As a veteran of the music business, I’ve been to a lot of shows, and they all have one thing in common: At the end of the night, the artist calls out, “Thank you, and good night!” You may only be a rock star in your living room, but it’s time to mimic your favorite band. Before we say good-bye to the craziness of 2020, let’s take a few minutes to say thank you to what we’ve learned. In the December series, Thank You and Good Night, we’ll talk through three simple questions: What do you want to cultivate, What would you like to release, and What do you want to re-engineer?
There are a couple of ways to think about what you’d like to cultivate. You could consider something that has slipped to the back burner that you’d like to push front and center. Or, simply think of something that makes you go, Ahhhh—more of this. Happiness isn’t out of reach. In fact, it might be hiding in plain sight. Let me tell you how a woman decided to shake-up her routine.
It seemed like Margaret Becker was ticking off every checkbox in the singer/songwriter playbook. Hit records: Check. Industry awards: Check. Schedule booked with sold-out shows: Check.
There was just one problem: She was burning out. After many grueling months on the road, an exhausted Becker decided to take time off alone. It was a difficult decision—if she didn’t work, her band and manager didn’t get paid. However, she was determined to come up with a new game plan for her career. She was certain an extended vacation on a small coastal island would do the trick.
A week after arriving, she drove to the local town to get supplies, only to see most of Main Street boarded up. A hurricane was on its way, and it was too late to get off the island.
Becker hunkered down, listening to the wind howl and tree branches break. By dawn, devastation was everywhere, yet she also saw a beautiful, clear sunrise. In a way, the storm was a metaphor—her life also needed a massive overhaul. A sudden clarity arose, and her first thoughts were about close friendships and improving her wellness. Other people’s priorities for her, like pushing out new releases as fast as she could and spending over 200 nights a year on the road, would have to wait.
Does Margaret Becker’s story about forced time alone, a surprise insight, and then a decision to discover the path forward sound familiar? It should, because most of us can say we faced the same turning points during the pandemic lockdown!
However, we can also say thank you to those moments. Lockdown required slowing down. Like Margaret, you’re probably coming out of the year with a better understanding about what matters to the person you are now. And it is certainly time to use the soft skill of healthy self-esteem to advocate for whatever opens your heart and mind and makes you say, “Yes, more of this.”
So, let’s kickstart the process by journaling a few answers to this sentence: I’d like to cultivate _____. And there’s no need to overthink it—your top of mind answers are your instincts speaking. My answers were:
* I’d like to cultivate new heartfelt connections.
* I’d like to cultivate strength and improved health.
* I’d like to cultivate time for relaxation and having fun.
2020 has been a long road, but one thing is clear: It’s time to round out the rest of your life. Find your “more of this” and start cultivating what will make you happy.