Portraits of Fulfillment: Elin Lööw – Helping Creatives to Overcome Their Fears

Elin Lööw is a writer and creative coach who helps others realize their creative dreams by overcoming their inner antagonists. In 2016, she embarked on a Fear Year in order to overcome her creative fears. Through the process, she built awareness in herself, learned how to embrace her imperfections, and began to understand that fear is a feeling and not a truth.

Elin Lööw is a writer and creative coach who helps others realize their creative dreams by overcoming their inner antagonists. In 2016, she embarked on a Fear Year in order to overcome her creative fears. Through the process, she built awareness in herself, learned how to embrace her imperfections and began to understand that fear is a feeling and not a truth.

It set her on a trajectory for moving bravely through life, and it shows through her work. Elin’s warm-heartedness and compassion shows through all of her beautiful writing and photography. She sends out a wonderful bi-weekly newsletter for her group, the Teacup Owls.

Here is her story:

Tell us about your work.

I’m a writer working on my first novel, and I’m also a creative coach supporting creatives to make brave ideas happen in their own slow-living way. For years, I held myself back from doing what my heart longed for – to write fiction. Once I got through the worst block, I started pushing myself too hard instead. Working through my fears and embracing a slower way of living and creating has changed my life for the better. Now, I help other creatives do the creative work they long for without burning themselves out.

Tell us about your creative journey.

When I started studying political science at University, I stopped creating. I believed my creations had to be important and excellent in order to exist and be shared, and I doubted my ability to reach that impossibly high standard. Still, ever since I was a kid, I have wanted to write fiction. I grew up on books and I’ve written stories ever since I learned how to write. I’ve been fighting an internal battle between my longing to create and my fear of being judged by the world.

Fast forward a few years, and I started writing my first novel. Writing again was wonderful, but I ran into constant blocks, struggling to write and silence my harsh inner critic.

A couple of years of writing like this passed. I finished a first draft and got stuck trying to figure out how to revise it. I graduated from university and got a job. Time to write was sparse, and my job was mostly administrative. It hit me one day that I could go on like this my whole life. Stuck in jobs with little creativity, unable to finish a novel because I doubted myself so much.

I saw my lifelong dream of becoming an author slipping through my fingers. I saw a life before me that I knew wouldn’t be fulfilling. At that moment, I knew something needed to change. Most of all, I wanted to create, and I understood that I was holding myself back. I needed to face my creative fears if I were to live a creative life. So I decided that 2016 was going to be my Fear Year.

Once I started searching for ways to face my fears, things began to change. I started my blog in 2016 because I was terrified of sharing my writing. I proclaimed myself to be creative even though I feared that others would disagree. As the year progressed, I started drawing and painting, and I picked up my camera again.

I shared my journey and what I was learning about creating bravely. Much of the time it was scary, but I slowly built up my creative confidence and realized that fear can change or go away. Towards the end of 2016, I finished the second draft of my novel, and for a while I sold my art too – something that I would never have imagined when the year started.

In the past few years, I have explored more deeply what I want my creative life to look like and what I want to share with the world. After doing creative work at a very intense pace, I’ve embraced a slower way of living and creating that suits me much better. I still have a 9-to-5 to balance with my creative life, and it makes it all the more important to make sure I’m not going too fast.

How do you define fulfillment?

Fulfillment is when you’re able to do the work that is calling out to you. The work that delights you and challenges you. For me it’s creating, but it doesn’t have to be. We are all different, and that’s the beauty of it. But whatever it is, you’re not stopped by fear, doubt or the outside world.

How does your creative work fulfill you?

There are three things that have felt like callings to me.

First, there’s creativity. I love following an idea and letting it grow from a fleeting thought to a real thing. I love to experiment with how I create and how little changes make a difference in how it’s understood.

Second, it’s psychology and how humans work. Every time the psychological aspect is added to something, it starts to fascinate me. I love understanding how we work and how we can adjust things to better fit with how our minds work.

Third, I’m drawn to change and making a difference. It started as a longing to change the world for the better – that’s why I chose and loved to study political science. Then it spread to personal growth. Now, I’m constantly inspired by how we can make small or big changes to live better lives, especially if we help others during the process.

The creative life that I’ve designed is one with room for these three callings. I spend a lot of time with my creativity, but I also reflect on the psychological aspects of creating. Those realizations are turned into strategies for positive change and are shared to help others. It’s a creative life that fits me wonderfully.

What advice would you give to someone who feels unfulfilled in their life?

Look back on what you’ve enjoyed in the past and explore things you’ve never done. Going from unfulfilled to fulfilled doesn’t happen overnight. First, you have to understand what it is that you really want to do and then patiently work to make that life true. And maybe you can’t have a day job that is 100% fulfilling, but there is more time outside of your job than you might think. If used right, you can begin the steps to live a fulfilling life even if your day job is unfulfilling.

What’s one word that you think is overused, misused, underused, or misunderstood.

Authentic is a word that is a bit overused, and therefore, it has slightly lost its meaning. Still, it’s a word I like, and I think it’s something to strive for. Authentic is to be true to who you are and to share your honest truth with the world. When people share what really goes on in their heads, fears and all, that’s when we humans can connect the strongest parts of ourselves with each other.

There’s much power in the flawed and honest truth.

Who inspires you?

Oh so many! Elizabeth Gilbert inspires me in everything she does. Many creatives around the web inspire me in different ways, and they are too many to mention all. But all of these creatives are persistently fighting for their dreams.

What’s something you believe in that most people would disagree with?

Probably that everyone is creative and that talent is highly overrated. Many agree with me, but I think more disagree, sadly. Creativity is still something that society considers to be a gift a small group of people is born with rather than something we’re all capable of. The elitism and closed doors of some parts of the creative world sadden me, and I’m glad the internet has made is much easier for us all to practice and share our creativity.

How do you structure your week?

Monday to Friday, I go to my day job and my creativity takes a back seat. In my spare time, I read and connect with people over on Instagram.

During the weekend, I usually get up at around 9. I start my days slowly with breakfast and a book. Then I pull out a notebook and write down what I want to incorporate in my weekend. I write both things that are purely for joy like taking a bath, baking bread or going for a walk and also creative work I want to do like working on my novel, writing a blog post or taking photos.

Maybe I have a coaching call with a client scheduled too. Then throughout the weekend, I pick things from my list maybe adding something and deciding to skip something else. It helps me prioritize both my creative work and the things that bring me joy and keep my life a little slower.

What are you working on right now?

I’m just starting out with creative coaching which is very exciting. It’s something I’ve been moving towards for a long time. Working with people and helping them make their ideas happen is so very meaningful for me. I’m also doing the finishing work on my novel before I send it to publishers, hopefully some time early 2020.

What’s on your nightstand? (What are you reading?)

I decided to re-read the Harry Potter books for the first time in a decade. It’s so wonderful and cozy that winter feels like the perfect time for it too. I’m also reading Playing Big by Tara Mohr. It’s a powerful book if you’re a woman who wants to take yourself and your ideas seriously, but feel a bit afraid to do so.

What is your favorite book to give as a gift?

To those interested in bringing more creativity into their lives definitely Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. For writers, I always rave about Lisa Cron’s Story Genius, a book that has helped me so much.

. . .

To connect with Elin, you can find her on her blog (elinloow.com) or on Instagram (@elin.loow). I love her free workbook on finding the balance between making creative ideas happen and living your day to day life. Her Teacup Owls newsletter is one of the few I ALWAYS read. It’s a wonderful way to jolt your creativity.

A Life in One Day

Life IS urgent. Contemplate death and appreciate the impermanence of life. Make the most of it. But there is a fine line between urgency and hurry. In a state of hurry, you’re only doing. A day of getting everything done on your to-do list may feel meaningful today, but in a week, a year from now, twenty years from now, that to-do list will likely mean nothing.

‘Imagine a world in which people live just one day. Either the rate of heartbeats and breathing is speeded up so that an entire lifetime is compressed to the space of one turn of the earth on its axis – or the rotation of the earth is slowed to such a low gear that one complete revolution occupies a whole human lifetime…

In this world in which a human life spans but a single day, people heed time like cats straining to hear sounds in the attic. For there is no time to lose…When people gather at cafés, they nervously study the shifting of shadows and do not sit long. Time is too precious. A life is a moment in season…

When old age comes…a person discovers that he knows no one. There hasn’t been time…He talks to people, but he does not know them. His life is scattered in fragments of conversation, forgotten by fragments of people. His life is divided into hasty episodes, witnessed by few. He sits at his bedside table, listens to the sound of his running bath, and wonders whether anything exists outside of his mind.’

–Alan Lightman (Einstein’s Dreams)


Imagine a world like this one – a world where you live for just one day.

It could invoke a sense of urgency into your life and make you more courageous. You wouldn’t put off those things you’ve always wanted to do for tomorrow – because tomorrow wouldn’t exist.

Maybe you’d be more driven and purposeful. There’d be no time for laziness. Remember those periods of your life when you were so busy that you have no clue how you managed to get everything done? Life would always be like that.

Perhaps you’d have no tolerance things for that are bad for you or not aligned with you. There would be no time for toxic relationships. No time to live a life you don’t want.

But the flip slide of that urgency – that sense of determination to make the most out of life – is hurry. You’d be in such a hurry that you’d probably notice very little. Much more would be forgotten than remembered. And without the smiles of strangers, that feeling of electricity when you first touched the person you love, without the feeling of sunshine and rain on your face – what would life really mean?

In this little vignette, Alan Lightman delivers some strong lessons on life. Don’t waste time living out of alignment. Don’t live your life in fear. But at the same time, don’t miss out on those moments that make our lives meaningful.

Life IS short. A day feels like nothing across the span of our lives. But our lives, even if we grow to an old ripe age, is a blink of an eye in the span of the universe. 

Life IS urgent. Contemplate death and appreciate the impermanence of life. Make the most of it. But there is a fine line between urgency and hurry. In a state of hurry, you’re only doing. A day of getting everything done on your to-do list may feel meaningful today, but in a week, a year from now, twenty years from now, that to-do list will likely mean nothing.

Don’t move so quickly that you miss those little in-betweens. Because it’s those little things – sprinkled across the big accomplishments – that give our life meaning.


The short passage at the beginning of this article is from Alan Lightman’s Einstein’s Dreams – a collection of fictional vignettes on time. Every story shifts the idea of time upside down in powerful ways. The short passage at the beginning of this article is from a story about a world where lives span only day. But there are many others including a world where people have no memories and one where time repeats in a circular pattern.

Looking for more on this topic? Read Hunting for Pictures and Oliver Sacks on Gratitude.

Featured Image Source: Pexels

Yo-Yo Ma on Transcending Technique

You develop technique so you can get out of the mind and into expression. That’s where the magic lies. That’s where the connection lives.

I saw Yo-Yo Ma perform the Bach Cello Suites at the National Cathedral in 2018 as part of his Bach Project. It was a bucket list concert. I bought the tickets the day they became available in a city that I didn’t even live in. I drove 14 hours to attend. I’ll never forget how heartachingly beautiful the performance was. Yo-Yo sitting by himself, just him and his cello, surrounded by grand pillars and stained glass windows.

But one thing he said has stayed with me even more than his performance:

“You develop technique not to use it but to transcend it.”

His performance was raw. You could hear a pin drop. There was no orchestra to hide behind. When he shifted in his chair, you could hear it. If he moved his cello, you could hear it. When he stopped to drink some water, you could hear him open the bottle. So every mistake, every flaw, you could hear that too.

If you listen to his incredible NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert performance, you can hear a few of those flaws:

Yo-Yo Ma began playing the first piece in this performance, “Prelude” from Suite No. 1, when he was four years old. He has been perfecting his craft for over sixty years. He’s a master beyond mastery. Most would probably say his technique is perfect.

Yet, he still makes mistakes. But none of those mistakes matter. His performances are still amazing.

They’re incredible because you can hear and see his connection to the music. You can feel his emotions through his hands, through his bow, through the cello, through the sound waves. If you are present with his performance, it’s impossible to miss. And it’s a beautiful experience. Yo-Yo calls every performance “a dance with the audience.” And I can’t think of a better way to describe it.

Whatever your art, developing technique isn’t about perfection. You develop technique so that you can move beyond it. To get to a place where you no longer have to think of the mechanics of playing, the position of the bow and fingers, the style of playing, the notes. You develop technique so you can get out of the mind and into expression. That’s where the magic lies. That’s where the connection lives.

“We transcend technique in order to seek out the truths in our world in a way that gives meaning and sustenance to individuals and communities. That’s art for life’s sake.” –Yo-Yo Ma

For more on Yo-Yo Ma, visit his website and learn more about The Bach Project. He has made recorded the Bach Cello Suites three times. Once in 1983, in 1998 and in 2018. Even though it’s the same piece of music, each recording is very different. The 1998 recording, Inspired by Bach, was also released as a series of six films – each inspired by one of the six cello suites. It won two Emmys.

Not enough time for all of that? Then listen to this short but wonderful episode of Song Exploder. Then listen to his interview with Krista Tippett on On Being. Both are worth revisiting over and over again.

Featured Image Source: NPR

Make It Easy

When I was writing and sharing every day, it was easy to write every day.

I saw ideas everywhere – while reading a book, listening to a song, talking to the woman at the post office.

When it was time to write, I picked one of the ideas and wrote a first draft. I stream-of-conscious typed and tried not to think too much about it. I set it aside for later. 

Then I picked a different first draft and started hacking away at it. It was often painful. But once I was happy enough, I’d share it.

But I felt the connection between the difficulty – the act of writing and the outcome – the joy of finishing something.

The little bit of satisfaction of seeing an idea come to life was all I needed to overcome the difficulty. And the momentum and endurance I built after many days of writing and sharing made it even easier.

But now that I’ve lost the habit, each of those steps seem arduous. I got stuck at which idea to I pick for weeks. I procrastinated. I did everything I could to avoid it.

And to add to the difficulty, after returning from a long hiatus, I felt like I needed to prove myself to justify the break. I felt like I had to write something amazing.

But no. I only need to rebuild endurance. I need to make it easy as possible.

So if you’re thinking about coming back from a long break – whether it’s from exercise, meditation, or doing your art, find a way to make it easy.

Don’t try to write something incredible. Just focus on getting any idea down on paper. Don’t try to run ten miles. Just try to run for ten minutes. Don’t try to meditate for three hours. Just try two minutes.

Make it easy enough not only to start again but to finish too. And make it easy enough so you’ll come back tomorrow.

Then when the easy becomes too easy, you’ll find that what felt hard isn’t so hard anymore.

What Was I So Worried About?

We hear the cliché, “it’s all about the journey,” often. But it forgets to tells us that we can’t see the journey we’re on while we’re on it. It’s only while looking back that we can make sense of it all.

It’s hard to believe I took this photo over a decade ago in Bruges, Belgium.

In 2008, I agonized about sharing this photo for days. I edited, fretted, edited some more – repeat. Once I finally shared it, I clicked refresh over and over again and relied on the validation that came with every like.

I look at this photo today and have no idea what I was so worried about.

We hear the cliché, “it’s all about the journey,” often. But it forgets to tells us that we can’t see the journey we’re on while we’re on it. It’s only while looking back that we can make sense of it all.

My decade of on-and-off photography hasn’t been smooth. I stressed over details that now seem trivial. I was looking for it to become “something” without understanding what that meant. I was too focused on the opinions of others which is why it was never sustainable.

Looking back, I see I experienced the most growth when I shared photos I liked without worrying about the opinions of others. One of my favorite photos is also the one that got the least amount of attention. It doesn’t mean that it’s less “good” to me.

Sharing photos got easier as I shifted my attention towards myself. It became less about making photos that other people liked and more about my own exploration. I found things like spiderwebs, the spots on burnet moths, and the hint of purple through a blooming agapanthus. It was these discoveries I loved. Sharing them became secondary to that.

We worry about criticism and judgment from others. We feel like imposters, compare ourselves with others, or we feel like we don’t have the right do things. Do you really think that someone is “out there” is waiting for you to share something just to tell you it’s horrible? It’s possible, but we can’t do anything worth doing while pleasing everyone.

If we get out of our heads, we can remember that it’s the act of making something that’s enjoyable. You have the right to create something and share it. It’s your own inhibitions that tell you otherwise.

So if you’re thinking about sharing your photo, article, poem, drawing or another creative endeavour, just do it. Not to get validation or approval, but because it’s something you enjoy.

It might not perfect. But sometime in the future, you’ll look back at this moment and think, “What was I so worried about?”

Swim with the Right Swimmers

It’s important to take the time to understand what your values are — to know what is important to you. Then surround yourself with people who are going to lift you up and help you grow. 

And the others? Understand that they are not doing the wrong things in wrong ways, but that they’re doing their things in their own ways. Their values aren’t your values. Why bother comparing to that? It doesn’t make sense to compare apples to bananas. 

I’ve been swimming regularly since 2014.

I’m slow. I’m not a strong swimmer, but I’ve improved over the years. I’ve taken a few swim clinics to help build my technique. I’m a little more balanced and efficient. I’ll never be competitive, but I can swim for longer distances as long as I stay slow and steady.

I love it because it gives me relief from back pain. It’s great because it’s meditative. If I’m feeling down, there’s a transformation that happens after a few laps in a pool. It feels like magic. 

Recently, I went swimming at a crowded lap pool. I got in the pool with my swimmer’s snorkel and tempo trainer. I swam a few laps to warm up, and decided to swim a nice, slow 500m. I was looking forward to the swim. But during my first lap, I felt swimmers on both sides passing me. They were kicking water in my face, creating swells of water that I kept breathing in.

I stopped a lap in. I took a look around and noticed that all of the swimmers looked like competitive swimmers. They were all a foot taller than me. And they were all swimming FAST. 

Then, the insecurities started. I forgot all of MY reasons for being there — a slow, therapeutic, and meditative swim. I started to compare myself to everyone there. I was no longer a better swimmer, but a bad swimmer. I wasn’t competent anymore. I was slow. I thought,” I suck at this.” “Why am I doing this?” “Why do I even bother?”   

I tried again, but I already too far in my head. I couldn’t get my timing right. I felt like I was sinking. I felt like I was in everyone’s way. My feet felt like bricks. I was already out of breath. I forgot how to swim. When I got to the other end of the pool, I decided to quit.

I felt terrible when I left the pool. I thought that I never want to swim again.

But later that day, on reflection, I realized that I was swimming with the wrong swimmers.

Those swimmers were swimming for very different reasons than me. I swim for therapy and meditation. They swim for speed and competition. 

I wasn’t swimming with the right people. They didn’t share the same values. But instead of being aware of that, I went down a negative spiral. I didn’t feel good enough. I felt like the last few years of swimming had been a waste. I felt like a failure.

If I had been alone in the pool or if there had been a lot of slow swimmers around me then I would have had a great swim. Alternatively, if I had recognized that the fast swimmers were there for different reasons and put my ego aside, I also would have had a great swim.

It’s important to be around people who share your values. It’s also important to understand when the people around you don’t.

If you’re thinking about leaving a corporate job to pursue a different creative venture, the person who has been working at your company for 30 years may talk you out of it. And on the other end of the spectrum, a starving artist friend may steer you in the wrong direction encouraging you to leave your job before you’re ready.

Take the time to understand what your values are — to know what is important to you. Then surround yourself with people who are going to lift you up and help you grow.

And the others? Understand that they are not doing the wrong things in wrong ways, but that they’re doing their things in their own ways. Their values aren’t your values. Why bother comparing to that? It doesn’t make sense to compare apples to bananas. 

Find your swimmers. Don’t try to fit in with the “wrong” ones.

You’ll Get There When You Get There

We often create our stress. Our internal dialogue can either keep stress at bay or elevate it into full panic. I’ve encountered many similar situations when I stayed calm and didn’t go into blame mode but what was absent that morning was perspective.

I avoid early morning travel because worry of oversleeping usually keeps me tossing and turning throughout the night.

But I had a bus to catch at 7:45 am, so I gave myself plenty of time to get to the bus station which was a 30 minute drive away. But my plans were derailed when my friend giving me a ride overslept, and we left the house with no time to spare.

In an attempt to maintain control, I decided to drive. As soon as we pulled out of the driveway, I saw that the gas tank was empty. I sped down the country road barely noticing the cotton in full bloom – something I admired on almost every other drive.

When I stopped at the gas station, the pump was out-of-order. Once I moved the car to a working pump, it took me three tries to get my credit card to go through. Likely in my anxiety, my fingers fumbled while entering the zip code. The voice over the intercom said, “Your card isn’t going through ma’am. You’ll need to come inside.” But I interrupted her before she finished speaking, yelling, “I don’t want to come inside!”

By the time I got the card to go through, my anxiety had increased to panic. I kept the pump on for less than 30 seconds then I was racing down the freeway, 15 miles over the speed limit.

I told my friend repeatedly that we’re going to be late. I yelled at her, wanting her to accept the blame. It was a situation in need of Blamers Anonymous.

The world continued to teach me a lesson when about 15 minutes from the station, I saw sirens behind me. I completely lost control, and I was on the verge of tears.

I pulled over, and I got lucky. The cop gave me a warning, and I pulled away so quickly that I almost left without my license and registration.

I had already missed the bus by this point, and I begged every traffic light to be green.

And…

When I pulled into the bus station, 15 minutes late, my panic beyond recovery, my emotions distraught, the bus was still there, there were a dozen people in the parking lot, and the ticket agent hadn’t arrived yet. But I still rushed out of the car and managed to bang my knee as I forcefully pulled my suitcase out of the trunk.

I left the station 45 minutes later. My friend and I had time to sit down and eat breakfast. I paid because I felt terrible about how I treated her.

Every bus I’ve taken from this station has been at least 30 minutes late, but I forgot that. I chose to panic. In my attempt to control things that were out of my control, I only elevated my stress and anxiety. And all I had to show for it was a bruised knee and an emotional state that took me all day to shake off.

Consider the other scenario. I don’t panic. I drive the speed limit to the bus station. I don’t get mad at my friend, and I don’t say things I don’t mean. I make it to the bus station much earlier, maybe even on time.

And what’s the worst that could have happened? I miss the bus. I catch one the next morning, and I get an extra day with my friend.

We often create our stress. Our internal dialogue can either keep stress at bay or elevate it into full panic. I’ve encountered many similar situations when I stayed calm and didn’t go into blame mode but what was absent that morning was perspective.

Internally, I knew I didn’t need to panic, but instead of taking a step back from the situation, I chose to dive into it…and I drowned in it. Looking back, I created each situation that further elevated my stress.

When you find that your inner dialogue is pushing you towards stress, take a step back from the situation. What’s the worst that can happen? What is in and out of your control?

Act on the things you can control, and attempt to let go of the rest.

You’ll get there when you get there.

Featured Photo by chuttersnap on Unsplash

Seth Godin on the Risk of Shining Brightly

You have questions for the speaker, but you don’t ask because you’re afraid of what others may think.

You’ve written dozens of stories, but don’t share them with anyone.

You have a great idea for a work project, but you don’t bring up the idea because you fear rejection.

You want to try painting, but you don’t because you’re worried that you won’t be good.

You want to try out for the play, but you don’t because you don’t think you’ll get the part.

You want to start a blog, but you don’t because you don’t think anyone will read it.

In his book, The Icarus Deception, Seth Godin writes about the myth of Icarus:

“Banished to prison…Daedalus (Icarus’ father) created a brilliant escape plot…He fashioned a set of wings for himself and his son. After affixing the wings with wax, they set out to escape. Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly too close to the sun. Entranced by his magical ability to fly, Icarus disobeyed and flew too high…The wax melted, and Icarus, the beloved son, lost his wings, tumbled into the sea, and died.”

But Icarus’ father also warned him to not fly too low as the sea’s dampness would damage his wings. Seth argues that in today’s society, we put too much emphasis on flying too high but not enough on flying too low:

“It’s far more dangerous to fly too low than too high, because it feels safe to fly low. We settle for low expectations and small dreams and guarantee ourselves less than we are capable of. By flying too low, we shortchange not only ourselves but also those who depend on us or might benefit from our work. We’re so obsessed about the risk of shining brightly that we’ve traded in everything that matters to avoid it.”

We live in fear of aiming too high and not meeting our goals. We strive for the goals we know we can meet, and avoid the ones with risks of failing. We don’t fly high enough. Instead, we hover inches over the ocean, seemingly safe, but in truth, we are not safe. We’re avoiding the beautiful things that can achieve and create if only we had the guts to fly a bit higher.

We avoid shining brightly as that spotlight comes with the risk of criticism, rejection, and failure, but by avoiding that light and putting ourselves in the dark corner, we create a bubble that limits creation.

Are you actually meeting your expectations if you set your expectations too low? By flying too low, what are you withholding from the world?

Featured Image: “The Fall of Icarus” by Jacob Peeter Gowy (1636-1638. Oil on canvas, 195 x 180cm) at Museo del Prado.

Nobody Else But You Can Be You

Own your thoughts. Believe in your opinions. Trust your ideas.

And more importantly, ignore the trolls. Tune out the negativity.

Don’t allow your worries about others’ opinions keep you from doing, from sharing, from making, from creating.

Own your thoughts. Believe in your opinions. Trust your ideas.

And more importantly, ignore the trolls. Tune out the negativity.

Don’t allow your worries about others’ opinions keep you from doing, from sharing, from making, from creating.

“Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice.”

Nobody else but you can be you. Nobody else can bring what you have to bring to your art.

 

Featured Photo by Mike Petrucci on Unsplash

If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out

Cat Stevens composed and performed the music for the black drama comedy, Harold and Maude, which includs one of my favorite Cat Stevens songs, “If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out.”

The song is featured most prominently in the last scene of the film, when Harold decides to let go of his past beliefs to embrace the idea of living his life to the fullest. 

Cat Stevens composed and performed the music for the black drama comedy, Harold and Maude, which includs one of my favorite Cat Stevens songs, “If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out.”

The song is featured most prominently in the last scene of the film, when Harold decides to let go of his past beliefs to embrace the idea of living his life to the fullest.

And the song is about exactly that: living life to the fullest. It’s about living a life that isn’t driven by expectations. It’s a song to listen to on repeat when you feel uncertain or afraid. It’s a song that teaches us that we should life the life we want:

“Well if you want to say yes, say yes
And if you want to say no, say no
‘Cause there’s a million ways to go
You know that there are…

You can do what you want
The opportunity’s on
And if you can find a new way.”

If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out by Cat Stevens

Well, if you want to sing out, sing out
And if you want to be free, be free
‘Cause there’s a million things to be
You know that there are

And if you want to live high, live high
And if you want to live low, live low
‘Cause there’s a million ways to go
You know that there are

You can do what you want
The opportunity’s on
And if you can find a new way
You can do it today
You can make it all true
And you can make it un-do
You see? Ah, ah, ah
It’s easy, ah, ah, ah
You only need to know

Well if you want to say yes, say yes
And if you want to say no, say no
‘Cause there’s a million ways to go
You know that there are
And if you want to be me, be me
And if you want to be you, be you
‘Cause there’s a million things to do
You know that there are

You can do what you want
The opportunity’s on
And if you can find a new way
You can do it today
You can make it all true
And you can make it un-do
You see? Ah, ah, ah
It’s easy, ah, ah, ah
You only need to know

Well, if you want to sing out, sing out
And if you want to be free, be free
‘Cause there’s a million things to be
You know that there are
You know that there are
You know that there are
You know that there are
You know that there are

Imperfect Roundup #26

This week, we wrote about rebuilding endurance after breaking routines and the dangers of trying to do everything. There’s a post on the difference between Steven Pressfield’s territorial and hierarchical orientations, and we launched the Imperfectionist Book Club on The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin, which was selected by our readers.

We’d love to hear from you with thoughts or suggestions, or you can just say hello. Email or tweet us!

Some things we thought were worth sharing this week:

“All that is gold does not glitter,⠀
Not all those who wander are lost;⠀
The old that is strong does not wither,⠀
Deep roots are not reached by the frost”

-J.R.R. Tolkien
Continue reading “Imperfect Roundup #26”

Rebuilding Endurance

Whether due to a vacation, hard times, or a lack of motivation, there will be times when you lose your endurance. Your shoes will collect dust, your manuscript will go untouched, and you won’t meet your goals.

During these moments, don’t try to run a marathon. Don’t even think about it. Instead, put on your running shoes and go for a walk. Instead of aiming for 1,000 words, try to write a hundred. Don’t write a long blog post; write a short one.

In almost everything we do, we must build our endurance.

You don’t run a marathon overnight.

You don’t write a book in a day.

It’s a slow, tedious process. You won’t notice the results every day, but over time you’ll build a routine…and inevitably, something will knock it down from time to time.

Whether due to a vacation, hard times, or a lack of motivation, there will be times when you lose your endurance. Your shoes will collect dust, your manuscript will go untouched, and you won’t meet your goals.

During these moments, don’t try to run a marathon. Don’t even think about it. Instead, put on your running shoes and go for a walk. Instead of aiming for 1,000 words, try to write a hundred. Don’t write a long blog post; write a short one.

Rebuild your endurance, slowly. One step at a time.

. . .

Featured Photo by Mikito Tateisi on Unsplash