“The only real edginess is honesty – because that makes people uncomfortable – and people don’t really know what to do with it.”
– Marc Maron
Writing this blog has a special way of causing me to mind-fuck myself. I believe in the power and importance of telling stories with raw, brutal candor. It challenges me to keep a finger on the pulse of my consciousness. It’s one of the only ways I have to keep it real. One of my heroes in life is “fratire” author Tucker Max. He has made a brilliant career out of telling stories from his life with alarming honesty and an appalling lack of polish. I was reading an article in which he was speaking about how he came to achieve his success as a writer. He was stressing the importance of being starkly honest:
“Do that thing–be painfully honest–and you’ll get there, because no one else does it. Everyone in the world is a liar, whether its to themselves or to everyone else, they’re all full of shit. If you have the courage to tell the truth, to open your soul to the world, even a little bit, the world will stop and look.”
The process of trying to be honest with myself, and then honest with you – is a purifying process for me. It’s more challenging than I ever thought it would be. I think it makes me a better, more interesting man. It makes me into someone that I enjoy hanging out with.
Last night I was in a local night club taking a leak. The restroom attendant realized who I was, and said that he had seen me do comedy a month ago, dressed up in a skirt and heels. He said that seeing me on stage inspired HIM to start doing stand up comedy. Honestly, I was flabbergasted. I have only been doing stand up for a couple of months. I’m terrible at it, most nights send me into a dense fog of self loathing. Occasionally it’s fun. It seemed preposterous that I could have influenced someone else to do something that he’s been secretly wanting to do, but… that’s what happened. I’m even kind of embarrassed to tell you this story because it might feel like I’m tooting my own horn. This really is not about me. This is about YOU right now. Here’s what I really want YOU to know right now:
At this very moment, YOU have the power to illuminate the path for another person. You have skills, talents, ideas, and personality traits that, if you’ll just let them out into the world, will lift up another person. When you go out into the world and just BE AWESOME in your own unique way, you never know who is watching you. You never know who will be inspired to do something really positive in their own life. You don’t have to be “good” at what you are doing. You don’t have to be “accomplished”. This is the glorious thing: you can SUCK at what you are doing, and still have a positive effect on people around you. Go kick some ass – and this only means one thing: be the biggest, boldest, purest form of YOU that you can be, and try not to care about who’s watching.
Jesus had something to say about this during the Sermon on the Mount:
“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.”
When you live true to yourself… when you are living totally authentically, there is NOBODY else like you on the earth. You become “salt”. You add a very distinct flavor to the world that is not only appreciated, but often needed. If you fail to life authentically, then you are bland and useless.
GO.
NOW.
DO IT.
That our pursuit of our own bliss can elevate others, is one of the glorious, magical things about life. In the masterful words of Marianne Williamson:
“As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, Our presence automatically liberates others.”
There is nothing more important that you or I can do, as human beings, than help liberate our fellow man and fellow woman from their fears.
DO IT.
NOW.
GO!
