What Brings You Here?

Sunday musings...

What brings you to a decision to be somewhere?

Let me be specific:  when a singer contacts me and wants to book a consultation to see if we might work together in the studio,  and we book that consultation,  one of my first questions,  is:  

What brings you here?

The answers can be very vague,  or very specific,  or somewhere in-between.  

Here's the important part:  there is no correct or incorrect answer.  There is simply YOUR answer.

You might not know why.  That's okay.  You may think you know why,  and perhaps that the initial stimulus to get you there,  but the why will change as you begin to explore.  That's okay too.

I don't ask that question to cause angst,  or to try to trick you. It's not a trick question.

 Your answer,  whatever it is,  helps me find you where you seem to be, in order for what we do in that session to make sense to how you entered the space. I have to take those answers,  and in the doing of the session, begin to reflect what you may need PRIOR to that answer,  or help you find a more tangible answer that you can claim.

It's a lot,  isn't it?  Did you realize how much is going on with that question?  And, perhaps, how much is going on with the answer?

I pose it today,  to give you permission to ask if of yourself,  as you forge into the new year. You have many questions coming at you,  from craft to technique, to business, to health, to you name it.  Questions don't have to be overwhelming, but sometimes, the answers seem to be.

When you decide to make something happen - sign up for a class,  contact a teacher or a coach,  plan to record a reel,  and on and on - do you take that moment of stillness to ask yourself,  what brings me here?  what brings me to this point of decision?  what motivates me? what clarity do I need to say "yes" to this?  If I say yes, what are the boundaries of that yes?  Where might that yes take me?  Am I okay with possible results,  no matter what they are?

Often the answers will be vague, or generic.  That's okay.  Sometimes they need to be, in order for you to simply take the step forward and into the space.  Sometimes, the answers will be full of excuses.  That's okay too.  It's a protection mechanism in order for you to feel safe as you make a decision and take what feels like a leap. Sometimes,  the answers will be very specific based on what you know and realize and recognize;  and then those answers will change as you begin to know and realize and recognize!!

You don't need to get creative with your answer.  Sometimes the most mundane answer is the most true!  The truth of that answer,  conscious or not,  allows you to access more authenticity in the action of getting closer to why you are here;  what brings you here;  what can be done while you are here;  and what could be possible after you leave.

Here's the deal:  you don't have to do anything.  The "have to" creates angst, or resistance, or excuses, or delusion.  

You may CHOOSE to do something,  for a reason that makes sense to you.  If that reason is something that resonates with the space you want to walk into,  then you can explore more of what can be done in that space to develop more specificity in your journey.

"What brings you here",  has the power and the potential to reveal the authenticity of you in the moment.  It also has the power to pivot you to "what can we do" and "how do we achieve that" and "what needs our attention first".  

"What brings you here"  can reveal whether you are are a big picture,  overview thinker,  or a details person.  Or maybe a little of both.  At least, initially.

The beauty of the question,  is that the answer can remain fluid, until you have that lucid "aha!" moment that gives you tangibility and you can simply act upon it.

Nothing is random,  unless we are unwilling or unable to commit.  

As an artist or artistic temperament, we have the imagination to create possibilities,  and in doing so,  can focus them into a very specific and tangible format.

So,  what brings you "here"?  Trust that if you don't know,  you will find out,  simply by asking the question first and being open enough to observe the answer before acting on it!