As a follow up of last week’s blog post, let’s talk clarity of focus.

Mindset has so many factors and facets and so much nuance. I am not a psychologist, so I cannot speak to the science and specifics, however, as a artist, as a teacher, as an observer, I can share with you what I see, what I observe and what occurs to me.

Dealing with mindset demands so much more than just saying “I know what I have.”

Dealing with mindset means you are willing and frankly, able, to question what you say to yourself, and find those answers specifically. It also means that you are pliable to hear and to listen!

Dealing with, and expanding one’s mindset demands the artist to create a team around them that they can trust to create a safe place to explore, to question, and to develop fully.

Abundant mindset doesn’t happen because you decide NOT to question yourself. Abundance happens when we begin to question what creates it. Do we dismiss out of hand? Do we question? Do we ask questions of ourselves? Of others? Do we ask for input? Do we dismiss that? Do we think we have all the answers? Do we think we know nothing? Where are we?!!? Where are YOU!?!?

Mindset is never a fixed factor. If we are honest, we are constantly adjusting, staying present, discovering and following threads and nuances, creating more boundaries in certain circumstances, and recognizing when we need more clarity.

The more we are willing (and frankly, able) to discover more clarity of focus, the more our mindset has the chance to change and work FOR us and not against us.

Listen, we all have self-narratives. It’s part of our coping mechanism. It’s how we shape our story. Narrative is not bad or good. It serves a purpose. Sometimes that narrative is there for protection, and sometimes that narrative is harmful. Sometimes it moves the story along, and sometimes it keeps us stuck exactly where we are. This “narrative identity” needs to remain dynamic in order to stay honest and authentic. That means it has to renew itself so the story can unfold and the chapters can find momentum. It’s not easy, and it can’t just fall into narrating by rote. If the identity is not being renewed moment to moment, it can often feel elusive or it can deceive you.

If your narrative feels stuck, if you are telling the same stories, the same excuses, then your mindset is not growing. This is for both sides of mindset: scarcity and abundant.

The narrative needs to be ACTIVE. The clarity of focus needs to be based in what you DO, what you are ABLE to do, and what you are DOING.

Many of you will be asking, how do I do this???? I want to do this!!!

Some of you might be saying, yeah, I do that, and it’s everybody' else’s fault for not seeing me.

Some of you might be in the middle.

Finding the clarity of focus needs to constantly be challenged. If you are self-aware enough, you will have begun this on your own, and will continue to challenge yourself throughout your journey. This awareness still needs input - and that’s where the team comes in. We all need input from people we trust who know more than we do. If Gold Medal winners and world-class elite athletes have a team of coaches and more around them, guess what? So do you! So do I!

So, who is on your team? What are their specialities? What are they known for? What do they challenge you with? Create safety for? Allow space for?

One person cannot have equal knowledge in all things. You cannot be all things to yourself. First, it’s not fair to you, and second, you will either create debilitating anxiety or out of control delusion.

These are coping mechanisms. In and of themselves, a coping mechanism is not a “bad” or “wrong” thing. How we USE it is crucial. How we RECOGNIZE it gives us power to create boundaries and recognize more reality.

So, what to do?

These questions are aimed toward your journey in this industry: Explore them and see where it leads you!

What is your focus? Get clear with that. It can have several directions. What do you want? What do you want to do? Is it general, or is it specific?

I am going to ask some hard questions now - pay attention to your REACTION, not just your answers:

What makes you think you can have what you want? What have you got that makes you ready for what you want?

And if you don’t have what you want, is it YET? Why? Or is it something else?

What do you expect from yourself?

What do you expect from others? (get specific with who these “others” are)

How do you respond to praise?

How do you respond to neutrality?

How do you respond to constructive criticism?

How do you respond to perceived dismissal?

What does “dismissal” mean to you?

What has disappointed you?

Who has disappointed you? Why?

Do you “blame” anybody/anything for not being where you want to be?

If so, who and why?

What have you done to get and remain ready for what you say you want?

What has your team said? I mean, really?

Do you ask straightforward questions of your team?

Do you even have a team?

Do you think you need a team? Why or why not?

Who is on that team and what are their roles?

If you don’t have a team, why not?

If you were to create a dream team, who would be on it and why?

Even if you just answer these questions simply, you will begin to see where your narrative identity is centered currently. If you aren’t pleased with that narrative, guess what? You have the power to change it. It’s your story! It starts with you and ends with you - but there’s LOTS to do along the way.

Explore what that means. Stay open to possibilities, to other narratives, to input in trusting environments. Release the desire to create excuses in order to cope. You have the power to change that too.

with fondness & fierceness,