What would you like to accomplish before you die? What have you dreamed of doing (perhaps for years) that you rationalize can’t or probably won’t happen?
Peter Himmelman, an award-winning Emmy and Grammy nominated musician, songwriter, and performer, speaks from experience about taking the first step. I recently had the pleasure of having breakfast with Peter, whose new book “Let Me Out” talks about how to take our ideas out of our minds and into the world - to benefit business, organizations, and ourselves. He contends that we all are naturally creative. It is fear, often from tiny childhood experiences, that holds us back. Marv, the name he gives to our inner critic whose job it is to protect us from danger, is always on the job to talk us out of something if there is a chance we can fail. Because, after all, if we fail, we could be ashamed or be ridiculed. And we all remember as a child how devastating that could be.
I love Peter’s story about how he came to fulfill a longtime dream of flying a plane. He knew he had poor math skills, so how could it be possible? One day, he decided to take the merest step forward. He walked to his chair with the intention of flying a plane. That’s right, just walked to a chair and sat down. First step accomplished. Then he typed out a flight time in Santa Monica. Then he called a person. Get the idea? Peter says the way to break down a huge idea into parts is to make it specific, present, and true (something YOU want). Two months after sitting in his chair with intention, Peter flew a Cessna over the valley.
How do you deal with the fear of a new big thing? Expect the inner voice to object, push past it, and take a tiny, first step to unlock your natural creativity and just maybe fulfill a lifelong dream.
Here’s to the joy of living, engagement with life, and forward momentum!
About the Author
Bill Borton, managing principal of W.R. Borton & Associates LLC, founded his firm in 2011 to ensure that his clients live better, longer. He serves high net-worth clients as their Retirement Risk Management specialist. In collaboration with their financial advisors, he designs strategies to minimize the financial risks that longevity, healthcare and long-term care pose to their retirement.
Connect with Bill via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or either of these more traditional routes (bill@wrborton.com or 856.817.6100). Bill’s website has even more information.