EGBOK
Put out positive energy, and you’ll get that in return. It will help to open doors for you (even if you don’t know when or for what)! -EGBOK
Just ask for it.
Sometimes all that’s needed is to ask for what you want. You might have to plan what you want to say, rehearse it, prepare for questions, etc., but why not just ask? The answer might be “no”, but it also might be a “yes” or at least a “maybe”. You will have at the minimum challenged yourself and moved a bit forward…just with the action of asking. EGBOK
It’s never too late to “unstuck” yourself. EGBOK
Egbok continues in 2011
Be process oriented. And be grateful.
Knowing when…
You’re never going to know exactly when something you’ve been wanting for a long time is going to happen (a new job, grad school, a move to another city, your first book, etc), but I believe that when it is the right time, you will know it and thus, it will be easy (or at least easier) to make that transition and take that next step forward. Good luck to anyone who wants to make a change but is not sure what or when that change will be! Egbok.
EGBOK + Reframing
I wanted an outlet, and I thought that writing would be helpful as I enter a new chapter in my life. Well, funny thing is, I’m not taking advantage as much as I should be. I always feel that some weight has been lifted off my shoulders after writing, so why don’t I do it more often??
As long as I’m doing it, even if it’s not often, I’m still doing it, and for what it’s worth, I’m enjoying writing the few entries I’ve written and will continue to write.
EGBOK and reframing: two helpful words (or thoughts at least) that I constantly need to keep in mind. Yes, everything’s going to be OK, and I also could benefit from reframing my thoughts—seeing the positive, taking in the positive, even when I don’t believe there is any. I must reframe. Because there is always something to be learned, something to be OK about—or in fact, more than OK. Yes, it can be difficult to reframe, and probably most of us don’t do it enough. I can only speak for myself, but reframing does help me put things into perspective and not dwell in negativity. It also allows me to attract positive energy, and sometimes more than others, that kind of energy is what will get me through certain days or situations. It is a skill I have not yet mastered, but believing in both EGBOK and reframing, I am confident that my future beholds lots of good things. (And reframing would show me that so does my present! See, I still need practice.)
Creating your own path…
I just loved this blog post from John Mayer. Reminds me of EGBOK: because it really will be OK. No one has the right answer — even if you think they might or they are your mentor. It’s up to you to create your own future and one that you are happy with. Sure, it will take guts, but it will be so worth it in the end.
I’m not sure if it’s a function of advancing age or just the times we’re living in, but it’s almost impossible for me to find complete external validation in any one thought, desire, instinct or vision anymore.
Who do you want to be exactly like? Is there anybody in this world who’s laid down a template for your dreams and goals that you’d copy and paste over your own life’s story? Maybe you want to go to a music college as I did when I decided to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston. Start asking some alums whether it’s worth it and you’ll get two distinct answers. One half of the control group will tell you it’s not worth it, that you might as well just start a band and hit the road. The other half will tell you that it was the flash point for their music career and that without it they’d be nowhere. The answer depends on the experience had by each person you talk to. Maybe the “Nos” spent their semesters curled up in a ball fighting with their boyfriend or girlfriend on the phone and never applied themselves to making the most of the time there. You’ll never find the answer you want, just information with which to build your own idea and chart your own course.
Take your favorite artist, the one you look up to and see as the perfect specimen of talent, values, output, whatever the case may be - and someone else has a reason why they’re not worth even a passing glance. Is “Bob Dylan: Don’t Look Back” the documentary of a genius iconoclast or was he a self absorbed pseudo-intellectual bully? It depends on who you ask. Is Jay-Z the reigning king of hip hop or is he “all business” now? It depends on who you ask. I bring up both names because if you ask me, I put them at the top of my list of people who can do very little if no wrong at all, but it won’t take long to read someone’s opposing point of view. If you’re not sure of what you love, that means you can be talked out of it, and that’s a slippery slope.
Is your boyfriend cute? Was Hurt Locker the best movie of the year? Are you going to go out in those shoes? Should you take the promotion and move to Boston? Did I wear “Hammer” pants on stage in Houston or is Rick Owens a visionary clothing designer?
It all depends on who you ask.
Which is a pretty great reason to stop asking all together. Nobody’s life template will ever lay evenly over yours. And in those times when they clash completely, you have to walk alone, with confidence that you’re creating your own template, made out of your own instincts and your own dreams and your own goals. And if you do it long enough, maybe someone someday will look to yours as the life to model theirs after. Of course, some people won’t agree with them. It will all depend on who they ask.
Today’s EGBOK: “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” video by Bobby McFerrin. An old friend gave me his CD when I was a kid because she knew how much of a worry-wart I was (and still am!). It still makes me happy whenever I hear it.
Finally I write!
Starting this blog was part of my New Year’s resolution, and here we are already more than half-ways through March, and I have not written a single post. That’s changing today, and more specifically, RIGHT NOW! Hooray! So, I’ll be writing more often and about things related to EGBOK: Everything’s Going to Be OK! My mother used to always tell me this, and she still does. It’s a piece of advice that I aim to incorporate in my life; this blog will be a constant reminder of its wisdom and comfort. Thank you, Mom, for introducing me to it, and I hope to introduce you to it as well!
