I found myself asking this morning why I chose to break this blog up into 4 pieces instead of just pulling it all together in one sitting and throwing it out there. I told myself it was for reasons related to practicality like the fact that people don’t like to read long blogs and that I want time to get each piece perfect. I also thought it was just good old fashioned procrastination but that If i committed to the piece I would get it all done in a timely manner.
All that said what I realized as I was writing this second lesson today was that stretching this process out is allowing me to live with a meditation that I am not yet ready to part with. The time I spent at Paisley Park really did open up a door in my consciousness that I had started closing – but that allowed light into my life that I needed to remind me what’s out there. It reminded me of my own journey and to get out (and stay out) there and unapologetically let my own light shine.
With that in mind, here is lesson #2 of 4 that I will be carrying with me – and hopefully you will as well:
2. Life is an audition – so make sure you are always you and always shine
Certainly, Prince surrounded himself by talent notorious for being the best in the business at whatever their craft or profession. But a significant portion of his professional family were not found in the most traditional ways. One stand out story was from Mark Brown of Prince’s band, The Revolution (also now a producer in his own right) who once happened to make Prince a bad-ass plate of pancakes at the diner where he was working when he was 15. He also happened to play guitar and sing – and wound up with an invitation that turned in to a dream career.
Several band members and dancers have similar stories. They were somewhere being the best of themselves and found they had caught the attention of a muse who would both be inspired by them and inspire them to live their calling.
What I take from this is the opportunity for all of us to be who we are full time. That may sound ridiculous as many of us feel that we are ourselves full time. But the thing is, what we do for a living, the places we go, the people we hang out with, the hobbies and interests we have aren’t who we are. We try on all sorts of roles to either express or stifle the love and purpose that we know ourselves to be on the inside.
I think the mistake is that when we play these parts we tend to piece together
a character based on what we think the audience wants to see. The trick is to
play the part while wholeheartedly taking on the character your possess
inside yourself, regardless of what you feel the expectations of onlookers are.
Prince did it everyday. He knew who he was , for better or worse, and never put in less than everything he had into every moment. Because of that commitment and dedication (and trust me, it’s hard work no matter how much of a superstar you become) he was able to recognize that energy in others and chose to surround himself by other radiating examples of authenticity . That is where he saw potential and decided to give those people a place on the stage that was his magical world so they could shine while they were with him and then find their own spotlight in the world, with Paisley Park forever in their hearts
The Narcissistic (American) Anthropologist 