This one goes out to the young and the reckless, to the artists and the rebels,
to the students that go through college in pain
knowing they should be somewhere else,
doing something else that matters more than anything else,
to the entrepreneurs who just begin their journey,
to the people with big hearts and yet bigger holes in their pockets,
with big dreams but very little hope,
to the souls who want to change the world and have no clue where to start.
This is not a a blog post to inspire you. This is a blog post to make you think.
WHAT'S YOUR MOST BEAUTIFUL STORY?
A few nights ago I had a conversation with a friend who's been struggling for many years with his music career. He's been through all in life: the death of dear ones, drugs, loneliness, homelessness, pain. He was now in probably the lowest point in his life, angry and depressed. Nothing seemed to be working for him. Money stopped coming in many months ago and he was living from day to day on whatever help he received from a few friends that were still there for him. His health was failing as well. He had no idea where to go next and what to do. He had nothing to start with. But I knew better. He's been my best friend for over 12 years, and I was proud of him, simply for who he was. Plus, I knew better.
"You have so many gifts to offer to the world, you have so much to give, hidden in your passions," I told him."
The problem is that you don't see your value in this point of your life. Do you remember when we traveled together in Transylvania? I enjoyed so much when you played guitar and shared old stories and magic tales of long ago. You cooked dinner in the forest under the starry sky at night, just like the ancients who roamed these lands thousands of years ago. You revealed mysteries and fascinating stories to me, I was mesmerized."
"Yes, I remember," he said, still angry at his situation.
"Well, think about it. You absolutely love music, and you love to read and share with others these powerful, ancient stories. That's WHO YOU ARE and that's WHAT YOU LOVE. Why don't you offer them to the world? I would have listened to you all night long. Why don't you bring the same joy to others?"
"What do you mean?" my friend asked doubtfully.
"Take your passions -- your music and your fascinating tales -- and transform them into a product, an unplugged concert and take people back to a time of magic. You only have an old shoddy guitar, worn out, cracked. That's not a problem, that's actually a great asset because your product will be even more authentic. Or you can just borrow one for the first show. You will mesmerize and inspire your audiences with the stories and take them back to their youth, when they camped deep into the heart of the forest with their friends, smoked holy plants and fell in love with life every night. It takes so little to bring us back to love and to life. You have everything you need to take me and everyone else back to love, and get your life back in order."
We wrote everything down on a napkin, including the name of the show. What's next? Write the music and the stories using a pencil and a new sheet of paper (a napkin works as well), create a free Facebook account, talk to everyone you know who will help you (shut up to all the others that won't), find somebody else who believes in you and keep building. This can become a world tour if executed with grit, resilience and faith.
The next day he called me early in the morning to say he's been working hard on this project.
You know what? I bet you would come to his show.
What is your gift?
What do you love to study, read, learn and discover?
How can you transform your gift into a product or a service that makes the rest of us live better lives?
What is the most beautiful story you can tell about your product or service that make you unique?
You might have to ask people who believe in you if you don't believe in your own story.
Sometimes others see more magic in us than we are able to see.
Tell a great story. Tell your unique story. And BELIEVE in it! And then tell an even better story.
Do it now and don't stop for anything.
Your friend,
Dr. Dragos