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Friday, December 4 // lightward.com/newsletter

 

What are we doing here, eh?

We can always be chasing the sun

Why have a newsletter? What are you here to read, and what am I here to write?

All we can do is try

I’m not interested in writing an advice column. I’m not interested in committing to giving the world a play-by-play on my life.

Why don’t we turn back time for tonight

We’re makers, all of us—whether or not that’s an identity thing for you, we all make by virtue of our focus. Our movements are informed by our attention, and when we steer our senses toward a thing, the trillion layers of our existence engage with it, and the world is changed, just a little.

Why don’t we turn

A pearl is formed when an irritant (the internet’s words, not mine) is lodged in an oyster, mussel, or clam. That’s striking, eh? A pearl, that thing of beauty, could not come into existence were it not for the arrival of something irritating. The response to that unwanted thing unavoidably creates something beautiful.

oooooo, let me in or I’ll get physical with you

What are you making? Are you doing it on purpose yet?

I just gotta dance right now, it’s critical to do

I wrote on Instagram earlier about releasing artificial measures of success. It’s a dance, sort of. Sort of? (I love dancing.) To make a thing that is a pure expression of my own expression (redundancy intentional) is glorious, and to find it well-received is no bad thing. The magic trick here is to read that reception for what it really is.

Wave goodbye, wish me well, you gotta let me go

We’re wired to learn from the feedback our environment gives us, to then tune our behavior accordingly, to more reliably get the results that we want. But feedback can be interpreted, can be mis-interpreted, and listening for what’s really happening is critical.

My sign is vital, my hands are cold

When I make something that is mine, and I release it into the universe, and I receive accolades and celebration and affirmation in return, I have a choice in how I interpret this feedback:

  1. The motions that I made resulted in approval, which felt good. I should repeat those motions, and I’ll get more approval, and I’ll keep feeling good.

  2. Or: The energy that I run in resulted in this unique, ne’er to be repeated expression, inspired these specifically unique motions, and it reminded those who were there for it of their own power, their own singular self-ness, and they expressed that joy back to me. Those motions I made, they’re dead by themselves, without the inspiration, so I’m gonna keep running in my own energy, and I’ll discover what motions of mine are inspired next, and I’ll keep feeling good.

That first one has an expiration date. That second one is time itself.

Are we human, or are we dancer?

I love making things. I love making real things, and for me that means things that are connected by a live, electric wire to my heart and soul, to my being. That has always been most important, and always will be, regardless of how the scales of money/audience/staff/influence/presence move. Those scales are there to be played with, to be genuinely enjoyed, to be adjusted, even, as inspiration demands.

Come watch us rise again
Out of the fever
Life will never be the same
I'm a believer
Don't call us another name
We were born to the same sunrise
It's getting brighter all the time
'Cause all my friends, they know
Been making messes out of silence
If we're the same, let me let go
Somebody save me from the madness

I love you, dear reader. :) You are able, powerful beyond belief, and yet you are exactly as powerful as you believe. Fall back with me, into belief: this trust fall is how we fly.

So raise your glass if you are wrong in all the right ways
All my underdogs
We will never be never be, anything but loud
And nitty gritty, dirty little freaks
Won't you come on and come on and raise your glass
Just come on and come on and raise your glass
With me

 

Wellness, for you
and for me

Isaac and I are very different people and work harmoniously together, living a life full of a lot of wonder and joy—it’s really cool.

That said, I’m very interested in giving advice—I’m a coach, it’s what I do. All of my advice comes with a ever-present caveat knowing every person’s lived experience is soooooo different and while I share general bits of advice in these newsletters, I believe the more we understand and know ourselves, the better we are able to take any piece of advice and apply it to our particular and unique lived experience.

A powerful way to calm your mind, and your body, is focusing on the breath. I talk about it every week—take a look at previous editions here. I’m keeping it short: breathe. It’s so good for you. Inhale and exhale through your nose. Who wants to attend a breathing and meditation workshop with me when it’s safe to do so? :)

What are you creating?

Everything is relative. What I experience in the gym every day is beyond what I dreamt I would be able to do when I was very obese growing up. I never thought I’d be sitting here, writing to 450+ beautiful humans every week and yet it seems normal now.

What are you normalizing? I’ve had really impactful conversations with some of my clients lately about arbitrary ceilings we allow ourselves to hit or dream about. These are some common thoughts I’ve heard when discussing living well or pursuing things that scare us:

  • I need to qualify why I want to be rich or healthy or get a promotion or wear an extravagant outfit

  • People will judge me if I say my dreams out loud—I’ve never felt like I could do that

  • I’m meant to stay in my lane and not be different

  • I don’t believe in myself

  • I don’t know how to be bold in chasing and creating the life I want to live because I don’t know anyone doing it in my community

  • I’m embarrassed to say I like ______

  • I think I’m going to fail, so I’m scared to start

And the list goes on, y’all. These thoughts become beliefs which become habits which dictate the life that you experience. What stories are we living in? What narratives about potential and opportunities and creation are we allowing to sit in our subconscious, guiding our every thought? It wasn’t until I started to de-construct some of these thoughts myself, over the last few years, that I realized it’s mostly in my head and I have the power to create new thought patterns.

Most everything that we see, other than nature that hasn't been tampered with, is human-made. It was once a thought and now a reality—from your coffee table to a spoon to a museum to a skyscraper. We are creators. That’s why I love being an artist and value art so much—it impacts our life in a myriad of ways that we don’t even realize because we’ve normalized being surrounded by things people have created. It’s incredible.

Friends—we are creators of our thoughts and what we do in every single moment. What thoughts are you creating—are they moving you towards more health and joy and self-love? Or are you creating narratives in your mind that tell you you can’t, shouldn’t, will never?

Give yourself permission to create the life that you want to live. Stop settling for things and people and experiences that just don’t do it for you anymore. When you taste the sweetness of feeling good and grounded and healthy most of the time, there’s truly no going back.

Here is how you can create statements that are pro-you / your dreams / your life:

  • I need to qualify why I want to be rich or healthy or get a promotion or wear an extravagant outfit → I want to be rich and healthy and get the incredible promotion simply because I want it. It feels good to state what I want out loud!

  • People will judge me if I say my dreams out loud—I’ve never felt like I could do that → My dream is to ____________ and the more I speak it out loud and move towards it, I will find people who will help me achieve it.

  • I’m meant to stay in my lane and not be different → I am a creator and I am uniquely myself. I allow myself to BE and celebrate all that I AM! And fuck, it feels amazing!

  • I don’t believe in myself → I am on my way to believing in myself and the thought of that excites me!

  • I don’t know how to be bold in chasing and creating the life I want to live because I don’t know anyone doing it in my community → I know there are people out there living their dream life and creating things out of joy—I will find them!

  • I’m embarrassed to say I like  ______ (let’s say acting) → Acting makes me feel powerful. I love stepping into characters and performing—this is my passion!

  • I think I’m going to fail, so I’m scared to start → I am capable of getting back up. I’ve messed up before and I’ve survived. One step at a time.

And while obstacles and mess ups and frustrations and sadness will indeed be a part of the journey of creating the life of your dreams, you’ve given yourself permission to create the thought patterns and habits to be able to re-stabilize and keep going.

You are so powerful. One of my joys is creating spaces for people, including myself, to explore their own joy and power—the world is a better place when we are living in our authenticity and joy.

I believe in you, so much.

-Abe

 

A Perspective of Joy

It is useful useful useful to look for things that remind you of how you want to think, how you want to be focused. Abe made a coffee table book expressly for this purpose. You can find it at lightward.com/joy.

 

Lightward Inc, 1321 Upland Dr., PMB 11999, Houston, United States

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