Fear? Do It Anyway.
“Thinking will not overcome fear, but action will.” - W. Clement Stone
“Thinking will not overcome fear, but action will.” - W. Clement Stone
For a second, I almost let fear win.
If you’ve checked out some of my other posts, you’ll notice that my fear used to play a BIG role in what I did with my life (or rather, what I didn’t do). My body was trying to protect itself from failure, shame, guilt, dissatisfaction, and broken dreams (😩).
My body was trying to keep me safe, but my body doesn’t know about
The life I’ve always wanted. One that’s filled with music, art, and travel.
The people I want to help.
The happiness, joy, and spiritual fulfillment I want to experience in THIS lifetime.
None of that comes before 1) facing old beliefs that no longer serve you, 2) learning to love yourself, and 3) a little bit of risk. So, in a way, fear is your friend. Fear helps you understand where you are and where you want to go, and then becomes a guide along the path. I often tell my clients this:
Understanding your fear is one of the keys you’ll need to unlock the door to the life that you want.
So, what do you do when fear is holding you back? What should you do when you feel fear? Well…
You need to feel the fear and do it anyway.
There’s really no comfortable way around it. Doing anything new or risky can feel intimidating, but it is crucial that you allow yourself to act despite the fear that you feel.
Change always feels uncomfortable in the beginning.
And action always lessens the discomfort and points you towards clarity.
Until next time,
CPIII
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Destination: Unknown
"One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time." - Andre Gide
"One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time." - Andre Gide
You've packed, said your goodbyes, completed all your prep work, and you're finally ready to set sail. This day has been coming for so long. You have a mission! You are going to uncharted territory!!! You can barely wait to begin this amazing, new adventure. And... YOU TAKE OFF!!!
That was me almost three years ago.
Like many others, I've answered The Calling, without fully knowing what I was being called to, and at this point in my journey, there is no shore in sight, and I have no idea where I'm going to land. Sometimes it's exciting, and other times the mystery of it all petrifies me. Even so, I make an effort to enjoy the ride, appreciate the boat that keeps me afloat, and commune with the other travelers I meet along the way. We all have a destination that is unknown.
To my fellow travelers, here are three tips for times of doubt, indecision, and fear during your travels at sea:
1) Don't Panic!
When we first set sail, we are so determined and ready to take on this new (or old) dream. Then we look back and see the shore slowly fading away, getting farther and farther in the distance. If you are like me, you may have a momentary panic attack and/or existential crisis.
"What if I don't make it? What if I can't find my way back? What if I die before making it to my destination? WHAT AM I DOING?!?!?"
We can't let fear of what's to come keep us from getting there. When we build the courage to start, that same courage must be nurtured, because we will need it many times over. We do our best not to panic and act without thought, but when we do, we do our best to recover.
2) Don't Look Back
Being clear with our goals and setting our intention is very important. Of course our goals may change, but having clarity will give us a sense of peace while we are in the middle of the ocean. We can be unafraid when our goals inspire our daily practices, and when our intentions remind us why we began this journey in the first place. One of the biggest challenges can be to believe in ourselves, but if we are to take bold risks and not go back to what is comfortable, it is a challenge we must overcome in order to become the person we aspire to be. (Find out more about believing in yourself in a past blog post: Approve Yourself.)
3) Learn to Love the Journey
There will be joy, sorrow, discomfort, happiness, growth, and lots more growth. We will travel through storms, and we will gently surf under a night sky full of stars. We learn to appreciate it all. I often ask myself, "what's the alternative?" The alternative for me is to be comfortable behind a desk with a steady paycheck. It sounds nice, but it doesn't sound like a life I truly want.
There is no shore in sight, we have an unknown destination, and yet, we sail on.
Eventually, we come to realize that the destination was never the goal, and instead, being present by living each day to the fullest, meeting friends and loved ones along the way, and cultivating a deep, deep sense of self, were the most important parts of all. It is our travels, our heartaches, and our joys that matter.
The destination is over there. We are right here. So allow yourself to live right here, and seek joy in your daily life, because who knows what tomorrow may bring.
Till next time y'all.
CPIII
Work With Me
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Who I’ve Become
"The most daring thing is to be yourself and to do exactly what you want to do at that point in time and not be worried with what other people are doing or what's popular." - Wiz Khalifa
"The most daring thing is to be yourself and to do exactly what you want to do at that point in time and not be worried with what other people are doing or what's popular." - Wiz Khalifa
I've lived my life for others for so long, it's hard to know what living for myself would look like. I've been on a path to change this, one with many successes, but also many failures. There have been times when I have said "yes" when I meant to say "no," or turned right when I thought I should go left. These are times when I didn't listen to my intuition (my gut). However, the best part about intuition is that it never leaves you. You will always have your intuition and the ability to listen to it.
Every time I make a mistake, or do something that feels right, I get a chance to witness myself. Then I get to live the consequences of that decision, whether "good" or "bad." I'm beginning to understand that the important thing is to stay true to myself and to learn from whatever decision I make.
In a previous post, I spoke about The Calling I had to sing and dance. It took some time, but I have decided to go back to school to get a degree in Music! I am SO excited, but such a self-affirming and life changing decision brings up a lot of fear and doubt. Now here is where intuition gets even more tricky. The silent whispers of your intuition are immediately flooded with fear-filled thoughts from your head. Your brain tells you to stay where it's comfortable, but you know that you grow when you're uncomfortable. It is in times like these when you must remember your passion, your love, and why you've made your decision in the first place.
I have this old habit of finding my truth in the approval of others. Now that I am practicing living my own truth and finding the approval of my decisions from within, I am finding so much joy in my life! However, it takes a lot of reminding for me to achieve this on a daily basis. Practice is key! Below are 5 things I try to remind myself of everyday.
1. Keep going.
When learning something new, there are going to bumps in the road, but you must persist! F.E.A.R. can get in the way, but just remember it is False Evidence that Appears Real. It is going to feel uncomfortable, some days you won't want to do it, and other days you may feel discouraged, but if you are doing what you love, your passion will keep you going. Persistence is key!
2. What you say to yourself counts.
What you say, both to yourself and to others, matters! I can't even begin to tell you how much talking to myself in a positive way has changed my life. Even if you don't believe in yourself, tell yourself you do, and your mind will catch up. If you persist with this very important habit, your mind will automatically replace the nasty things you used to say with helpful statements.
3. Stay Grateful.
Even if you have to write down what you're grateful for every day, do it! It is so important! Humbling yourself and staying grateful are great reminders that you are right where you need to be and learning what you need to learn. Count your blessings and say thank you!
4. Set Goals, but stay present.
It is important to know where you want to go so opporunities that will get you there can present themselves. The tricky part about having goals is when we become transfixed on them. Goals are important, but staying present is more important. Enjoy the journey!
5. Take every moment as a learning opportunity.
Every decision you make, every encounter you have, every failure you endure, every success you celebrate, take it as a learning opportunity. One of the amazing things about life is that you are able to learn every step of the way. I often say that awareness is key. When you are aware of something, you have the power to change it and/or become wiser from it. Keep an open mind and an open heart throughout each day, and you'll find golden life lessons in everything you do.
I am becoming a person who embraces the unknown. A person who is not willing to settle for something just because it's comfortable. I am a person who is willing to reach my full potential, say yes to life, love, passion, and, most importantly, myself! I am forming the foundation of fierce self-love.
I'm going all in baby! Wanna join?
Till next time, Y'all,
CPIII
Work With Me
Apply for a FREE Strategy call with me. As an Empowerment Coach, Songwriter, and Performer, I have helped many find their own light… Now let’s find YOURS!
5 Challenges
"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
5 Challenges of Putting Yourself Out There
It is well known that building a social media platform is very challenging, especially if you are trying to remain true to yourself in the process. I am right in the thick of it, and there have been many challenges along the road, but here are the 5 biggest challenges that I continue to face on a daily basis:
1. You have to deliver! Constantly!
If you say you’re going to do something, you have to do it, or you risk losing your momentum completely. This is a challenge for me, but putting myself out there has been a great practice. I am constantly pushing myself to go beyond my norm. Be careful not to push too hard though! Everything in life is about balance, right?
Maintaining a steady stream of material is equally as important. Maintaining a steady stream of good material is even more important! When you don't feel like writing that next blog post, you must persevere.
Persistence is essential.
2. Who am I exactly?
What am I selling? What do I want folks to get out of this? What do I want to get out of this? Having focus is extremely important when building your brand. If you don’t have a clear vision, or know which direction you want to head, how can you take action to get there? While your goals and aspirations may change drastically over the course of your career, staying true and being you within those changes gives you clarity and allows what is needed to come through.
3. Am I doing this right?
You deliver too much content. You say the wrong things. You’re not using the right format. You’re not reaching a broader audience... At the end of the day, there is no “right” way to do this, but there are many others who are doing things that you can learn from. No one is you, and until you learn how to best serve yourself, you can learn something from someone who has "been there and done that."
4. Naysayers, Haters, etc.
It doesn't matter what you do, the haters are always gonna hate, the doubters are gonna doubt, and the naysayers are gonna... Naysay!!! We simply cannot let other's opinions get the best of us. Like Emerson said, if we can be who we really are "in a world that is constantly trying to make [us] something else," it will all be worth it.
5. Myself
This one takes the cake. Naysayers are one thing, my own mind is another! We all have that Negative Nancy in our head. She/he/ze always has something to say about our work. I am still learning to let her have her time to nag, acknowledge her nagging, and then disregard her nagging. Like naysayers, I cannot hold what she says as truth and I most definitely cannot let her keep me from producing or sharing my work.
Well that's it folks!
The good news is a lot of this can be worked on and you will overcome these challenges the further you go! I have learned so much by just going on YouTube and watching how-to videos or reading different articles on the web. Either way, if you want to accomplish something, you can do it!!!
Challenges are there to help you grow. If you can stay in that mindset, you will learn so much from the challenges you face, and become better for it.
Till next time, Y'all!
CPIII
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What are some of the challenges you face with putting yourself out there? How do you overcome them?
Grateful
7 Things To Be Grateful For During The Holiday Season
7 Things to be Grateful for during this Holiday Season
While 2015 has been a year full of unfortunate events, there are many things that we can still be grateful for. This has been a particularly hard year for me, but also the most rewarding year yet! These are a few things that I am grateful for as the year comes to an end:
1. Family and Friends
2. Well-Being
3. Creativity
4. Community
5. Compassion
6. Life
7. YOU!!!
During this holiday season, I leave you with an acapella version of Silent Night. May it find you filled with joy!
Hey Y'all! Help make the world a better place by donating your time or a small gift to one of these organizations! One Warm Coat - $1 will provide 2 Coats!!! You can also donate one of your own coats at a drop off location near you.
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Gratitude and love will motivate us to make next year better than the last. Share with us what you are grateful for to help move us into the new year with hope and inspiration!
Youtube Channel!!!
"Be pushed forward by your ambition for what can be, while you derive full benefit from what already is." - Ralph Marston
"Be pushed forward by your ambition for what can be, while you derive full benefit from what already is." - Ralph Marston
My last blog post, I AM WORTHY, really got me thinking. Why am I here? What should I be doing? What is it all for if I'm not sharing what I've got, right now, regardless of where I'm at?
After realizing how much I have been holding back, I decided to push myself a little. Sooooo....
I created a Youtube Channel!!!
I'll be posting different things like original songs, choreography, and vblogs, but do you guys have any other ideas on what I should post? I'm curious (and need help to plan my content)!
I have also decided to revamp my website. I will keep some stuff, but I want to make it more about me, and less about this "professional" concept I have in my head. Basically, I want my website to have the same feel of my blog. I want my voice to be in it. Not sure what that's gonna look like, but we shall find out!
Anywho, back to the main point of this blog post: I AM ON YOUTUBE!!!
"It's Me, CPIII!" (working title) is up and running with its first video! You can watch it here!
Be sure to like and subscribe! There is so much more to come!
Till next time, Y'all!
CPIII
Work With Me
Apply for a FREE Strategy call with me. As an Empowerment Coach, Songwriter, and Performer, I have helped many find their own light… Now let’s find YOURS!
Share with me!
Feedback, feedback, feedback!!!
I'd love to hear what you think about the video and any suggestions you may have for future vids!!! Looking forward to sharing even more of myself with you!
I Am Worthy
"Believe you can and you're halfway there." -Theodore Roosevelt
"Believe you can and you're halfway there."
-Theodore Roosevelt
Why is it so hard to believe in yourself?
I understand that it’s a lifelong habit of negative self-talk I’m working with, but for a while now, I have been saying,
“Okay, I’m ready to love myself! You can stop having those thoughts! Let’s think this way instead!”
but time and time again, I find myself going back to this old idea that I’m not good enough.
That statement is entirely false, but if I think it, it shows up in my life: I don’t sing as well, I don’t dance as well, I second guess myself, I close up, I limit my actions out of fear, I say less, and I feel like less of a person.
The more I realize the power of my thoughts, the more I realize the importance of using my thoughts to work for me rather than against me. Each day, I can take another step towards loving myself, even if “old habits” show up. I just need to love myself even more in those moments. A friend of mine posted on facebook, “Be the person you needed when you were younger.” In those moments, I have to be that person. I want share another quote/affirmation from a book I’m reading by Ernest Holmes:
"The Law of Good is continuously operative in my life. I am always equal to any task set before me. I am confident of my ability to meet every situation. I can solve every problem, overcome every difficulty. Realizing that Spirit knows no obstruction, I have implicit confidence in Its ability to operate through me always, and under every situation."
So basically... I got this and the Universe has my back!!! I can do anything if I can trust in myself. It’s easy to fall back into old habits, but I say no more!!!
When my new, positive thoughts become habit and replace the old, negative thoughts, my life changes drastically. I want to give in completely to thoughts of loving myself, believing in myself, and knowing I am worthy, because I AM WORTHY!!!
YOU ARE WORTHY!!!!!!!
WE ARE WORTHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Till next time, Y'all!
CPIII
Work With Me
Apply for a FREE Strategy call with me. As an Empowerment Coach, Songwriter, and Performer, I have helped many find their own light… Now let’s find YOURS!
Competition
"You can't look at your competition and say you're going to do it better. You have to look at the competition and say you're going to do it differently." - Steve Jobs
"You can't look at your competition and say you're going to do it better. You have to look at the competition and say you're going to do it differently." - Steve Jobs
It's not important to be better than others, it's important to be yourself. I have to remember that the only healthy competition I need to have is with myself.
How do I want to improve? What do I want to give? What do I have to offer? How do I want to be remembered? When I ask myself those questions, being better than someone else becomes irrelevant.
I have been struggling with a decision I need to make: What kind of music do I want to create? Should I try to go the Pop route? Or more experimental (things that may not get as much attention)? Is there room for both? If there is room for both, which one should I focus on now? Can experimental be Pop? What do I mean by "experimental"? What do I mean by "Pop"? The questions go on and on...
Michael Hyatt, an amazing motivational speaker and blogger, once said "I often have to say no in order to stay committed to my bigger yes." So what is my bigger yes? I believe that is the question that needs to be answered before the rest can fall into place.
What I know: I want to contribute to the world's healing with music. I want to spread love, oneness, and compassion. I want to heal, and I want those around me to heal. I believe that sound is my way of doing this.
Now, I usually don't use "healing" and "pop music" in the same sentence, but what if? There are songs on the radio that have a positive message. Why can't mine? Going back to Steve Jobs' quote, I can't look around and see what's there and try to do that, I have to stay true to myself and do me. I want to bring healing music to Pop culture. What if I brought myself to Pop culture, instead of change who I am in order to fit into Pop culture?
"Nobody can do it like you." Who we are as individuals is something so special, so unique! You only happened once, and you are here, right now, the world is your oyster! Once you trust that, you free yourself from competition, and open up to your own internal compass.
Till Next time y’all,
CPIII
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When you think of competition, do you think of doing things differently or doing things better than?
You Better Live Your Life!
Life has been a little hectic lately…
Life has been a little hectic lately! I'm finally returning to my blog, but first, a brief journey through the past couple of months...
I went to see a close friend get married in Santa Barbara! The day before, I went to Santa Cruise Island (from Ventura, CA). I saw dolphins and whales for the first time (in the wild), went kayaking through sea caves, snorkeling, hiking, and camping!
Then I randomly flew a plane, which was easier than I thought! Granted, all I did was cruise (no landing for me!). It was incredible!
Another random adventure: ARCHERY! This happens to be my favorite thing I've done recently. I did not expect to have this fun!
By the way, I did all of these things using Groupon. Clearly, I'm obsessed. Spending so much time outside and trying different things has been so fulfilling! People keep asking me why am I doing all of this. I respond with another question: why not? The world is your oyster!!!!
Someone told me "you better live your life!" I plan on doing just that.
Till next time, y'all!
CPIII
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What adventures have you been on? Any new activities I should try?
The Calling
"To not live purposefully, authentically, and heed the Calling is painful... and the only way we are able to survive with the pain is to numb it and distract ourselves." - Adam Siddiq
"To not live purposefully, authentically, and heed the Calling is painful... and the only way we are able to survive with the pain is to numb it and distract ourselves." - Adam Siddiq
The Calling.
It sounds so cryptic, and yet most of us have felt it. It's a feeling where, even if just for a second, everything makes sense. A moment so crisp, so silent, so pure...
Then you remember where you are, then you go over in your head what it would take to get to where you want to be, and that frightens you. That crisp, silent, pure moment becomes loud, messy, and muddy in an instant. And we resist. We resist the Call.
Be that as it may, the Call has not stopped knocking on my door, and I am so grateful that it hasn't. No matter what I did to numb myself, distract myself, and try to make everything okay, I kept hearing its knock. Sometimes it was a "(BAM!)," other times it would be a gentle thump, but it was always there.
Resisting my Calling felt like swimming upstream. Internally, or intuitively, everything was telling to go one way, but past experience, self-doubt, and "so-called life" was telling me to go another. It is so interesting to think about; I was literally running away from something that I truly desire, a desire that now feels so much bigger than me.
I have resisted my Call out of fear or disillusionment many times.
As I try to recall how it felt to be in a state of resistance, I feel my body closing in, cocooning itself for protection. When I bring my mind, body, and spirit into a state of acceptance, my heart space opens, my body melts, and I shine. I feel open for the world to see, and I think that's the scary part that I have been running from for so long. This vulnerability by authenticity is there for anyone to judge, but I must love and trust in myself. I cannot let fear of what someone or something might do keep me from shining. It feels too good to shine, to love (you and myself), and to truly be present in my life than to have it any other way. This is the biggest lesson I have learned thus far on my journey.
Now that I have accepted the Call, my journey begins.
The funny part about all of this is that I still don't know where my Calling will lead me! Today, I am feeling called to create through song and dance. Tomorrow I may feel called to help someone else with their creation. Whatever it may be, I am trying to remain open to it, so that I continue to grow from it.
Till next time, Y'all!
CPIII
Work With Me
Apply for a FREE Strategy call with me. As an Empowerment Coach, Songwriter, and Performer, I have helped many find their own light… Now let’s find YOURS!
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Have you ever felt your calling? Has it changed?
When has it been easier to follow and when has it been harder?