the gatekeepers are getting worried

your story is YOUR story -

The following is a piece I wrote for myself a couple of years ago when I was so worried about trying to get the “gatekeepers” of the writing world to notice me. 

I was told that my style of writing would never be “marketable” or “commercial” enough for anyone to publish me.  For a long time I believed this advice and I quit writing.

Then I remembered that this is my writing journey - not anyone else’s.  I wrote this poem and got back on the horse and have never looked back!

My love - the same holds true for you: Your journey is yours and yours alone. Your story belongs to you.

Here is the poem that I wrote for myself to get my creative heart moving again:

Please forgive my artwork… :)

                                   ****

Dear fellow artists and creators,

We own our dreams.  They are ours.  Today, we quit asking others for permission to follow the North Star of our purpose.  Today, we stop believing the gatekeepers when they tell us that we aren’t yet allowed to walk through the threshold of our truest passions. Today, we quit listening to fear mongers and worry warts as they whisper all the ways we could fail.

Today is ours.
It belongs to us.

We don’t owe anybody
an explanation
for our path.

Today we fight for our purpose.
Today we follow our most wildest dreams.

Today, we allow for our lives to become something more than what other people expect from us. Today, we accept that we are worthy of living authenticity. Today we will bravely create because that is the code our soul has been given.  We are creators. We are designers. We are writers. We are musicians. We are painters.  We are poets. We are sculptors.  We are the artists of the universe and THIS IS OUR DAY.

Don’t listen to anybody who tries to convince you that you’re not good enough. 

You are.

This your day. 
Go create.

***********************

the gatekeepers are getting worried
their standing outside you door
they are telling you to please slow down
and to wait just a little more

your dreams make them uneasy
your ambitions cause them to bruise
they stick their forks into the ground
and cry  “But you haven’t paid your dues!”

these beasts are hard to move,
because their skin is paper thin
they are terrified of your exploration
and wish you’d follow where they’ve been

who you will become
is not for them to say
so grab them by their spork-like shirts 
and move them out of your way

there are no dues that you must pay
there is nothing that you owe
put your feet into your passion shoes
and follow where they go

the gatekeepers will moan
and complain as you proceed
but you must blaze your own damned path
in order to succeed

envy is just like an invisible virus that is
spread through judgmental side-eyed looks
by slack jawed weasel once-dreamers
and the legion of thick-necked schnooks

you do not need their permission
to become who you want to be
you were born with an uncaged heart
and a destiny that remains free

so say goodbye to the gatekeepers;
the forks who run their mouths
for someday soon your life will be your own
on this point I have no absolutely NO doubt

---

If you are interested in learning how to embrace YOUR story - please consider joining me for my upcoming “Unafraid Storyteller” retreat at the Art Of Living Center, in beautiful Boone, NC. This isn’t your typical writing retreat and is geared for anyone who is looking to shake the words out of their hearts.

PLUS - not only will the colors of our soul be transforming - but so too will be the leaves all around us while we are writing together!

I absolutely cannot wait!

Life is meant to be messy. Life is supposed to be a bit chaotic. Life is an adventure where we are always a single phone call away from heartbreak or the fulfillment of our wildest dreams. Of course, this is exactly what makes being alive the best game in the universe.

People are craving authenticity.

So, let’s give it to them.

For more information on the retreat at the end of this month please follow this link. THERE ARE A FEW SPOTS LEFT OPEN SO PLEASE ACT QUICKLY IF YOU ARE THINKING OF ATTENDING.