Lately I’ve been letting go of the reins of my life more and more. Feels better and better.

The metaphor I often use is that I’ve lifted my paddle out of the water, and I’m just letting the current take me downstream. My job is to relax, enjoy, and occasionally drop paddle to navigate and avoid the rocks.

Most people think letting go is a passive process, but in my experience, it’s far more active (just in a quieter, more mindful way), than all the bees buzzing around the hive, working and worrying in hopes of realizing their desires. When I look at what gets created around me, the very cool life that’s materialized from this practice, I’m reminded that the “being” part of creating your desires is 95% of the formula, the “doing” is 5%.

Letting go requires you to pay fucking attention. Letting go requires you to go inward first, to notice what your intuition is telling you. Letting go requires you to make your decisions based on what feels better to you, right now. And that last part? Takes some balls, no doubt…

When you follow your intuition, one thought leads to the next thought. That’s how it works. One thought at a time. Can’t be rushed. Can’t be figured out all at once. Just lift the paddle and float. See where you’re led. And go from there.

Sure, there’s uncertainty involved. You don’t know exactly how you’re going to get there. Or even what “there” looks like, exactly. In the face of this unknown (I like to think of it as adventure), most people cling to a plan they formulated to protect themselves against the feelings of uncertainty. Keeping with the metaphor, that’s like being midstream in your kayak and hanging onto a big rock and trying to fight the current. Eventually, the current always wins. Save yourself the struggle and the burning arms. Let go.

So, this thought arose the other day…

“Why isn’t there anyone like me doing a form of stand up, talking about the kind of practical stuff that makes your life better? I mean, sure, Wayne Dyer does those PBS specials, and they’re nice and good… but there’s no edge to them. He’s speaking a different language to a different population. 

Why am I not doing this? I could do this. I could make short stand up videos highlighting a concept I want to share. I think it could be fun to write some of these ideas out…”

My next thought was to study some stand up comics. Certainly that would be fun… Louis CK popped into my mind. I’d been loosely following him, admiring his groundbreaking business model. I thought maybe I’d look him up… And I moved on with my day.

An hour later I turned on the brilliant Howard Stern radio show. His guest?

Louis CK.

Even better, Louis was on promoting his new HBO stand up special. I set the DVR.

This is all falling into place, rather nicely, I thought.

I watched part of the show the other day (my wife wasn’t into it, so we moved on), but I will finish it.

Watching him on stage, I thought, “I should get a microphone.” More as a prop than anything else. But it would feel good in my hands and fit my vision. I went on Amazon, found a few, but bought nothing.

This morning I checked my e-mail and there was a message from a client I particularly love…

 

Subject: did anyone ever tell you…

…that you are a thin, handsome version of Louis CK?

…or even better, Louis CK is the heavier, not so handsome version of you?

that dude is hysterical on stand up.
 
I just revisited Amazon and bought the microphone.