Passion Party #493 - The Servant Master: Acceptance

Acceptance is the key. 

 

I can spend my life struggling with the way things are, with the people I work with, with the changes in my business, or I can accept the things I cannot change and work on the things I can. 

 

When I let go of the struggle I begin to see the true nature of things.

 

Then I can move forward.

PassionParty #492 - The Servant Master: Compassion

Compassion

 

            For me, compassion is personal.  I can feel that the world is in trouble, but I don’t do anything about it.  When I see a person in need, and I feel I can help, then compassion takes hold.  I need to act locally, having compassion for those I can directly affect.

 

   If I do one compassionate act a day, whether it is caring for a sick friend or giving a dollar coin to the busker at the mall, my day becomes better.

Passion Party #491 - Ship It

When I started writing the Passion Party blog there was just one simple theme:

"Helping other people get inspired".

It was a short message with a long story.

 

How can I inspire others when

I feel angry, alienated and out of control?

I wanted to be honest

and the honest truth was that

I was angry at all the things I had no control over.

 

It was a time for letting go

for reconnecting with meditation and nature

reading inspiring books by others

and creating a quiet time to write,

to journal and document what, it turns out,

is a life-long journey filled with creativity and passion.

 

Now it is time to release The Pursuit Of Passion to the world.

Unlike the bitter poet in "Vicky Christina Barcelona" that spends his life writing poetry

and then will not publish it or read it to anyone because he hates mankind,

my purpose was - and is - to inspire others.

And there is fear in putting my creation out into the world.

Is it good enough?

Am I worthy? 

Is it a waste of time? And money?

 

The answer is:

Create the best you can do

and then release it.  Give it birth.  Publish.  Ship it.

My old friend Mark Berndt once said,

"You can't put out your second album

until the first album has been released".

Now that I have put out 7 albums, I know what he is saying, and the same holds true in writing a book.

Don't wait.

What are you waiting for?

 

And so I hope you can join me, in spirit or in person,

at my Book Release Party for  The Pursuit Of Passion

at 5:30 PM PST tonight

at Rush Street, Culver City, CA 90232

Party Over Here! Book Signing on Monday 11/18, 5:30 PM

 

Please join me for this special event!  I look forward to seeing you.  please RSVP, as I need to know how much food to order!

Passion Party #490 - Turning 30

For me turning 30 was painful.

Coming from a generation that was taught “Don’t trust anyone over 30”, it was like approaching the Dark Side.

I was a mess of emotions.

I was in a rough place. My wife and I continued to live beyond our means, using credit cards to keep our lives afloat.  I was in the midst of an early and ongoing “mid-life crisis”.  Music was not paying the bills, and I could not go back to selling cars again.

On my birthday I remember the only phone calls I got were from creditors, and the only mail I got was bills (sounds like a blues song...)

At the same time I was getting this strong internal desire to have a child with my wife Shelby.

People speak about a woman’s body clock, but I know it is not just women that have this feeling.

Having known Shelby since before the birth of her first son, and having helped raised him from the age of 5 or so, Shelby and I felt we would be good parents together.  But our son was still a year and 10 months away from showing up.

I guess what I am saying is

Life is not simple, not orderly,

It rarely happens as we want it to.

But somehow it all works out

And a wonderful person

Shows up

And grows up into a wonderful man,

father and husband.

Passion Party #489 - Clean Page

I love the thought
of starting a clean page.
A new blank book, crisp and untouched
with unlimited potential.

My favorite writing book consists of blank lined pages,
hard bound, pages numbered in the lower corner.
The binding is solid
like something of value
something that will keep for a long time
something for the ages.
The numbered pages help me know
I am at the beginning of a new chapter.

The new chapter is arbitrary
one book runs out of pages and the next one starts
but it is timely
and at the moment feels appropriate.

Thoughts flow from my mind
ink flows form the pen
the clean page becomes filled
and it is time to start another day.

The Pursuit Of Passion, now on Amazon.com, and in Kindle format

Now available for delivery from Amazon.com

The Pursuit Of Passion