On My Mind: The Leap of Faith

You know when you got you last car, how you suddenly started seeing the same car just about everywhere – when you hadn’t really noticed it that much before?  Or, when you tell someone a personal story and they tell you how that story relates to what’s happening in their life?  I always love it when that happens.  It’s like magic, awareness and synchronicity all rolled up together.

When I started letting people know that Bob and I were pulling up our nineteen year-old Baltimore roots and heading to Vermont and that I was re-figuring my life, I started hearing about how people had already done this, were in the very same process and/or knew they had another calling or side of themselves that was ready to be expressed.  It was more than encouraging to me to hear from so many people who knew they had another song or many songs left in them and that they were keen on making the music.

Over the past month, I’ve had people tell me about starting new careers, writing books, starting to paint, taking cooking lessons, learning about wine, traveling the world while doing volunteer projects and so forth.  One woman sold everything, bought a big RV and plans to explore every state in our country and then head to Canada.  Along the way, she’ll be interviewing the everyday people she meets.  She’s not quite sure what will come out of it but is excited about her project.

Several months ago, I had shared a story that prolific, award-winning singer/songwriter Kenny Loggins had shared when he was in Baltimore for a concert.  I love his personal story because it reinforces the belief that we are not ever too old to dream and if it’s there… let it out.  Thank goodness he didn’t let someone else convince him that his best days were behind him.

Well, a few weeks ago, I came across another Kenny Loggins’ story – another time when he broke through any barriers that were in his way.  I was listening to The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks.  In the book, Gay talks about the barriers that keep us from reaching our “zone of genius.”  One of those barriers is “the crime of outshining” when, for various reasons that usually start in childhood, we learn to hold ourselves back so we don’t make someone else feel uncomfortable with our own shining.

Well this was what was going on with Kenny after he split with the super talented Jim Messina, who just happened to have the same “issue.”   Together, they had taken the rock world by storm in their early twenties with hit after hit.  And, after they broke up, Kenny continued to crank out the hits.  He won all sorts of awards with his hits in the 80’s, but he would not allow himself to enjoy his success.  In fact every time something fabulous happened, he did something to sabotage the good feelings.

When he was flying high in what Gay Hendricks calls a “zone of excellence”, Kenny was scheduled to sing his mega hit, I’m Alright from the movie, Caddyshack, at an awards ceremony.   The music started, the lights went on, there was thunderous applause, Kenny started to sing…and, his mic was dead.  He had no voice. 

Losing his voice was a wakeup call for him and when Kenny went within and did a lot of deep work, he realized he did not want to do the same type of music he had been doing for years.  He heard something new bubbling up within him.  There were songs that were different from his previous ones and there were songs with deep meaning that he wanted to share.

This awakening helped him create the songs he released on an album in 1991 – Leap of Faith – which is still my favorite, and created massive hits like Conviction of the Heart, The Real Thing, If You Believe and Leap of Faith.  These songs came from his heart and his soul.

So, I loved hearing this story from Gay Hendrick’s book after hearing the story from Kenny about not being too old to dream several months back.  It reminded me that all throughout our lives, all of us are given opportunities to dream again and to let the new songs come out.  How many times do we brush those feelings and yearnings aside thinking, “that’s what happens for other people, but not for me.” 

Well, not me.  And, not all of the incredible people I’ve heard from who are creating a new version of themselves, singing a new song and dancing a new dance.  It’s living life and doing it with gusto until the last note has been sung.

Never ever too old to dream.  Never ever too old to shine.

What’s bubbling up in you?