Here is the shortish version of the crucible moment my life dam burst open, into being an expressed give zero fucks artist.
It was March 2015, the scene was the NYC cool kids party, Danny Clinch and his rock & roll photography anthology, a packed house at Milk Gallery in Chelsea.
Unwittingly, I was about to share for only the second time my “Life 2.0 Humanifesto,” my raw reframes around core themes that had held me back - Fear, Ego, Pain, Love. I had been white-knuckle clutching the channel download for a year, deathly afraid to share because it was just too deep and I had developed super-kryptonite disempowerment, paralyzing myself into self-ridicule.
Everyone was mingling and in connection conversation with a perfect stranger, I asked,"What kind of beautiful magic are you up to in the world?" He responded with a broad smile in a cool breeze South African accent, "I've come from a dark place, but I'm now igniting."
Igniting. What an interesting word he chose.
"That's ironic," I said. "I wrote a life 2.0 poem to myself, and it's a three part story, Intention, Integration...and Ignition."
"I want to hear it," he said.
My heart dropped, and I gave my patent excuse, "No no, it's really deep, not for a party atmosphere, maybe another time," anticipating I was once again about to slip from danger, an escape artist to hide again.
This perfect stranger from South Africa, narrowed his eyes, and said, "I want to hear it. Now."
He pierced my gaze, and I knew I wasn't going to escape this time.
I took a big gulp of air, and launched into my 4 minutes and 44 second spoken word with my heart pounding and eyes closed. As I completed, I opened my eyes and was about to make a b-line goodbye, and he placed his left hand on my shoulder and whispered, “What are you going to do with this?” I replied, “Nothing. And in a self-deflating tone, I said, “Who am I to share? Too personal. Too weird.”
His 33 word response was an anvil drop on my soul.
“We are on this Planet for three reasons. To Love; to Learn; and to Share. And if you are not sharing your gifts, you are being selfish. Quit being so fucking selfish.”
He punctuated “fucking selfish” with a three finger poke in my center chest (three fingers, who does that?), turned and walked away.
Never even got his name.
Holy pivots.
In that moment, the lie I was harboring my entire life obliterated that “sharing” was selfish, egoic and narcissistic, a hogging of the mic. Friends, it is exactly the opposite. In not sharing, you are the one who is hoarding. And in that moment, I pivoted fully into an alchemized artist devoted to craft, designing for myself, an impact entrepreneur fully surrendered to the journey that would weave and became One Golden Thread.
We each have a golden voice to share. When we claim it, the gold inside us, becomes the thread that unites us. The thread spreads. As it invites and ignites more to claim their voice and embody their greatest burning gifts.
The greatest risk we harbor is avoiding risk.
Go for it.
Claim your voice.
Follow your thread.
Express your artistry.
Be your own sacred brand.
As my All-In friend Sayika the Firestarter Street coined...
"Your fans are waiting."
In golden light & love, and if you wish to follow the thread and receive my channel download, it's here...
Jeff
