Freud said that all fear could be traced to one thing; death. And whilst it may not seem true that we all fear dying (the ultimate unknown) there is perhaps the fear that we get to the end of our lives and haven't achieved even half the things we wanted to, or believed we could have.
But I realized some time ago that the answer is actually quite simple. I simply let go of the idea that I need to achieve anything, (the key word here is need). The moment I let go of needing I can actually achieve a lot.
I spent over an hour on a video call last night to a young woman I only just met right here on Substack. I couldn't even have predicted that call would take place a week ago. Yet it was an incredible and enriching experience which I have no doubt will lead to great things.
That is an achievement.
You are one of the most inspiring people know Louise, and you are already achieving great things, and will continue to do so.
I am reminded of an often quoted line form a John Lennon song "Life is what happens to you, while you're busy making other plans."
Life is happening. IT'S HAPPENING!!! And we're embracing it!!! Every f*cking day !!!!
Uffff what an uplift. Thank you Jason for your incredibly kind and considerate words.
I actually agree with Freud on that. I’ve been feeling an exhilaration this week as I have been letting go (letting die) some old beliefs about myself and my journey and I genuinely thought to myself, “oh, this feels like I’ve been born again”. Perhaps that’s why taking action correlates with me feeling fearless or that I’m defying myself and killing my ego.
So curious about this mysterious connection you made via Substack! Love to hear it. Substack is definitely up there now with my most rewarding social media platform because of moments like that and comments like this that you’ve shared. Seems to cater for the depth we so often love to talk about!
“Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans” ufff yes. In that case, we’re blessed.
Looking forward to a good old catch up soon, my friend!
Well all I will say about the new connection is that we were kind of inspired by the conversation you and I had on here a while ago, with the 35 minute timer. Except she wants to take it to a whole other level. But I won't spoil it.
Super interesting how we can all resignify 'achievement'. I feel I live for serendipitous moments like this, but rarely see as an achievement, which implies effort. I always wonder how one can live a more effortless life and let go of the 'need' that often drives us forward.
It's a good question. Maybe it comes back to the old cliche of enjoying the journey rather than fixating on the destination.
Precisely because whatever we are creating will have its own life over which we then have little or no control. Perhaps the achievement is in every stage of the creative process. If we believe this we can let go of the need for the outcome to be a certain way.
That doesn't mean we can't fine tune and change it a long the way to get the best result. But once we have a result we let go.
I’m readjusting my definition of achievement too. Reminding myself about the “being” as well as the “doing” - human being doers. I’m also reminded of one of my favourite quotes that I came across in an acting book on Meisner and Chekhov which said, “the greatest gift you can give someone is the power of your attention”. In a way, just being able to truly listen, to truly love, to truly be loved and express ourselves and our creative spirits - isn’t that a huge achievement in itself? Let alone doing all of this in a world which is fast-paced, increasingly expensive, attention-grabbing, tech/AI driven yada yada. I think that you choosing to live out your dreams as a musician and artist is an achievement in itself 💫that wasn’t a decision rooted in fear but quite the opposite. You felt the fear and did it anyway! <3
1000% on the power of attention. This really brings the magic to being in the moment. Fully. Body, mind and soul. I woke up feeling an immense sense of disconnection. Instead of doing the usual go-into-fast-pace into all admin I have to do, I sat down on my living room floor and appreciated the sun shining on my face. I noticed a message from you. And engaged with you. Then remembered a friend’s bday. Sent a message to him. Those small big gestures of attention, because I wanted not because I needed to, made me start my day in full connection. And as you say about feeling the fear and doing it anyway… I feel that’s a magical cycle of being present: attention > connection > surrender. A daily practice ❤️ too easy to fall out of it.
Freud said that all fear could be traced to one thing; death. And whilst it may not seem true that we all fear dying (the ultimate unknown) there is perhaps the fear that we get to the end of our lives and haven't achieved even half the things we wanted to, or believed we could have.
But I realized some time ago that the answer is actually quite simple. I simply let go of the idea that I need to achieve anything, (the key word here is need). The moment I let go of needing I can actually achieve a lot.
I spent over an hour on a video call last night to a young woman I only just met right here on Substack. I couldn't even have predicted that call would take place a week ago. Yet it was an incredible and enriching experience which I have no doubt will lead to great things.
That is an achievement.
You are one of the most inspiring people know Louise, and you are already achieving great things, and will continue to do so.
I am reminded of an often quoted line form a John Lennon song "Life is what happens to you, while you're busy making other plans."
Life is happening. IT'S HAPPENING!!! And we're embracing it!!! Every f*cking day !!!!
Uffff what an uplift. Thank you Jason for your incredibly kind and considerate words.
I actually agree with Freud on that. I’ve been feeling an exhilaration this week as I have been letting go (letting die) some old beliefs about myself and my journey and I genuinely thought to myself, “oh, this feels like I’ve been born again”. Perhaps that’s why taking action correlates with me feeling fearless or that I’m defying myself and killing my ego.
So curious about this mysterious connection you made via Substack! Love to hear it. Substack is definitely up there now with my most rewarding social media platform because of moments like that and comments like this that you’ve shared. Seems to cater for the depth we so often love to talk about!
“Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans” ufff yes. In that case, we’re blessed.
Looking forward to a good old catch up soon, my friend!
Well all I will say about the new connection is that we were kind of inspired by the conversation you and I had on here a while ago, with the 35 minute timer. Except she wants to take it to a whole other level. But I won't spoil it.
It is still very much in the planning stage.
Now I’m even more curious haha especially if it was inspired by our convo! Looking forward to seeing what you both have cooking up
Super interesting how we can all resignify 'achievement'. I feel I live for serendipitous moments like this, but rarely see as an achievement, which implies effort. I always wonder how one can live a more effortless life and let go of the 'need' that often drives us forward.
It's a good question. Maybe it comes back to the old cliche of enjoying the journey rather than fixating on the destination.
Precisely because whatever we are creating will have its own life over which we then have little or no control. Perhaps the achievement is in every stage of the creative process. If we believe this we can let go of the need for the outcome to be a certain way.
That doesn't mean we can't fine tune and change it a long the way to get the best result. But once we have a result we let go.
So much to say on this.
I’m readjusting my definition of achievement too. Reminding myself about the “being” as well as the “doing” - human being doers. I’m also reminded of one of my favourite quotes that I came across in an acting book on Meisner and Chekhov which said, “the greatest gift you can give someone is the power of your attention”. In a way, just being able to truly listen, to truly love, to truly be loved and express ourselves and our creative spirits - isn’t that a huge achievement in itself? Let alone doing all of this in a world which is fast-paced, increasingly expensive, attention-grabbing, tech/AI driven yada yada. I think that you choosing to live out your dreams as a musician and artist is an achievement in itself 💫that wasn’t a decision rooted in fear but quite the opposite. You felt the fear and did it anyway! <3
1000% on the power of attention. This really brings the magic to being in the moment. Fully. Body, mind and soul. I woke up feeling an immense sense of disconnection. Instead of doing the usual go-into-fast-pace into all admin I have to do, I sat down on my living room floor and appreciated the sun shining on my face. I noticed a message from you. And engaged with you. Then remembered a friend’s bday. Sent a message to him. Those small big gestures of attention, because I wanted not because I needed to, made me start my day in full connection. And as you say about feeling the fear and doing it anyway… I feel that’s a magical cycle of being present: attention > connection > surrender. A daily practice ❤️ too easy to fall out of it.