Small actions change your self-identity

Good morning Derek.

Reading this post has given me a great start to my day.

I was just talking to my wife, Cora, yesterday about how everything great and life-changing always occurred in a moment on a day which was the miraculous tomorrow of the unsuspecting day before.

As we were contemplating our great plans for the next nine months, we realized that we didn't have to wait nine months to realize our dreams since everything could change tomorrow (or today or this week...).

I read Huxley's Island while in Bali and it changed everything for me, too.

I look forward to more inspired posts and synchronistic insights.

Joshua

it's not Viet Nam or Iceland, but 2 years ago we moved from Pittsburgh, PA to Muskogee, OK on about 3 weeks notice. talk about life changing! What I've found is that far from my expectation of a closed minded country driven music scene in this area, Tulsa is full of great bands, people in the scene that call back(!!) and a wide range of influences. I've changed from leading a band to doing solo acoustic/electric performances, which has taken my songwriting in a whole new direction. And when I released my latest CD last Spring, I felt better about it than any product I'd ever put out in my life, partly because I had created it on my own, no timetable, no studio.

small steps, big changes.

hear Voxius and Mr.Voxius @ CDBABY.com!

Action is a miraculous thing.

Little did I know when I started publishing a little local music newspaper back in 1987, it would lead to writing columns on music promotion and career development.

Those columns led to my first book, which opened up a whole new path for me. Today I make a living as an author writing and speaking about topics I'm passionate about.

You never know what some crazy notion or urge you have will lead to. But you have to take those first little steps.

As Albert Einstein said, "Nothing happens until something moves."

:-)

Bob

www.TheBuzzFactor.com

They say that you need to change inside out, but you can change outside in, too. When you make yourself a habit of doing something, a lot of times it creeps in.

If you want to be a rock star, I recommend looking like one. At least try it. Every time you see yourself in a mirror, you see the rock star version of yourself. I'm trying this experiment with my hair. I never had a long hair because my hair is out-of-control thick, and I could never tame it. But after hearing for the umpteenth time how my wife thinks a man with a pony tail is sexy, I've made a commitment to let my hair grow long.

I'm not even close to getting a pony tail, but as I let my hair grow longer, I feel more like an "artist" I always knew I was inside. I may not keep a pony tail once I get it, but I'm enjoying how my look affects how I see myself.

ari

OMG, I love Aldous Huxley's Island! Have you read what Abraham Maslow wrote about Huxley?

In The Farther Reaches of Human Nature, a posthumously published collection of Maslow essays (which I adore), he discusses evasion of personal growth as a defense against hubris. From p. 38 (very dog-eared, along with most of the book!):

"You must be aware not only of the godlike possibilities within, but also of the existential human limitations...

...

May I mention one more such technique that I saw at its best in Aldous Huxley, who was certainly a great man in the sense I've been discussing, one who was able to accept his talents and use them to the full. He managed it by perpetually marveling at how interesting and fascinating everything was, by wondering like a youngster at how miraculous things are, by saying frequently, 'Extraordinary! Extraordinary!' He could look out at the world with wide eyes, with unabashed innocence, awe, and fascination, which is a kind of admission of smallness, a form of humility, and then proceed calmly and unafraid to the great tasks he set for himself."

Elsewhere Maslow refers to Island, but I can't find it at the moment. Enjoy!

Reminds me of that movie Sliding Doors - which was pretty lame, but it's a trippy thing to think about, how stepping on the cat's tail might stave off a nuclear war or something.

"Having this role made me feel in charge, so I acted in charge, so I became in charge."

That's so key! Years ago when I was being groomed for the family business - which I eventually quit in order to pursue a life more musical - I was enrolled in the Dale Carnegie Course in order to sharpen my human relations skills. One exercise they had there has stuck with me all these years. It involved repeating one axiom several times with growing emotion:

"Act enthusiastic and you'll be enthusiastic."

My cat Cosmo brings this down to earth. When he's about to leap onto something unfamiliar, he stares at it intensely, vibrates for a moment, and then jumps successfully to his destination. My girlfriend and I call this the 'See It...Be It Configuration.' He sees where he wants to be, and then he is there. See it, be it.

Thanks as always for sharing this stuff, Derek!

I've often thought some individual things people have said have been my big influences. Like someone saying, "Sure, your voice isn't that great, but neither is Ozzy Osbourne's."

It really is the little things that mean a lot. People in LA thought I had lost my mind when I announced that I was moving back to Clifton, NJ (my hometown) to pursue an advanced degree in Music Composition, but I did it, and I'm sooooo glad I did.

I always try to help people in need when I run across them. It's a karmic duty, methinks.

And I want you to know that I haven't forgotten how you hooked Andre LaFosse and I up with that Kimo Williams thing. That was very nice of you to think of us, and it was a great concert, and I still have fond memories of that evening to this day. So thank, Derek. You are most definitely a good friend.

Chris

There have been many moments like this I can look back on: walking into a martial arts studio on a whim; calling the army recruiter who left a card on my door; deciding to move to Seattle over a phone call; telling my friend I'd find my own way home the night I met my wife (of 10 years now); and most recently, deciding that it might be cooler to BUILD my first bike vs BUY it. :)

Hearing an increadible guitarist like Michael Angelo Batio, then telling all my friends how great he is.

Then, hanging out with Michael Angelo Batio, who has MY cd in his iPod, call ME "a true guitar great!"

Talk about having an impact!

action.

Love Light and all the best your way Derek.. thanks for the support !!

love

heidi

Hi Derek,

Thank you for all your thought provoking insights, and for shedding light on the infinite ways of doing things. It's really appreciated!

May all your dreams become a reality for you and your family.

Hi Derek_

Of course YOU would be a light in the midst of a national and global meltdown, chaotic news and rampant fear! Thanks for keeping us all on the path to positive change and owning our destinies! Hope you have a fabulous day!

Thank god I,M ME, myself in many situations.

I once heard a lecture by Christopher Moon where he said two things that struck me: 1. never underestimate the far-reaching efects of making one small change in your life 2.to get out of defense, into vulnerability and then beyond to your essence, CHANGE YOUR BEHAVIOUR.

Thanks again Derek! You're The Cool New Guru

Salem from Jones

Thx Derek

You always have interesting grist for the mill.

so right. fabulous advice quite touching as well when you think that we are oten unaware of your small (or big) actions and how they change everything. thanks.

Hello All!

Reading this and the insightful comments reminds me of a minor and even mundane occurence which turned into something much more glamorous. Years ago, just out of college, in my rented 1 bedroom apartment, I was having a new toilet put in. The plumber's assistant looked around my apartment, at its theatrical decor and said he liked the vibe, what did I do. I almost didn't want to talk about it, but told him I just received my degree in classical voice from USC. He asked to hire me for a voice lesson. Reluctantly,

I agreed. I gave him one lesson, then didn't hear from him again. A month or so later, I got a phone call from Dawn Robison of En Vogue. She knew this plumber and said he spoke highly of me as a teacher. So, for awhile, I gave singing lessons to this multi grammy winning artist. All from having my toilet put in!

Thank you, Derek. And the rest of you. I needed some encouragement today.

Hi Derek,

Almost 5 years ago now, my husband and I gave up our comfortable existence and stable jobs in the suburbs of Connecticut for a better life on a small farm in rural Oregon. Almost everybody thought we were crazy. We have not only survived, but are thriving out here, making a living from farming, part-time and seasonal jobs and music. Looking forward to the Spokane Fall Folk Festival where we will be performing for our third year.

Derek, I too read your emails and posts ('though not often enough!) with pleasure and gratitude.

I have pretty much always lived my life being open to signs and symbols, and trusting my hunches. This most definitely led to meeting my husband of 30 plus years, back on New Year's Day in Boston, although I was going to school at SUNY Potsdam near the Canadian border at the time.

Fast forward to several years ago, when I made the decision to quit part-time work in the office ghetto once and for all, to commit myself to being a full-time musician, quite possibly due to encouragement from you, Derek!

However following -- and combining! -- one's passions is decidedly the most effective path to success. All throughout high school and college, I vacillated between Music and French, trying to decide which was my bigger love. It wasn't until I threw them both in the blender and discovered the French-speaking world online in 1998, available at the click of a mouse, that I began writing and co-writing songs in French. All of which has led to the creation of 3 of my 4 CDs to date.

Personally, I like to think of myself as semi-actualized, because we really ARE all works in progress...

Thanks for sharing, everyone.

Kari

Starting life off pretty shy, it was hard to make some of the decisions I did, but in order to change some things about myself, I had to take a risk - which I did often - but I also had to learn how to do it without being blacked out drunk!

Thank you, Derek. I am getting ready to leave my bubble of safety and this truly inspires me.

I am visually impaired and have made my living through massage therapy. Music has always been my hobby. Now I am determined to become a new me, Christina Athena. I am leaving Michigan City, IN and moving to Charleston, S.C. where I will pursue playing music and living my dream.

My guide dog Max will be my companion and friend along the way.

Thank you for your inspiration. Here's to new adventures.

Warmest regards
Christina Athena

This is so true!

The most significant one for me was quitting my job as a line-cook in a family restaurant in order to take a Call Center job as an Interviewer. Oh boy, what an adventure that spawned!

This single decision ended up resulting in me eventually getting a Tech Support job with practically zero computer knowledge or experience. My new boss needed a developer so he handed me a Unix Scripting book one day and told me to learn it inside and out. This eventually turned me into a software developer for a global Market Research company.

My new-found-techie-fix-it skills caused the company to move me across the country to California and drop me in a scary new city, which I was a complete stranger. This is where I met the woman that I now call my wife/soul-mate.

Over the next few years I somehow got tricked into visiting 14 countries around the globe that introduced me to some wonderful people I am proud to now call friends. This also allowed me to visit temples in South Korea, Big Ben in London, climb to the top of a volcano in Costa Rica, and have a drinking contest with a 6'4" tall viking in Norway, which I would not recommend.

The animal lover deep within me has gotten to play with kangaroos, try to make friends rather unsuccessfully with lion cubs, feel the strong purr of a cheetah, and experience what I can only refer to as a make-out session with a giraffe.

All of these opportunities have completely rewired who I am today and how I view our world. It's pretty amazing to me when I think back on it all.

And each were made possible because I woke up one day and decided to quit my job as a cook to become a Call Center Interviewer.

Just a small action...

I once made a small decision never to lie again.

Maybe not so small, but it didn't seem like a big deal since I didn't see myself as someone who lies often. This little thing changed me far more than any other big decision.

Back before computers, I took a night school class in typing. With the resulting self-confidence, years later I taught myself to switch to a Dvorak keyboard.

Anyways, with a new identity as a touch-typing writer I have done all sorts of things, including being an amateur newspaper reporter.

My small behavior that changes my life is to comment my thoughts here and continue reading your book.

Small action that changed my life is read books.(this book too)
And new habit that will grow me is to start my small business.

지는게 이기는 것이다 내가 먼저 참고 긴다