Stevie Jewel

Experiences: You Are Creating Your Life

If life is a painting, a beautiful ceiling-of-the-Sistine-Chapel painting, what gives it color?  Experiences.


If you didn’t have all the experiences you’ve had your canvas would just be black and white.  You wouldn’t have that bright yellow from the summer you graduated.  Or the deep red from the first time you felt love.  

Experiences are what color our world.

Experiences


Which is why everything you do, everywhere you go, and everything you see will add to the depth of your life.  Take it in, let it move you.  Let it add to the richness of your character.  This is why it doesn’t matter if you’re traveling the globe or sitting in a cubicle; it’s your story, it’s your canvas, and it’s your life.  No one will see it like you do, feel it like you did, remember it the way you saw it.  

Experiences

This is why comparison WASN’T really a thief of joy at all, the thief of joy is NOT REALIZING your life is being created right here and right now.  The comparison NEVER EXISTED, because whoever you were looking at was NEVER LIVING your life, they were never running your race.  So don’t let your life pass by because you’re not living the experiences; creating the experiences, that you want. 

Experiences


The next time your mind drifts off, maybe it will be to that garden in Bellagio Italy, or maybe to the first big job you landed, but either way, enjoy it, because all these experiences add up to make your tapestry; your life.

Experiences


So how can you enjoy your experience more?

  1. Be in the moment – this is a big one.  It comes it a lot of forms.  But the best way I can sum it up, is to “be” in the moment you’re in.  So if you’re eating lunch, don’t play on your phone.  Enjoy the food, taste it, think about where it was grown, and how it’s doing so much good for your body.
  2. Try new things!  – small steps are the best way to do this step.  Start with trying something new at the grocery store, or at a restaurant and move up from there.  Then you’ll feel ready to try bigger new things!
  3. Gratitude – this can feel simple and complicated.  But it really comes down to start small again.  Just be grateful for breathing, and then move up from there.  Before you know it you’ll be so grateful for the food you eat, the transportation you have, the roof over your head, your family, your future, and so much more.
  4. Recognize – recognize that your life is being created RIGHT NOW.  Everything you eat, everything you do is another page in the book that is your life.  SO ENJOY IT!
  5. Action – Everything you are doing is moving you to where you’re going to be next.  So if you want that promotion, start working towards being that version of yourself right now.  Because only you can create your life.
Experiences

Break Through

A recent experience made me realize that I’ve never talked about setbacks in a post before, and because that can be such a big part of the entertainment industry, it’s something I feel has to be addressed.  We’ve all seen the videos of successful people receiving awards encouraging others to persevere and not to give up just because the going gets tough, but it’s a different experience entirely when you’re standing face to face with someone telling you, “sorry, your songs not good enough” or “we’ve decided to go in a different direction”, “you’re just not the right fit”, or some other variation of a let down.  Some are more cruel than this, a la Simon Cowell, and some are more constructive, but it doesn’t get easier to hear.  Sometimes it’s merely a project that doesn’t work out because the partnership isn’t a good fit.  Other times it’s a crushing disappointment and makes you wonder how you can keep going…and then you realize it’s sheer will and a love for what you’re doing that is the light at the end of the tunnel.  It’s the feeling of joy you get for pursuing your passion, for trying to make what you love a career, for every second you get to stand in your glory and feel that overwhelming feeling of “rightness” that you feel when you’re living your truth.  So, after a setback here’s what you’ve got to do:

  1. Remind yourself that it’s just one opinion
  2. Take time to make yourself better, so that the next time you cross paths with that person you won’t care what they say because you’ve grown as an artist
  3. Remember that art is subjective and that no one has a final say
  4. There are a million other opportunities out there, this was just one of them
  5. Success is tasted by those who don’t give up, the only way to succeed is to not quit.

Easter Sunday

My work trip to Toronto happened to fall right over Easter weekend and I was able to spend some time with my family.  We had a great brunch, and had an easter egg hunt at a farm with miniature ponies! Needless to say I was in love and wanted to take all the little ponies home with me.  While at the farm I entered a raffle for a carriage ride, and I didn’t really think much of it, but then they called and told me we’d won! So we had a lovely carriage ride to end our Easter Sunday.  What are some of your favorite spring activities?

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