What would you do if you were brave? I want to take a moment to explore this question. Every one of has the ability to be incredibly brave. We all have the ability to long jump outside of our comfort zones and to follow our passions. We all have the ability to do what we’ve been told we can’t do because we’re too old, too inexperienced, too unattractive, not smart enough, don’t have the education, the time, the “natural talent.”

Today I came across a music video that has inspired me and lifted my spirits, and I hope it does the same for you.

“If I Were Brave” by Jana Stanfield 

Click on the picture below to watch this incredible music video. The magic starts at 0.50. It’s sponsored by The Awesome Woman Hub (check this website out – it’s fantastic) and is filled of real examples of what “ordinary” (I put this in quotes because not one of us is truly ordinary) people do when they are brave.

I had to do something that was a little bit scary today. Week 10 of the Artist’s Way is about rediscovering a sense of self-protection. One of her tasks involves identifying the personal habits that are getting in the way of your creative recovery. Answering this question for myself involved about  an hour and a half of journaling which led to a rather huge discovery. I realized that I keep myself stuck by:

1. Constantly criticizing myself for being less than what I’ve defined as perfect. I am constantly beating myself up for indulging in a treat, not working, and sleeping in.

2. Obsessively searching craigslist for new jobs and ways that I can keep myself busy and distracted from doing the work that I should be doing as an artist. I have a bad habit of stock piling more and More and MORE onto my already over-full schedule. I have an intense fear of not being busy.

After you’ve defined the ways that you are keeping yourself blocked, Julia Cameron then asked you to create a bottom line for yourself. This Bottom Line includes 5 rules for yourself moving forward which are specifically targeting at unhinging these deep-seated habits.

Here’s what I came up with for my Bottom Line (use this as an example for when you put yours together):

Christine’s Bottom Line (my guidelines for living my best life)

1. I will no longer search craigslist for additional ways to distract myself from my artist and my priorities.
2. I will no longer punish/criticize myself for being human, and promise to acknowledge daily my right to make mistakes and to take breaks.
3. I will take one full day off work every two weeks. On this day I will just go with the flow and stay away from my computer. I also commit to taking at least one 2-3 hour Artist’s Date a week.
4. I will do something that makes me laugh every day. I will not put this on my weekly planner to check off upon completion – I will just do it.
5. I will not over book / drown myself in work, but schedule only so much as I can reasonably accomplish before 9pm. This way I can actually enjoy a feeling of accomplishment when it’s finally time to go to sleep.

What is on your Bottom line?

Before ending this post I would like to take a moment and acknowledge the ways that I have been brave recently. You should do the same.

For one, last week I attended my first in a series of singing lessons. I’ve worked it into my budget to attend one 1/2 hour private session a week. Since attending this session on Friday last week, I have practiced every day for a minimum of one 1/2 hour. I’ve always wanted to sing, but feared that I didn’t have any natural talent and that any effort on my point would be pointless. I am no longer feeding that fearful voice, because I don’t believe that it’s true.

Second – I’ve started taking a contemporary jazz dance class once a week. I’ve believed that I was too old to learn how to dance since I was 17, and I’m tired of being too old. So at 23 I’m learning how to dance.

Third – I am working daily on a French accent to audition for a feature film in June. Up until now, I’ve been really afraid of learning accents and dialects because, well, it’s hard. Although the art of mastering an accent has always fascinated me, I’ve avoided the work because I’ve been afraid that I couldn’t do it. I’m fighting back against this fear now, and practicing my french accent every day. In the last 3 days before the audition I am going to speak in that French accent all day and really make an effort to blend it into my identity. It’s going to be scary, but (even if I don’t end up getting the part) it’s going to be worth it.

How have you been brave recently? Please share one way that you have been brave this year.