Get Out Of Your Own Way

This morning , the above picture popped up on my memories on Facebook. A year ago, while walking around the track, this young guy was cheering me on, screaming, you can do one more, I know you can, and, the one became five! And then, he made the most profound statement, he told me, "you've got to get yourself to cooperate with yourself."

I've thought a lot about that statement recently, in the form of, if only I could get out of my own way, and the things that I let hold me back from living the life that I really want to and know that I would be very successful doing.

I suppose it comes down to, why do we allow the voices in our heads to dictate our lives? Why do we allow others to dictate what we are capable of or not, and better yet, why do we believe them?

I've wanted to write and perform a solo comedy show for years now, it's funny and would be a fun night out for anyone, but, I have told myself every excuse in the world why not to do it, and then, the following happened.

I received a message from a woman I've gotten to know on my book page on Facebook, she is a fellow author and a cheerleader to me. I have others that do the same and I am grateful to them as well, the one I can't go on without mentioning is my good friends Belynda Cleare and Jackie Loeb, my biggest cheerleaders and always willing to stop and give me a hand or feedback and a push. These ladies really are on my side. I love when women support women. Anyway, the message said:

Hey Beth,

I am praying for you as you get your "laugh medicine show" on the road.I got a flyer in the mail and I set it aside to send to you to remind you that you CAN do this, and you have been equipped by G-d to send HIS love out to the world by your talents and gifts of being able to make people laugh. Love you so much and am praying for you.

Thanks Kari, I am now on my way, with hopefully, my first stop close to you in Colorado.

Mind you, this is a fellow author that I have never personally met.

I took this message as my sign to finally get my butt in gear and, get my show on the road.

I then had a chat with myself about things I need to do in order to get this going.

1) I need to stop putting effort into spending time with people who fundamentally do not understand my vision.

2) I need to feed off of my dissatisfaction. I need to let it fuel me and push me into creating the life I really want to be living. (read this again)

3) I need to write down everything that I worry about during the course of my day and pick out the themes. These are areas of my life that need to be addressed.

4) This is a big one! I will not text, call or email anyone that is non essential while working towards my goal.

5) I will not worry if I feel uncertain. Think about this, if we know the path ahead of us, it's because, we are on someone else's.

In short, if you are waiting for someone else to help you, save you, or create for you, the life you want, take a breath, look in the mirror, and begin with yourself.

As I begin to write my show Latkes and Ham, a comedy about a Jewish woman, (me) studying to become a rabbi and meet her future non Jewish husband. I was told it wouldn't last for six months, and we are forty years later. I will keep all of you in the loop with dates etc., and hope to see you out at a show in the near future.

As the young man in the picture advised me to do, I am going to get myself to cooperate with myself and, get out of my own way!

In the meantime, what will you do to get out of your way and create the life you've always wanted?