You gotta be kidding me. Is this what they call an 'omen'? This week I started reading "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho and I highlighted this quote: “In order to find the treasure, you will have to follow the omens. God has prepared a path for everyone to follow. You just have to read the omens that he left for you.” How do you recognize an omen? Is it obvious or do you have to read between the lines? Well, I think a big fat omen just slapped me in the face.
I dream of sharing my music with the world, singing & playing guitar, composing film scores on the piano, hearing my music on the radio, leading music therapy retreats. I have recently set myself a challenge to complete 10,000 hours of deliberate piano practice, to start working with a singer teacher, and to do 28 performances in 2017.
This is a lot for one person to take on and yet I want to do even more. I want to write books, host podcasts, teach photography, grow businesses, and lead yoga retreats. I'm cursed with an obsession to always bite off more than I can chew. I've been cautious to start any new projects recently because I don't want to burn out again but I'm also getting antsy - it's time for me to start taking action. Enough stagnation. I know what I want to do and I keep getting distracted and excited about other sparkly opportunities. I'm spoiled for choice and I'm second guessing myself. I was driving myself crazy this afternoon with all these thoughts so I decided to "give myself a break" and just spend the rest of today editing photos (a somewhat stress-free mindless task for me). I like listening to podcasts when I edit and today I felt a strange desire to listen to Freakonomics (which I NEVER listen to). I listened to the most recently published episode and whatdya know, it was all about the 10,000 hour rule and it specifically talked about people who were practice piano and going after their dream of singing. A perfect match for my current journey. Random coincidence or omen?
On an afternoon when I was throwing my arms in the air with frustration about whether or not I was on the right course to focus on music, a randomly chosen podcast episode ticked all my boxes and finished with these words of encouragement, “If you have something that you dream about, then do it, don’t hesitate.” I'm going to take it as an omen, because if that ain't an omen, I don't know what it. // Cha
BOOK: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
10,000 RULE: Introduced by Dr. K. Anders Ericsson + Popularized by Malcom Gladwell in 'Outliers'
PODCAST: How to Become Great at Just About Anything | Freakonomics Radio