Friday Fix: Confidence. Creativity. Calling: 3 Keys to Unstoppable Leadership
Can I just tell you? I feel unstoppable these days! I’ve been slowly coming off of hiatus, and believe me, I was in no rush. Then all of a sudden it hit me, a productivity fever. I’m talking about that awesome sickness that wakes you up at night and makes you not just jot down notes but jump out of your bed and create content funnels, book proposals and flow charts. Like sick animals that stop eating in order to heal, you lose your appetite for anything that’s not destiny-related meaning food, sleep and play. You even find yourself writing blogs from your bubble bath. This fever is a season designed to jumpstart a transition period you’re entering. It gives you the confidence that you’re on the right track. But three things have to line up usually before this wonderful fever overtakes you. Before we get to this potent trifecta, you have to understand one thing first. If there is at least one set of eyes on you, other than your own, you’re a leader. Deal with that.
Now understand the truest, most impacting leaders are the ones who, through constant seeking of God’s will for their lives and dogged awareness of the atmosphere and the times around them, discover the leader within themselves, the one they were specifically created to be. In modern-day society it’s easy to mistake ego for confidence, gimmick for creativity and personal desire for calling. When we realize the difference between those elements the results and the benefits to your art, your job, your business and yourself are profound.
Here’s how I made the switch:
1. Confidence-When I started my career, I was in full on competition mode. Bigger, faster, louder was my motto. I had to PROVE I belonged. That’s ego-based. Eventually, I understood true confidence for me came when I was expressing my true self on stage, in all my shades.
2. Creativity- When I wrote my first rap, I was greeted with lots of positive responses. It would have been easy to take that cue and position myself as the “rapping concert pianist”. That’s a gimmick. Instead, I had to examine what the purpose of rapping was for me. I discovered it was yet another way to tell my story. So now, I’m designing more creative shows based on authenticity and they tell the story of how I got from the Classics to the cutting edge.
3. Calling- My original desire was to only play the most classical of music and just be a world-famous classical pianist. Period. God had other plans it seems. It’s like He said, if you let go of that single-minded desire, I’ll reveal your calling instead. My calling is to inspire, inform AND entertain. Everyday I’m being shown how to do that using ALL of my gifts, not just the piano.
Someone reading this needs to make this switch before breaking into Level Next. You know you’re on to something, you just gotta get a few things in place. These are the “few things”. Self-examination starts now. Check out this video excerpt from a presentation I gave where I expound on the discoveries above.
Ever heard of Samurai Recitals? Yeah, I invented those!
PS If you look closely, you’ll see baby Jasi
