Singing and Writing - my new daily habit

i can’t tell you why I am where I am. It just is. Twenty years, give or take, I’ve been on the quest of self-actualization as an artist. Two things have remained constant - I can sing. And I can write. I write good songs. I sing great. Where does that get me? I don’t know. All I know is I continue the quest of self-realization.

We cannot foresee the wind. And I cannot manipulate fate. I don’t know the answers. I don’t have the secret key. I cannot tug the puppet strings, nor pull any levers. I am who I am. A singer. And a songwriter. I do what I do. Sometimes I pull back, retreat (raise twin toddlers for a moment in time), and other times I traject into that wind, or storm or however you want to see it, and whoosh up some leaves. Whatever that day’s energy, I continue to be who I am, and act the way I can act.

I do know that I am listening more to the world around me. I’m taking it in. Right now, I’m in retreat mode,…. listening. I’m silently creating, listening, watching, and soon,… responding.

The most important thing is to TRUST in the process. To not get sidetracked, or sideswiped. To not give in to the forces around. To not stagnate. Nor, to not get caught up in feeling like you have to keep up with the Jones’. I live in Los Angeles. It’s easy to think you are supposed to be like all those rich and famous people who happen to be neighbors. It can throw you for a loop: thinking you should be like them, ‘coz you’re in this city.

Fear not - do not get sidetracked. Think only what is for you. Stay true to the beat of your own drum.

I, for one, am drumming. I’m beating. I pulse from within. I have so much to offer,.. still. You cannot keep me down. You cannot thwart my force.

I am so close to refresh, I’m bursting with joy. The new album is coming together. Slowly, surely,.. at it’s time and pace. Don’t force it. It will come, along with all the marketing shenanigans that it needs.

For now, I wait. And create. I sing. I write. I will sing and write. Count me in. You got a singing gig or a writing gig? I’m there. I have all the singing and all the writing ready to unleash. I’m full of the song. If Sting said I need a singer, or Peter Gabriel said I need a songwriter, I would be the right fit. If I felt the wind, I’d even sign up for “The Voice”. I am all of it, but specific to singing and writing. I write. I sing. I love both so equally and profoundly - and when combined, it is just PURE MAGIC.

Meanwhile, listen to this album -  It’s my favorite right now. Adam Levine has certainly gone up a few notches in my book:"V", Maroon 5….

I wrote the above one Sunday morning when I felt so, so invigorated. I was in the vortex. I was feeling aligned with my inner spirit. But I don't always feel like this.

How do we not let anything or anyone thwart our force? How can we stay in alignment to our true passion, so much so that it makes our heart skip a beat, our eyes light up and our day feel so new?

How do we make our dreams come alive, even when we don't know how to get there?

It starts with one daily habit. Just one.

If a man was in hospital after, let's say, an accident, and currently couldn't walk - what is going to help that man walk again? He gets remedial therapy every day in hospital. He could either feel sorry for himself and feel terrible about his predicament. Or, he could say to himself constantly, "I will walk!"

I am sure that with the attitude of the latter, he will walk way sooner than in his lament. You see, this is an attitude habit. Each day, we can wake up and set our priorities for the day that include how we feel. Here are some for you to consider building into your daily morning practice:

"Today, I will go through the day with a joyful attitude and a skip in my step. Nothing will phase me."
"Today, I will realize one dream, one goal"
"Today, I will spend x minutes/hours on playing my favorite instrument" (reading a book, listening to music, watering the flowers,.. you can change this part)
"Today, i will eat a piece of fruit and fuel my body with nutrients"
"Today, I will kiss my husband at least 5 times, when he least expects it."
"Today, I will sing. I will sing. I will sing. I will sing."

Create your inspiring daily habit, and watch your world become aligned to who you really are and who you want to become. Feeling good is the first step to any place.

love

gilli moon
www.gillimoon.com

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gratitude

I'm grateful for my life. I have lived a thousand years. I've struggled. I've overcome. I've achieved. I look at my life and I realize that LIFE (l.i.f.e) is more than just an accolade.

It's the journey. I sometimes think I'm a broken record when it comes to discussing the importance of the "journey", but in essence it's the truth. We need to live more in the moment of our lives, rather than what the outcome may bring. For, how can we secure that outcome? We have no control over it. All we can control is this moment.

I have spent this past year raising a boy and a girl, my twin babies. In an ordinary world, that is ALL I should be able to muster, but I have somehow also found the capacity to generate an income for our family, come close to finishing the recording of my 7th album, coach approximately 10 artist clients a month, run a monthly showcase residency featuring awesome songwriters each month and perform myself, project manage several projects with a leading digital/internet fortune 500 company on a weekly basis, host the childrens' first birthday party including having family visit from overseas, write several articles including this blog, and run a 501)c)3 non profit organization for songwriters. Yes, i have done all this. (I'm sure I missed a few things).

I am grateful for my life. For my achievements. For my CAPACITY. For going through the motions; the process of my life and DELIVERING.

Even in my darkest times (and believe me, having had twins and raising them in their first year there are many), I SEE THE LIGHT. I am so ever grateful for having the opportunity to be WHO I AM and discovering life in a NEW WAY with my children to show ME the way.

Thank you humble universe for enlightening me once again.

to leave you with
I cannot tell you how amazed i am at our babies each day. you may think i'm all creative with music, but honestly, the most creative i've ever done is produce these little wonders. my time is spent with them mostly, but yet i am in the world producing, recording, project managing, creating, coaching and being. still, my world revolves around them until they know how to be independent. it will take some time and meanwhile i will love every second. i do not regret one hour spent in the middle of the night nursing, or one hour in the day where food is spilled all over them or me. i continually pick up toys off the floor and i do each pick up with glee in my heart. i am in love in love in love with natalie and jackson, and of course my husband and partner for life, jeff (j.) walker.  we are a great quartet.

~ gilli

Artists, Light and Horses

One of your thoroughbreds is biting at the bit at the starting gate. She’s really testy, and wants to start the race. Salivating at the mouth, eyes zealous, mind going a hundred miles an hour. But the gun has not gone off. There is no start.

She realizes she’s not alone. There are six, maybe ten, other horses also at the gate, desperate to start: hooves kicking the dust, rump hitting the sides of the barrier, leg muscles twitching.   

Restless…

Then you realize, all of these thoroughbreds are yours. You own all these horses, and they are all ready to go, as soon as the mark is heard. They’re all biting at the bit, ready. A few false starts, and back into the barriers. Still, it’s a waiting game.

Do you ever feel like this? Do you ever feel like the thoroughbred inside you just wants to get out there and on with it? Are you feeling restless, frustrated, anxious, and yet: full of energy, desire, passion and ambition?

Do you have too many horses at the starting gate? Are all your projects/desires/dreams at the forefront of your starting gate ready to be unleashed? Do you feel like you have false starts and then you’re back at the starting gate, once again kicking your hooves into the dirt?

You are not alone.

The conundrum of the new creative entrepreneur is that we are not only passionate and ambitious as the ‘creator’, but also carrying the load of the ‘business startup owner’. You have to do it all, don’t you?

You may also just be that A-type personality who has so many ideas, and you want to do them all. Now. Or, you just know that inside you, your artistic light just wants to shine and it deserves to be heard.

Ambition is a curse and a blessing. It provides a wonderful kick in the pants to make you not only believe you can “do it”, but gives you impetus to get on with it. But it can also be a detriment. Because you want your light to shine so much, you can get frustrated if the opportunities and successes don’t come fast enough. That thoroughbred of yours kicks its hoofs in frustration, eyes jealous of the next one next to you “making it”.

I have often wondered if my life had turned out differently. If, at the age of 18, when I felt the ambition rising in my soul, I was “discovered” by a record company, developed and marketed to the point of, perhaps, top 40 hits, number one songs, Grammy awards and worldwide acclaim. I mean, my ego could easily accept that, right? My ego’s ambition certainly saw it that way. But my road was very different. I couldn’t wait for someone to come along and determine my fate: I took the ball in my own hands and created my own record company and distribution channels, thereby circumventing the “system”, using guerilla marketing tactics and making a go of it on my own. I call it my “warrior path”. Success? Damn right. It’s my definition of success. Honestly, if I’d waited around thinking I could be “discovered”, that artist light inside me would have been extinguished.

The artist’s light is always there. Your creativity, your inner talent, your mission, your essence. While you are waiting for that long term goal to realize; while you are working on your big opus, don’t forget to continue to nurture your light. In fact, artistry is a life long journey – it’s about the day to day process. Let your light emanate on a daily basis, even if, in your heart, you’re waiting for that “big thing”. Getting to that big dream takes a while, to do it right. And often it turns out differently than you initially expected, which is OK. Maybe, just maybe, you might discover that the little things you achieve, are way cooler than that vision of what that “big thing” may be, or never be.

Many artists who get the Grammy, or actors who get an Oscar, ask themselves, “what next?”

You see, once you get some kind of recognition, or reach a milestone, you’ll only want MORE. What’s next, what else? And even worse,...”is this all there is?”

Don’t be deceived by the Holy Grail, that magical destination you’ve set your sights on. Yes, the grass is always greener, they say, but let’s just imagine the grass is green right where you are, right here and now, right with what you have in your hands.

Take a look at your thoroughbreds right now. Go pat your favorite one, and give it some hay and water. Give it the love and power. Focus on that talent of yours, and find little wins you can appreciate on a daily basis. They are the ones you’ll look back which will create a sea of wins in your life, and that is a life well lived.

Go shine your light!

~ love and light, gilli moon

Want more? Get gilli's books, "I AM A Professional Artist - The Key To Survival and Success in the World of the Arts", and "Just Get Out There - Achieving Abundance, Self-Empowerment and Professional Success as an Artist Entrepreneur"

AMAZON, or www.justgetoutthere.com