When is my break

Yesterday while waiting in line at Subway to order lunch I was struck by the similar looks on each employees face working there. Each look said the same thing, "When is my break." Not only did their expressions speak loudly to this truth, but the way they performed their job and interacted with each customer. No joy, no enthusiasm, just doing it because they have to. And that's a damn shame.

But this isn't me pointing my finger and laughing at the people who work for minimum wage. That shit's hard, and sometimes it's all people can do. But no, I was struck by the thought that what is it these people "should" be doing instead. I mean, what are their dreams, passions, the things that keep them up at night? What could I bring up in conversation that would allow them to talk my ear off for a good hour or two? Those are the things they need to be doing. (And I hope they're pursuing them, or at least I hope they have someone in their lives that encourages them.)

Life is hard and we all know it. Some of us will work our whole lives at jobs we hate. I know this, I've seen my Dad do it. But now, more than ever, we have opportunities growing like wild fire to get out there and crush the norm under our feet. I think Gary Vee said this at his talk this year at SXSW, but it's like the California gold rush right now. We just need to be completely honest with ourselves and figure out what we're passionate about. I know I'm still searching my heart and figuring it out one day at a time.

It takes time. Slow down. Don't rush it. Make sure you take time to build a solid foundation. I came across this video this week and it inspired the crap out of me. If you have any creative bone in your body then it will speak to you as well.

The video is shot and narrated by photographer Zack Arias.

thoughts on creativity

"Creativity is more important than knowledge" -Albert Einstein

Over the past month I've turned my focus more internally to see what I might find. It's easy for me to find a new activity and become so engrossed in it that I lose site of the more important things. And this blog was becoming that distraction for me. Not that I regret it or think anything negative of it. Because my blog was, and will remain, a great tool for me to share who I am. But it's important for me to stop and look around once in a while at what my desire each day is set on.

The week before Christmas really took a toll on me. I was under a heavy workload with a tight deadline and all I could focus on was just making it through one more day. I didn't want to stop and enjoy the day for what it was. I was taking time for granted. I was being selfish with how I spent my time. And then I had to get all the pre-travel plans in order. Not that any of this is worth mentioning, but it felt like a heavy load to bare.

Can creativity really be lost once we've found it?

Why do I feel so empty and unable to make anything worthwhile?

Sometimes the easiest answers are always the ones we don't see. But when I drift away on some rickety float in to the middle of self-doubt I don't see anything but negative space all around me. A void. Yet the simplest things like a child smiling or the sky at sunset can turn my heart from red to green. And then I feel free again to accelerate in life. Because the real truth is God doesn't care if I believe in Him or not, He believes in me. And He is always there with me, not judging me or dictating my life, but offering me a greater way to live. He's giving me the choice! Wow! I don't know of anyone else who is so patient, so loving, and so creative in the ways He chooses to show His love for me.

One final thought. While visiting my grandparents over the holidays I had the great fortune of looking at old slides from when my grandparents were still young. Things seemed a lot simpler in those pictures. Those moments captured in time. And the way my grandfather narrated the whole presentation, it made me want the simple things in life. Not that this is some sort of New Year's resolution, but more of a shift in my soul, my spirt.