The moment you start looking outside your Source for how to be different.
The Latin root for “original” is
originem: beginning, source, birth.
So of course to be original means to come from within, from your Source: the place inside which gives you all your flashes of genius. The part of you that resonates when you know something is TRUE.
But here is the coolest thing that I just found out:
“Original” also comes from the root
oriri: to rise.
How fascinating that the two would be linked!
When you are truly coming from your Source, energy rises in your spine.
When you commit to what is coming from your origin, your Source, you tap into a huge source of energy. And this energy likes to rise, and it resonates further than you might think.
For instance, in music, if you tune in and ask, “how is this phrase supposed to go?” and then follow it, you create a link to your Source. Even if it is very very similar to what has been done a million times before, it will have power if it is truly coming from your Source. Audiences feel this rise in you, this Lift. That’s what brings them to their feet.
Compare that to performances that leave you thinking, “well, that’s…different.”
So what are the risks of being original from your Source?
Humiliation, isolation, no support, misunderstood…
But what are the risks of not being original from your Source?
Bondage, confinement, lack of inner resonance, creative death. I bet you’ve been there at least once. Or maybe twice.
Yes, being original demands the courage of conviction. But once you start to listen and attune to that still, quiet Source, you will find yourself on a path of soul liberation. Even if what comes from your Source is not radically different or blazes new trails of thought, you will start to feel a power growing within you.
Dare to be different not to set yourself apart. Be original to set yourself FREE.
Try this:
Practice Room Meditation #23:
Be oringinal from your Source
Take the simplest phrase in your music. Play or sing it at least 10 different ways. Explore. Experiment. Try crazy things.
Then bring yourself into silence.
This time as you begin the phrase, listen within for how your Source is leading you. Leading YOU, not leading the guy practicing the same piece next door.
If you can’t hear anything from your source, relax more deeply. Do even count breathing. Follow your breath and still your mind.
You have a voice to be heard, but listening demands great stillness.
As you experimented with all the different ways to shape the phrase, experiment now with all the different ways you can listen for your voice.
You will know when you are being original from your Source when you can perceive a feeling truth resonating inside of you. Trust me. It feels good, no matter how ordinary you might think your voice is. Be true to that voice, and all good things follow.