I hung out with my oldest kid yesterday. She just finished up her third year at Cal Poly. Hard won. I’m super proud of her. This kid is one resilient human, but that’s a story for another time. I asked her where I could take her for lunch to celebrate and Panda Express was the winner. When we opened up our fortune cookies, mine read, “The key to happiness is reasonable expectations.” I read it aloud and we both laughed. What an underwhelming fortune. Or is it?
I Won't Back Down // Cover
Originally by Tom Petty
I’m back home for a few days after six full adventurous weeks of travel, on the heels of my cousin’s memorial. I’ve been feeling tired all week, doing my best to catch up on sleep, work, laundry and relationships. I played a gig this afternoon at Niffy’s Merrimaker and serisouly considered forgoing the Sunday Serenade just this one week to recoup. But the thing is, I’m 26 serenades in—half a year’s worth. I’ve shown up each week no matter what has been going on in my life, even if I’m pressing send on your email at 11:59pm.
In a world that keeps on pushin' me around /
But I'll stand my ground /
And I won't back down
I believe a healthy balance can exist between reasonable expectations and not backing down from our dreams. For me, it seems to live in the realm of creativity and resourcefulness. All things don’t have to be an all or nothing endeavor. I practiced this today when I brought my camera and set up a tripod at my gig. I knew I wouldn’t have the time or energy to record something when I got home. Even despite the wind noise, dog barks, imperfect notes and all the flawed intricacies that come with a live performance, I stood my ground and felt good about simply meeting myself where I was. Hope you enjoy it 😉
When life seems to push us around and we experience conflicting demands, we get to decide how we respond and what we’re ultimately committing to. Often it helps us ask valuable questions like, ‘why am I doing this thing?’ and empowering clarity can come as a result.
Reflection
Where in your life are you feeling conflicting demands?
How might you approach the conflict with creative curiosity?
Regardless of the conflicting demands you might be facing in your professional or personal life, coaching can help you figure out how to move forward with ingenuity and self-assurance. If you want to feel more clarity around this, let’s talk.
