When the Universe taps you on the shoulder, politely turn around and do your best to listen. I get so paranoid about this that at times I find myself following butterflies, looking at cobwebs or the clouds and trying to find the message. Don’t laugh, I have found many a life message just sitting by the riverside meditating at the passing water. But that all sounds so easy doesn’t it? So very simple…just sit down, light a few candles, wait for the breeze to blow through your hair and magically all will be revealed.
Well, yeah, not so much. You must fight for it, dear reader! So a few days ago a trusted colleague said to me, “Nicholas, I have something for you. I thought you might like this.” What she handed me was a fortune cookie insert that read, “Fight for it. You will come out on the top.” What struck me about this was not simply the encouraging statement in the cookie. Let’s be honest, people will interpret that statement in whichever way speaks to them in that moment. No, what was important was that I had put out to the Universe my own needs, in this case to stay focused on my current goals, and my colleague came forward to offer me support. When I read those words it was a crystallization of my need to stay focused on my goals. Not necessarily to battle another person but rather to fight to keep my creative freedom a priority in my own head.
Where did we ever get the notion that our goals should be easily obtained? I admit, I thought for a long time it was just about working hard. But if I look back on what I believe to be the successes in my life, I realize not only did I work hard, I fought hard. I was a champion. Most people can easily identify with a “fight for it” mindset when it comes to sports or some type of adventure because those scenarios are usually set up with a “winner” as the goal. But do we realize the “fight for it” mindset is necessary in so many aspects of our life? And most importantly, that mindset is required in the areas of our life that we traditionally believe don’t require a fight.
Happiness, for example, is a state of being to which most believe all are entitled. Why shouldn’t one be happy, right? But even happiness is something for which we must fight. Happiness can obviously be derived from many things but often it is the result of a journey. And likely not a journey you rolled out of bed for, but rather one for which you prepared, put in the hard work and fought. Pages get written when one sits down to write. Books, however, are completed (good or bad) not after a few days but likely months or years of fighting for it. A career as a musician doesn’t come simply because you want it. It can only be had after mastering a talent and then fighting for it. And it is the same with happiness. I mentioned above that I found many messages from the Universe sitting by the river. And the reason I found those messages was because it took me 40 years to learn how to sit by a river and listen. I fought for the clarity. I fought for the understanding that I deserve peace of mind. I fought for the silence, the stillness, and ultimately my own happiness.
So thank you to my dear colleague who gave me a huge reminder to stay strong and “Fight for it!” And to you, dear reader, don’t let there be any other option than for you to come out on top!
Revolutionary Daydreams 