show up for others
Happy Wednesday! On Monday I wrote a post called “be silly,” which focused on the importance of having fun while on the journey. It’s good to have silly things you can do to let off steam (in addition to your healthy outlets like working out at the gym, playing a sport, or expressing yourself creatively). Today’s post, however, is about helping others. I’ve written before about focusing on the people who show up on your life instead of on the ones who don’t, as well as the importance of supporting your friends, but it’s incredibly important to be a person who shows up for others you don't know, as well.
Have you ever had a time when people showed up to help you? It takes a village to accomplish anything, whether or not you choose to acknowledge it. Even solo acts have people who help get them where they are, including managers, agents, and fellow performers. In the real world, separate from the entertainment industry, it’s your employees, your coworkers, your clients, or your consumers. It’s your family and friends, as well as your neighbors. California’s been having terribly devastating fires rip through it, and there have been effects seen throughout all of Los Angeles, as well. But poor air quality is nothing in comparison to the amount of destruction the fires have caused while people lose their belongings and homes.
While watching the news, one man who was interviewed truly stuck out to me because he mentioned something I’ve believed for a very long time: things can be replaced; people cannot. As someone who lost a lot of her belongings during Superstorm Sandy, I can tell you that all that stuff can be replaced. But as someone who has lost people she’s loved, I can tell you that I agree wholeheartedly with the man who was interviewed. Our loved ones can never be replaced, but material things are just that: things.
That’s why it’s so important to show up for others. It’s important to set boundaries and not take on other people’s personal pain as your own, but I truly believe that there is a common good that runs through all of us that connects us together. It's so important to make the effort to see that good in ourselves and in others. It’s unfortunate that it often takes some devastating occurrence to encourage people to work together, but when that event takes place, it’s important to show up to help. The fact that people make a choice to help others during hard times is absolutely beautiful.
Remember the times when you needed a little extra love and attention, and pay it forward to other people. The little things we do for others may actually be pretty big things without us even realizing it. The first step is to show up ready to help. The rest will work itself out.
Thank you so much for reading, and, as always, if you have any pressing questions or if you want to discuss something further with me, please subscribe below, follow me on Instagram or Twitter, or reach out to me on the “contact” page. I’m so grateful you're here and that I’ve been getting a lot of really challenging questions and even better feedback from a community all over the world. I couldn’t do this without you! So THANK YOU! I’m here for you, and I love hearing from you, too! You’re the best, and you have everything you need inside of you! Please believe it! Starve your ego, feed your soul - and follow your heart!
And, please, if you have anything to spare, consider donating to the Red Cross. Thousands have been evacuated. Click here to donate to the Red Cross.