I wish I hadn't pursued my dreams!

Two days ago, I didn’t know how to spell Mount Kilimanjaro. Tuesday morning, I found out that I had lost a very dear friend to a falling boulder on that mountain, while he was making another of his dreams come true, climbing it with his wife.

I was beyond shocked at first, not believing that it could be true. As it sank in more and more, the tears ran, but it wasn’t at the life he had yet to live. See, Scott Dinsmore was someone very rare and special. At 33, he had quit corporate America, built and stepped away a successful investment company, and THEN inspired millions and built a worldwide community of people who pursued what they were passionate about and absolutely loved the work they did. He was madly in love with his wife of five years, always had a smile, was an avid lover of dinner parties, and dove into any athletic challenge, even if it ended in ice bags and soreness. It was easy to come to the realization that Scott lived more and left a larger impact in his 33 years, than most do in a lifetime. I feel so blessed to have been directly impacted by such a remarkable person.

I also have to say that it really scared me. Scott lived his life inspiring and helping people do work they were truly passionate about. We had talked about my music and he was so excited for me (and for me to run into Taylor Swift again so I could set up a meeting with Scott, haha) and I committed to writing a sort of anthem song for Live Your Legend, his company. I started writing the song a few times, but it never seemed epic enough so I never finished it and now, I won’t be able to share it with him. Unfortunately, my procrastination on his song is a perfect example of how many of us live our lives.

Life is so incredibly fragile! We never know when our number will be called. It scares me to my very core to think of all I wouldn’t have achieved if my time came tomorrow. It’s a kick in the pants to get moving! Strangely, Scott wrote this in a blog post February, 4, 2015 titled, “How Do You Manufacture Your Own Heart Attack?” He talks about how near death experiences or life-threatening illnesses kick people into gear to accomplish what they want to leave behind. Many, including myself, live as if we will never die and there will always be more time tomorrow to accomplish our goals and dreams. But when you face the fact that life could end at any moment, there are really very few things I WANT to do.

Scott stated perfectly in that blog post February 4, in referring to him and his wife in old age, “we will NOT be telling ourselves…’Damn! I wish we wouldn’t have taken that trip around the world.’, ‘I wish we would have hosted fewer dinner parties with fascinating, inspiring people.’, ‘I wish we would have cooked less healthy food and eaten fewer meals together.’, and ‘I wish we wouldn’t have pursued our dreams.’” I couldn’t have said it any better! I may regret not having the courage to reach for what I want or I may regret watching TV, but I will never regret pursuing my dreams, traveling, and spending time with those I love.

In life and death, Scott inspires me. He will continue for years to come and my whole life through! I am so excited to honor him by living MY legend, because that’s what his life was about – helping people find and do work they were passionate about. I won’t stop pushing forward towards my dreams, while making sure to spend time with those I love and just enjoy the hell out of life!

You Are All Awesome! Thank you!

I am blown away when I speak with an event coordinator or venue owner and they tell horror stories of nobody artists who bring a list of demands to the table. The artist gives attitude about breaks, stage setup, and attendance and the venue is left with a seriously bad taste in their mouth and the artist walks away unhappy and complaining.

This is a terrible lose-lose situation, when it so easily could have been a win-win. As an independent artist, it’s my responsibility to book shows and make sure the venue, my band, and my listeners are all happy. The sure fire way to ensure this is by having gratitude. It’s a big word that carries a lot of meaning. Gratitude.

When I start to think gratitude and express gratitude, relationships are instantly built, walls are broken down, deals are done, and I am even more thankful than when I walked in. Now, I understand that you may not also be an independent artist, but I felt it was so important to write about this, because it affects us all!

That person you work with that always seems to have a chip on their shoulder…the barista at a coffee shop who is clearly having a pissed off day and leaves a bad taste in your mouth, no pun intended, haha…your girlfriend/boyfriend/spouse/roommate that did that thing again that really annoys you. We run into negativity everyday in ourselves as well as others. Now, let pride roll off your back and turn it around:

At work, imagine saying, “Bob, you look really sharp today. I really like that tie and great work on the Ninja report. I hear that it’s going over very well upstairs!” You’d feel pretty good about yourself for putting that positivity and happiness on someone else right?! Plus, Bob might just respond with a smile! Weird, right!

At the coffee shop, imagine asking with a smile, “How’s your day going? It looks pretty busy in here!” Do you really think you’re going to get a pissed off response? And if you do, just say, “Well, I hope your day gets better”. By now, the barista has to at least flash a smile. J You feel good about yourself and can take that first sip of wonderful coffee with a smile.

At home, think to yourself, ‘You know what, I love my boyfriend and ya, he does this thing that annoys me, but it’s not on purpose and he also deals with my makeup and hair all over the bathroom. Plus, in the grand scheme of things, this is minor. It’s not worth fighting about or stressing about and I am so thankful to have such a great person in my life. I’ll just clean it up and go on being happy about us.’

Imagine how your life would change! With all this happiness, positivity, and gratitude, it’s going to be hard to stay upset about the minor things or let someone else’s negativity affect your day. And when it does, because we can’t always be chipper, we just remind ourselves of all the wonderful things in our life that we’re thankful for.

Gratitude is a magical thing. Instead of thinking how this person shouldn’t be doing xy&z to YOU, instead think what you can give to them and be thankful for everything that you have to be happy about. Give it out. Happiness and gratitude are not commodities that run out. They multiply like bunnies!

Have a fantastic day! Check back with you soon!