Keep Looking Up!

I feel like a tiny little mouse at the base of Mount Everest. I wonder how I will ever get anywhere near the top within my lifetime. I am embracing my independence as a singer-songwriter. I have lots of songs recorded and more to record. I've drafted my autobiography. I've pulled out my acrylic paints to create the art that will set the design for my still-to-be-designed website. I need photos. I need gigs. I need video. I need a chairlift!

This seems like so many steps that do not go in a linear fashion. This is not a good plan for a lazy person. I can't afford to be a lazy person. Nor do I want to be a workaholic. But this is going to require some overtime. I have the outfit and my backpack is ready. I've taken a few steps. It's so tempting to run back to the cabin and turn on the television. Look at other's lives and anesthetize my ambition away. Pour me some vino. What's for dinner. I think the dog needs a bath. And look at that filthy floor.

It's so easy to major in minor things. But it's time to embrace more of Stephen Covey's wisdom and make the main thing the main thing. You know, the THING. The thing with no steady paycheck, benefits, or 401K. The thing with no hook in it, no performance evaluation, no one quantifying my value, and no handcuffs on the computer keyboard. The thing I've always wanted to do. Share my songs. Inspire people. Be my authentic self and give others hope that they can too. Get rid of all the fakery. All of it. I don't want to be an actress anymore. I just want to be. And to do what matters most. Give the gifts that God made me to give.

So I guess I need to add a few more items to my backpack. Tissues, as there will be tears. Band-aids, as there will be blisters. Ben-Gay, as my muscles will get sore. And lots of Advil, because my head already hurts. But what are the alternatives? Taking the wrong path, standing still or falling backward. Guess I better take the advice I've given others so many times. Keep looking up. You can slip but don't fall. Just focus on the next step. I may be 100 years old, but I'll be 100 years old with a great view.