for the greater good as well.  Think Noah spent all his time listening to the early naysayers? Oh, I’m sure he had a fair share of disappointment and angst over them, but ultimately, he knew they were not his standard.
4. Learn both to be active and to Be still.  The second is something that will probably take me a long time to master.  I enjoy going, doing, seeing, experiencing, but sometimes there is a time to just BE.  Do we sit and contemplate our goals, our ambitions, our spiritual relationship, the changes we want to make and on top of that, how we can go about causing these changes?  Do we know what it is to calmly plan so there is a sense of preparedness to our living?  As a dear friend of mine once said, “I sometimes feel as if I’m running all the time and don’t even have time to process my life.”  We need down time- we need to process what is happening to us- whether we are making wise use of our time and how we are going to be better tomorrow than we were today.  Writing these goals down helps us mentally visualize and ultimately accomplish them as we keep them in the forefront of our minds.

 What do you want to do?  Change your attitude toward something, become more proficient at a task or hobby, open a business, become a lead, garner a tribe, cultivate a relationship or accomplish a goal?  Whatever it may be, it will take time and work.  But if you are willing to give those two as well as ask God for his input and led him guide, then you are on the right path to accomplishing this (whatever it may look like in the end).

 And throughout all that you do, remember a heart of humility and thanksgiving will keep your mind in the right place.  We won’t be as apt to complain when we realize how abundantly we have been blessed. 🙂

~lme

Photo credits: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dharmasphere/

This morning I listened to a meditation on fear of the unknown as well as another one on this site.  It made me think about success and failure and here are some thoughts from it…

Just think.  It may be possible that I haven’t failed at all.  That I have become closer to who I truly am.  

Just think.  “The Unknown may be better than what I know.”  I am ready to succeed even if it leads me into the unknown.  So what is the unknown that you fear?  Is it the spiritual future, music, a job, a relationship, the desire to really work toward change? 

A sweet friend, Miss Kate Unger, posted today that Joseph didn’t belong in the pit but rather the palace.  But it took him 13 years to get there.  We don’t find success or change overnight.  So when I’m in the pit, I must remember this truth.  Thanks Kate 🙂

I hope we all have a week full of opportunity and blessings.  Happy Monday.

~le

Perhaps the pool of tears you’ve cried now serves as a mirror of self-reflection.

Perhaps unaccessed power is waiting to be tapped with the nearest switch.

Perhaps companions arrive on this arduous journey to admonish and encourage simultaneously.

Perhaps someday we will plunge into the abyss of genuine love.

Perhaps fear has too long been a driving force.

Perhaps the more we gain the more we lose and the more we grip tightly in fear that we may lose.

Perhaps new humility is mistaken for lack of confidence.

Perhaps too much of a good thing is idolatrous.  What fills your time and pervades your thoughts?

~le

This is me.  It may be vastly unpopular.  It’s organic.  It’s raw.  A vision that none have charted. It wasn’t grown overnight but rather over time.  I didn’t receive it at 18 on a platter from a pinafore.

I think it’s best to not make fans, but friends.  I plan to not use or abuse people, their time, their money and their talents for my own personal gain or my musical gains.  I will let them decide if they enjoy and love what I have created and desire to invest their hard-earned money and limited time to see me and support me.

I will foster my creative, idiosyncratic, adventure-seeking spirit.  And in doing that, there is no intrigue or beauty or inspiration in some of the venues where music has been forced to reside in the cities across America.  I won’t allow an industry to guide the rudder of my career sails.  Because I don’t hold their same views of what is real and what it takes to “make it.”  I will make music, play music, write music and inspire music in new avenues.  And my performance will be wrapped in an aesthetic- and a memory to be carried forever in the hearts of my audience.

The time for discouragement is over.  There’s only futility in crying over spilt milk- those who have been disappointments, those who have flaked on commitment and those who have decided that a lifestyle is more important than character-driven choices and music are behind me.

And let this rest like a comforter around me: a phrase from a hymn…

“we bring an offering of song.”  Music is the gift bestowed, and musicians can merely express and give it back in gratitude.

~le

You’d think i’d know you better

Since I’ve known you for so long

You’d think I’d found the answers

When I’ve studied for so long

You’d think I’d guard my heart

With the writing on the wall

There’s oh so much to contemplate

As the leaves begin to fall

You’d think of me so often

If the river ran my way

You’d think the path would wind along

instead of going the same way

You’d think that those in power

Could quickly make it snow

But with hands tied how they like it

Often prove this isn’t so

You’d think I’d learn to let go

Member of the remnant few

You’d believe I was a sweet one

If you’d never seen me spew

You’d use the skills you’ve mastered

To acquire someone’s heart

Maybe love’s a stumble

in a room that has grown dark

So you think you’ve come to know me

When I hardly know myself

And you think that I’m just perfect

Where you placed me on a shelf

and you think fidelity waits

Once you’ve soiled what was sound

You better think again my friend

What you give will come around

~le

“Art, like romance, is subtle, mysterious and leaves one wishing for more.”

“The wealth God has given me is not measured in monetary means… rather , He has filled me full with experiences of beauty, music and adventure.”