Attention: This post is for any entertainer, writer, singer/songwriter, actor, artist, cook, designer, craftsmen or woman, Preachers and Pastors...anyone giving their world their gift.
I got one question for you...how HIGH you wanna go with your gift?
God convicted of me the other day and again this morning. The reason being is that I keep speaking NY Times Bestseller's list over my life and my affirmations, but I am forgetting the most important audience. The one I was created, crafted, and designed to speak too...
The party of ONE.
One would assume that I'm talking about God when I say the party of one, but not neccessarily . Of course, all praises and honor goes to God. It was HIS creation of you that blessed you with that incredible gift that you have. GOD is always Number #1. This time though I kept feeling the tug on my heart and in my spirit about the one that may be sitting way up in the rafters to see you and can barely hear your voice. The one that so desperately hangs on to what you say, how you act, or what you do because their "aha" is going to manifest through you.
Did yall hear that?
The Author
That is something that you or me can't take lightly. The people we serve whether it be and audience of one or a million and one, they are the ones we do this for. I would love to hit the NY Times Bestseller's list, but when I think about the woman that I will meet at my book signing, and she comes to me in tears to sign her book. My concern will deepen, and then she will reveal to me that my book changed her life. She thought she had no purpose in life, but my book helped her live life again. That one. She is that one I'm doing this for.
The Artist
Imagine you created the most beautiful paintings from the depths of your soul. You would love to go mainstream and have your own gallery one day, but you don't want to alter who you really are in order to go mainstream. You drop off your painting to a local business owner who has purchased from you before. He doesn't pay you what the painting could really be worth, but you just want to get your name out there. After he hands you the check this time he stops you in your tracks. He reveals he just went through a painful divorce and custody case, but your paintings bring him joy. They remind him of the beauty of his girls. That's it. Your party of one...
The Singer
Imagine you are singing at a local festival. Your band getting on your nerves. You all mad because you are not headlining or doing your own tour. Your dream is to be a mainstream star. Either way, you get on that stage and yall rock it. You finish your set, and walk off stage wiping the sweat from your forehead. You think it may not have been what you had in mind, but the energy of the crowd, just confirmed how much you really love what you do. There is one couple running towards you with tears in their eyes. Security tries to stop them, but they beg to see you. You grant them access, and they testify how your music has saved their marriage. They tell you to keep doing what you do because it's bringing true love back. That it. That's your party of one...or two. :) Side Bar: I personally love underground music more than mainstream any day. I love real lyrics with meaning. I love the days of old and new that speaks in whatever form of truth the artist brings.
The Actor
Imagine you are in a stage play. You all mad because you can get the bigger gigs and roles. You still are professional and deliver the gift. At the end of the play when you are doing autographs a woman comes up to you. She explains, "I had thoughts of suicide, but your performance changed all that. I decided I want to live." You are in shock and embarrassed, because you almost didn't take the gig. Your party of one is who you do this for.
The Cook
Your dream would be to have a catering company that services celebrities. You love to cook. It's your heartbeat. It comes from your soul and works through your hands. Your best friend just had a baby, so you take a cake by there to make her smile. One that is specially made for her at no charge. The joy is so obvious when you all share a piece with a cup of coffee. After some convo, she reveals that she needed that sweet treat today. She was having a difficult time enjoying their newborn because they had a miscarriage before that one. You didn't even know she went through that. She was just feeling all kinds of emotions, but your cake and company warmed her heart with joy again. That's it. That's your party of one.
I could go on and on about how GOD can use us to serve others. You never know who you will impact. But if you don't try from the small beginnings, and serve with joy, you may never know.
I still have a dream to be on that famous bestselling list, but I can tell it's altering my gift. I typed 10 pages last week for my new book. I was so focused on wording it right so I can "brand" it widely that I lost the focus of my one. I can always tell when it's my flesh talking and when my gift is talking. :) The gift flows naturally without you even trying hard. The flesh you have to "think" to much, keep changing and changing to get it just right to appeal to everybody.
We are not called to everybody. We are all uniquely designed, and crafted to speak to who God designed for us to appeal to. I'm learning that the hard way through years of practice. As I have jumped from one genre to another to keep up with the "trends." You alter your gift so you can appeal to your social media followings and gather more of them. Putting down the very thing that made you gifted in the first place...that heart...that soul..of the gift.
Serve the one. If you blow up and get your NY Times list, Grammy, Oscar, or Tony awards then that is just some sweet icing on the cake! Don't stray away from the real you. Don't sell your soul out to make that money like that.
Don't treat your gift like it owes you instead of you giving it away like the gift that it is. I'm learning that the hard way on a lower level than most, but it still has a sting to me no matter how much I got now. :)
1. Stay true to who you are. Your gift and the people you assigned to deserves it! I know it's easier said than done because we want that grand prize for our hard work. We want to get money. We want to appeal to a massive audience and have the largest social followings. We want to get paid handsomely for doing what we do. I get that. I so get that. It's nothing wrong with that. We just can't forget that we are here to serve our one in whatever capacity we are in at the moment. Don't gather a flock only to give them the shallow part of your gift.
INSPIRED BY:
Robert Glasper Experiment in "Dilladude #2" I love his work! I can't wait to see them live one day. Grab a copy of their music on itunes or your favorite place. You can listen to his albums the whole way through without skipping. :)
Did this blog post bless you today? Why don't you share it with others. It may help them too! Have you noticed that you are focusing too much on the grand prize and not the people you are called to serve? Let me know in the comments.
Much love,
Andrea
I got one question for you...how HIGH you wanna go with your gift?
Pic credit: www.bankonyourself.com
God convicted of me the other day and again this morning. The reason being is that I keep speaking NY Times Bestseller's list over my life and my affirmations, but I am forgetting the most important audience. The one I was created, crafted, and designed to speak too...
The party of ONE.
One would assume that I'm talking about God when I say the party of one, but not neccessarily . Of course, all praises and honor goes to God. It was HIS creation of you that blessed you with that incredible gift that you have. GOD is always Number #1. This time though I kept feeling the tug on my heart and in my spirit about the one that may be sitting way up in the rafters to see you and can barely hear your voice. The one that so desperately hangs on to what you say, how you act, or what you do because their "aha" is going to manifest through you.
Did yall hear that?
The Author
That is something that you or me can't take lightly. The people we serve whether it be and audience of one or a million and one, they are the ones we do this for. I would love to hit the NY Times Bestseller's list, but when I think about the woman that I will meet at my book signing, and she comes to me in tears to sign her book. My concern will deepen, and then she will reveal to me that my book changed her life. She thought she had no purpose in life, but my book helped her live life again. That one. She is that one I'm doing this for.
The Artist
Imagine you created the most beautiful paintings from the depths of your soul. You would love to go mainstream and have your own gallery one day, but you don't want to alter who you really are in order to go mainstream. You drop off your painting to a local business owner who has purchased from you before. He doesn't pay you what the painting could really be worth, but you just want to get your name out there. After he hands you the check this time he stops you in your tracks. He reveals he just went through a painful divorce and custody case, but your paintings bring him joy. They remind him of the beauty of his girls. That's it. Your party of one...
The Singer
Imagine you are singing at a local festival. Your band getting on your nerves. You all mad because you are not headlining or doing your own tour. Your dream is to be a mainstream star. Either way, you get on that stage and yall rock it. You finish your set, and walk off stage wiping the sweat from your forehead. You think it may not have been what you had in mind, but the energy of the crowd, just confirmed how much you really love what you do. There is one couple running towards you with tears in their eyes. Security tries to stop them, but they beg to see you. You grant them access, and they testify how your music has saved their marriage. They tell you to keep doing what you do because it's bringing true love back. That it. That's your party of one...or two. :) Side Bar: I personally love underground music more than mainstream any day. I love real lyrics with meaning. I love the days of old and new that speaks in whatever form of truth the artist brings.
The Actor
Imagine you are in a stage play. You all mad because you can get the bigger gigs and roles. You still are professional and deliver the gift. At the end of the play when you are doing autographs a woman comes up to you. She explains, "I had thoughts of suicide, but your performance changed all that. I decided I want to live." You are in shock and embarrassed, because you almost didn't take the gig. Your party of one is who you do this for.
The Cook
Your dream would be to have a catering company that services celebrities. You love to cook. It's your heartbeat. It comes from your soul and works through your hands. Your best friend just had a baby, so you take a cake by there to make her smile. One that is specially made for her at no charge. The joy is so obvious when you all share a piece with a cup of coffee. After some convo, she reveals that she needed that sweet treat today. She was having a difficult time enjoying their newborn because they had a miscarriage before that one. You didn't even know she went through that. She was just feeling all kinds of emotions, but your cake and company warmed her heart with joy again. That's it. That's your party of one.
I could go on and on about how GOD can use us to serve others. You never know who you will impact. But if you don't try from the small beginnings, and serve with joy, you may never know.
I still have a dream to be on that famous bestselling list, but I can tell it's altering my gift. I typed 10 pages last week for my new book. I was so focused on wording it right so I can "brand" it widely that I lost the focus of my one. I can always tell when it's my flesh talking and when my gift is talking. :) The gift flows naturally without you even trying hard. The flesh you have to "think" to much, keep changing and changing to get it just right to appeal to everybody.
We are not called to everybody. We are all uniquely designed, and crafted to speak to who God designed for us to appeal to. I'm learning that the hard way through years of practice. As I have jumped from one genre to another to keep up with the "trends." You alter your gift so you can appeal to your social media followings and gather more of them. Putting down the very thing that made you gifted in the first place...that heart...that soul..of the gift.
Serve the one. If you blow up and get your NY Times list, Grammy, Oscar, or Tony awards then that is just some sweet icing on the cake! Don't stray away from the real you. Don't sell your soul out to make that money like that.
Don't treat your gift like it owes you instead of you giving it away like the gift that it is. I'm learning that the hard way on a lower level than most, but it still has a sting to me no matter how much I got now. :)
ACTION STEPS
36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Mark 8:36 KJV
1. Stay true to who you are. Your gift and the people you assigned to deserves it! I know it's easier said than done because we want that grand prize for our hard work. We want to get money. We want to appeal to a massive audience and have the largest social followings. We want to get paid handsomely for doing what we do. I get that. I so get that. It's nothing wrong with that. We just can't forget that we are here to serve our one in whatever capacity we are in at the moment. Don't gather a flock only to give them the shallow part of your gift.
INSPIRED BY:
Robert Glasper Experiment in "Dilladude #2" I love his work! I can't wait to see them live one day. Grab a copy of their music on itunes or your favorite place. You can listen to his albums the whole way through without skipping. :)
Did this blog post bless you today? Why don't you share it with others. It may help them too! Have you noticed that you are focusing too much on the grand prize and not the people you are called to serve? Let me know in the comments.
Much love,
Andrea
