An Ode To The Overwhelmed

And as you stand there

Late again

Because you forgot to allow time to park
And the elevator was slow

And you left 10 minutes late to begin with
With your shoes that pinch

And your pants that are a little too small
Since you started eating white bread again

And as you paw through your bag
Looking for the suite number
That you’re not sure you wrote down to begin with

Let us now praise you.

You, the untidy.

You, the careless.

You, the easily distracted by sparkly things.

The money you spend on late fees alone
Could feed a family in Africa –

Which reminds you that you meant to send in the kids’ Unicef money and
Forgot.

And that despite your best efforts,
You rarely eat a square meal,
You almost never get enough sleep

And exercise seems like a word that magazines have developed
Just to make you feel bad about yourself.

But you are good and brave.

You, flying by the seat of your pants

Making it work

Putting out fires

Saying your prayers

And dancing your dance of now and later and maybe and

I’ll–have-to-call-you-back-on-that-could-you-send-me-an-email-to-remind-me-to-call-you-back-on-that?

As innocent as each morning’s sunrise,

You are a fount of good intentions.

Your good humor is as graceful as a baby giraffe,
Even if that joke you were trying to make to the hotel clerk fell flat
And your toast at the wedding came out sounding a little….funny.

But you have gifts that no one knows about.

You have the strength to bend in the wind

You have the joyful spirit that loves a good belly laugh,

You have the wisdom to understand that everything will all come out all right in the end and

You have the faith to light a candle rather than curse the darkness.

That is, if you could find the book of matches from that romantic restaurant that you went to for your anniversary but since you didn’t have a reservation they made you wait at the bar for half an hour during which you had two appletinis and the rest of the night is a bit of a blur.

So much for the overpriced lingerie.

You are beautiful.

Frazzled and overworked and underpaid

You are the one who forgot your wallet

And forgot your receipt for the dry cleaners

And forgot your keys which you just set down five seconds ago, so where could they possibly have gone?

But you never forget to say, “I love you”

And you never forget to give a big smile to that nice parking guy

And you never fail to show endless patience when the

Too-tightly wrapped and overly-conscientious start to offer their Oh-so-helpful suggestions about how you might feel better if you would just learn to alphabetize your spice rack.

You are beautiful.

So, wear the lingerie on Monday for no reason.

And why not just refuse to participate in the bake sale this year?

And give yourself a compliment for something you did well today.

Because you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known.

A Prayer for Hoping against Hope

And as you stand there

Hands clasped in front of you

Eyes downcast

Concealing the disobedient pounding of your heart
It dawns on you:

Here we go again.

And while you no longer allow yourself the long, elaborate
daydreams in which everything works out perfectly,
You catch yourself thinking: Well, it could happen.

And though you have long since given up making bargains
with God,

You find yourself whispering: Please.

And since you have — years ago — quit telling
Anyone anything about anything
Because honestly,
The things people say, such as,

“Oh, it will happen for you, I just know it!”

Really?

“I have a friend who went through the same thing and then one
day, just like magic. . .”

Really?

“The minute you stop wanting it, that’s when it will happen.”

Oh. Okay.

So you haven’t told a soul.

Except, after long consideration, your very dearest best friend.

And you know the odds are against you.

And still

You know that life is not a numbers game and
The Lord does, indeed, move in some very mysterious ways and

Haven’t you earned —
And there you stop short.

Because life is also not about earning or deserving,

And it doesn’t matter how hard you’ve tried or how much you’ve
sacrificed or how positive your positive mental attitude has
been.

What matters is reality.

And reality says: It’s possible.

So you dwell in possibility.

Between the dark and the daylight.

No longer storming off, slamming doors, and swearing, “Never
again.”

No longer crying out in agony because you had been so sure this
was It.

No longer elated by another promising sign.

You are here now.

Committed to enjoying the ride.

Trusting in the friendliness of the universe.

Awakened to your heart’s desire.

Knowing that there is no such thing as false hope.

All hope is real.

Real. Hope. Now.

It’s all we have.

And who knows?

Perhaps the best really is
Yet to come.

A Prayer for the Capable

And as you stand there
On time and Appropriately clad for the event
With a high-fiber bar in your bag
And extra pens

Let us take this moment to applaud you.

You, the prepared.

You, the accomplished.

You, the bills-paid-on-time and the-taxes-done-in-March.

You, who always returns the shopping cart.

You, who never throws a tantrum.

While the moody, the irresponsible, the near-hysterical, and the
rude seem to get ALL the attention

Let us now praise you.

Just because everyone always expects you to do well.

Does not make it any less remarkable

That you always do so well.

So thank you.

For picking up the slack

For not imposing

For being so kind

And mannerly

And attending to all those pesky details.

Thank you for your consideration,

Your generosity,

For always remembering and never forgetting:

That a job well done is its own reward

That the opportunity to help someone else is a gift

That the complainers, the crybabies, the drama queens, the never-use-a-turn-signals, the forgetful, the self-involved, the choleric, the phlegmatic, and the your-rules-don’t-apply-tome-types

Need you to rebel against in order to look like rebels.

You provide the lines — for without the lines, well, what would they color outside of?

So take a minute To pat yourself on the back

And say, “Job well done.”

And as you consider someday

Showing up stoned

Or unprepared

Or not at all

And as you imagine someday being imperious

Or demanding

Or the one with the temper

Hear the unspoken “thank-you” from a

Grateful nation that is a

Better, smarter, calmer, easier, friendlier, and more organized place

Thanks to you

And your dogged diligence.

You are beautiful.

You are precious to us.

You are the hand that calms the water, the wheel that never
squeaks, the one we all rely on

And while you probably would have remembered to send a thank you
note,

We forgot.

And just because everyone always expects you

To do well

Does not make it any less remarkable

That you always do so well.

And I would tell you to take the afternoon for yourself
Or sleep in tomorrow

But I’m pretty sure you already have plans.

So just take this very moment right now
To appreciate you

And all that you have done and done well

Even by your own high standards.

And remember:

You are beautiful.

And just because everyone always expects you to
Do well

Does not make it any less amazing, delightful, or delicious that
You always do so well.

The What If…Workshop

The What If…Workshop: where imagination meets practicality. It’s only $147 and it starts next week 11/18/13 — check it out here (link funky? try pasting this into your browser: https://sambennett.infusionsoft.com/app/orderForms/What-IfWorkshop )

And I’m so excited about this new class that I wrote you a poem…

What If…

This last year was the year
for sure
where you were
getting organized
getting the book done
getting the clutter cleared
starting yoga – again –
and really connecting with your
Inner Voice.
Really figuring out what you really want.
Really asking for it.
Really getting it.

But it seems like every time you tried to
make a move
someone needed you
there was a crisis
the dog got sick and
the roof broke open and
he lost his job and
those tests at the hospital what a
long night that was and
the money just wasn’t there – again –

And then
and then
and then
the voices in your head got started:

Who Do You Think You Are, Anyway?
Everyone’s Already Doing That.
You’re Not Qualified.
The Technology Is Too Hard.
Plus
You Never Finish Anything Anyway.

And so you stand there with the crumpled remains of a year in your hands.

Your hands that ache
to write
to play
to draw
to dance
to work
to share
to shape
to cut
to color
to create.

Your heart cries out.
Your hands cry out.
Please don’t let it be too late.

Wait.

It’s not too late.
It’s never too late.
As long as you draw breath,
it cannot be too late.

Start now.
I mean RIGHT NOW.
Write one sentence right now.
Keep one promise to yourself right now.
Do something just for you right now.
Be undistractible.

Because this is your year for sure.

The What If…Workshop

Where imagination meets practicality: dreaming, prioritizing and doing for creative wackadoodle geniuses like you and me.

4 sessions:
Monday, Nov. 18 – Monday, Dec. 9
5pm PT/8pm ET

– You do not have to be there in person.

– All sessions are recorded & available for download so you can listen again & again.

– Call in from wherever you are OR listen online.

– This ALL-NEW curriculum is perfect for you if:

You want to get clear about what you should do next & the “next steps” that will get you there.

You want to get out of your own way.

You are sick of perfectionism blocking your happiness & productivity.

You’re ready to quit doing things the same old way and try something new.

You’re in the mood to experiment.

You’ve been meaning to take a workshop with me, but it just hasn’t been the right time, right offer or right price up to now.

And of course, satisfaction is guaranteed or your tuition cheerfully refunded.

—> find out more about The What If…Workshop here

Did I mention that it’s only $147?

See, that’s because I know I’ve been offering a lot of higher-end stuff this year, and it was important to me to close out this year with a no-brainer offer that anyone, at any level, could participate in and get GREAT BENEFIT from.

Let me know what you think about it, hm? After all, YOU all are my “market research” : ) and your feedback really matters to me.

—> find out more about The What If…Workshop here (click now because it starts next week! EEEP!)

P.S. What’s YOUR “What If…”? I bet you could help a lot of people by sharing it in the comments below….

Unreasonable Gratitude: An Artist Talks To God

I’ve had a partly-finished work laying around for some time now, and, frankly, I’ve been too shy to share it with you because it’s kind of…spiritual.

And spiritual stuff always feels very private to me. (Really private. Like, I’d rather tell you about my sex life than talk to you about my prayer life.)

But since I spend all my time haranguing you about getting your work out into the world whether you think it’s ready or not, I figured I’d better take this opportunity to walk my talk.

I think it’s going to be a little book called, “Unreasonable Gratitude: An Artist Talks To God.”

And it’s sort-of poems and sort-of not-poems, and they are all written as letters to God from a creative person. Some reflect my own direct experience, some don’t.

Here are the first two:

Daily Grind

Dear God,

The daily grind has got My Spirit by the neck.

There are too many things to do and too many hands pulling on me.

Even the things I like to do feel like a chore, and in all this quotidian chaos,
there is no room for me to Make Art.

But I hear you whisper that I was not created in Your Image
to run errands.

And that a year from now, no one will remember the imperfect nutritional value of tonight’s dinner, but everyone will remember the piece I create.

So, just for today, I will claim some time – iron-clad, non-negotiable, uncompromising, turn-off-the-phone time – to do The Work that you designed me to do.

That is my promise to you, so that I might fulfill Your promise of me.

Love,
Me.

The Only Way Out Is Up

Dear God,

Am I crazy? I am broke.

And everyone says
Get A Job.

But that feels tragic.

The moment I think about going to an office every day, I shut down.

Fluorescent lights are soul-sucking.
Routine is death.

But what makes me think I am So Special that I think I don’t have to work like everyone else?

And what makes me think that my work is so worthless that I can’t get paid for doing what I love most?

I feel trapped.

Clearly, the only way out is up.

Please, God, give me some of
Your Perspective
on this.

Help me see the brilliant, blessed Solution that’s exactly perfect right now and
Grant me the courage to take
Divinely-inspired action
right now.

Get me past my own ego and past my fear of other people’s judgment so that I might see my own shining path.

Let’s bring a little Creative Genius to this situation and help me get on with the
Real Work of making the dream of my life
(your dream for my life)
come true.

Love,
Me.

Thank you for reading.

P.S. On a totally different subject, I’ve had a few people inquire about the Start Right Where You Are teleclass and because we’ve only had one session, it is absolutely NOT TOO LATE to join in the fun.

“This is exactly what I’ve been needing. Thank you for creating the format and environment.” – T.J., Washington

“Thank you for the breakthrough – it was a “wow” moment and I have a lot to think about.” – C.H., Iowa

You can use the promo code “Carol” and get the easy $97/month 6-pay plan — and of course your satisfaction is guaranteed or your money cheerfully refunded.

If you want to be more creative but aren’t sure how, then this is the course for you.

If you’re unsure, go ahead and book a time with me & we’ll do a quick, free 15-minute Evaluation Session: https://www.timetrade.com/book/WWDYQ

And please feel free to share this with a friend that you think could use some encouragement to break free from old, paralyzing habits & enjoy a more creative life.

www.StartRightWhereYouAre.com

– SSB

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