(Author's note: this post originally appeared in 2011 on one of my old blogs. I've freshened it up a bit for you today.)
One of the things that really annoys me are those folks that say they want change, but don't take action when answers are provided.
It dawned on me why they don't budge.
Picture a huge file room in your brain. There's a file clerk in there, taking in "evidence" for the various files in the "cabinets."
The file clerk never takes a break. He's contstantly filing away bits of information in the various files.
Let's say, in one cabinet, you have two files, one marked "I can't sing", the other marked "I'm a good singer."
Then let's say you're invited to sing in a local Karaoke contest.
Quickly, you run to the file clerk and say "pull out the files to help me decide what to do!"
The file clerk, never missing a beat, pulls out two files. One is significantly larger than the other. The one that says "I can't sing" weighs 100 pounds, while the other has only a few slips of paper inside.
(more…)
One last clip from the May show. This is our original jazz arrangement of that classic Mowtown hit "Tears of a Clown".
Subscribe to my YouTube channel and be the first to know when new clips go live.
If you missed the May show, you can catch the replay here.
This was the finale from our show this month. Needless to say, this was one of those "dream come true" moments for me. When I first started writing this song a couple of years ago, it begged to be played with a band. The Damn Whippersnappers do not disappoint, and Kris' solo is just the soulful kind of melody the song needed.
I heard a whisper on the wind
and an echo in my heart trying to tell me to begin.
I knew the words, held deep inside,
but the spirit wouldn't flow
and no matter how I tried
to fill the void of distant spaces
with the workings machinating in my mind,
to find true love in vacant faces,
it was you. You were with me all the time.
And you will never know what love can do.
My wounds are deep, I can't deny.
And the salty rivers flow down my face 'til they run dry.
I ran away, in shame and pride,
but the echo in my heart keeps telling me to try.
And once again your love is calling with the words so gentle and so clear
I'd give my heart, I know I'm falling into faith.
I just want to have you near.
And you will never know what love can do.
Once again your love is calling with the words so gentle and so clear
I'd give my life, I know I'm falling into faith.
I just want to have you near.
Consecrated deep inside, emancipated, satisfied.
And you will never know what love can do.
(Lyrics copyright 2012 Lisa Robbin Young. All Rights Reserved.)
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Saturday, May 17, 2014, will be the day I count as the day my dream began anew. My whole life I wanted to be on a stage and perform for an international audience. Well, the first installment of the Front Row Sessions played host to people in London, Canada, and all over the US.
It's the first time in my life I've had the honor of playing my own original music with a live band. And WHAT a band! The Damn Whippersnappers are simply a fabulous bunch of boys - and fun, too. This monologue and song opened the show and set the tone for what I believe (from all the comments on social media) was a powerful and fun afternoon for everyone watching. This was also the debut performance for my new song, "Photoshop Me" - a song about self acceptance and being proud of who you are (the song starts around the 6:40 mark).
This afternoon wouldn't have happened without this awesome band I call The Damn Whippersnappers:
Piano: Desmond Sheppard
Bass: Owen Ananich
Drums: Joe Neminski
Guitar: Kris Kress
It also wouldn't have happened without the gracious support from the folks at Gigee.com and my behind-the-scenes team of Tanya Brayer and Jen Harris. They kept the broadcast working like a charm and the chat room hopping.
And lastly, this dream come true wouldn't have had any meaning without an audience. My fans all over the world are the biggest reason I put this show together. THANK YOU for being so awesome and supportive!
Happy Mother's Day! Today, I'mma be chillaxin' with my fam, opening gifts and posting the pics on facebook.
This coming weekend, I'll be doing my first live "solo" performance in about 10 years. I've been in a lot of shows since I got married and had another kid, but I wasn't really the "star" of any of those shows. This weekend, that changes.
On Saturday May 17, I'll be hosting the first in a series of livestream concerts with my band "The Damn Whippersnappers" (get tickets here). They are so named because they're all about half my age, and I could almost be their mom. But don't be fooled, these guys are phenomenal talents. The video below is only after about 15 minutes of rehearsing "I Cain't Say No" from The Rodgers & Hammerstein cowboy classic, "Oklahoma!". You'll notice that Des, our piano player, isn't even using music.
This was our first rehearsal. These guys are THAT good - and we didn't even have our drummer, Joe, with us! This song - and others like it - are just the tip of the iceberg.
While I'm thrilled to be singing some of my favorite tunes - in my own style - I'm more excited that this show isn't just about great music. It's about inspiring people to own their dreams. In addition to the fantastic music, I'll be sharing some personal stories that I've never shared publicly before about my journey to own my dreams and be myself without apologies.
The Damn Whippersnappers left to right: Des, Kris, Joe, Owen.
The Damn Whippersnappers are incredibly talented and dish it out as well as they take it. We have a blast playing together, and they're going to knock your socks off when you hear them play in a performance setting. Heck, they blow me away in rehearsal!
The Damn Whippersnappers have never played to a national (or global) audience before. They all have musical aspirations, and this project is an important opportunity for them to bring their very best to the world. I'm humbled, honored, and amazed at the musical gifts they bring to each rehearsal.
More than that, though, I'm impressed by their level of commitment and professionalism - that's only rivaled by their ability to have fun. We've had some fun outtakes where music just spontaneously shows up - like our "Jazzthoven" moment, or the rehearsal where Michael Jackson's "Thriller" made an impromptu appearance. They are SO much fun to work with, and the best gift I can give them is a huge audience.
A huge audience would be awesome for me, too! This show is truly a dream come true for me. I've always wanted to play tunes I love - and a couple of original tunes I wrote - with a band of my own. To have an audience that hears these songs, these stories, and leaves the show inspired, changed, and better off because of it.
My biggest dream is to help you live yours.
If you're worried about the time, grab a VIP seat and you'll get recorded highlights from the show, so you'll have the best bits to enjoy for years to come. We're hoping to do more shows this summer, and ultimately record the best songs for posterity. In less than a week, it'll be all over, you'll miss out on a huge dose of inspiration and you'll probably kick yourself for years to come.
Save yourself the bruises and get your ticket to the show. And if you're local, we've got house seats, too... but not for long!
I have this friend, Matt, who's a true Renaissance man. He's a gifted teacher, comic actor, impersonator, dancer, gymnast (he's teaching me how to do a backflip), and yes, folks, he can sing.
Now, I take no credit for his talent, but I do take credit for getting him out of his performance shell. He came to me wanting to audition for a role in a local musical, but wasn't sure he had the chops to be on stage.
Whatever!
Matt has a beautiful Tenor voice and a pretty good ear. Turns out he's played piano for most of his life - yet another gift that no one knew about. He had never had an audience for his musical gift - and the world was missing out.
He's now a regular at a piano bar near his home, singing & playing dueling pianos with some other poor guy that has to try and keep up with him. Once he was cast in that show, we started "asking" him to sing at karaoke. He was shy about doing anything he wasn't 100% familiar with, and I don't know exactly how it happened, but we ended up singing this song together. Now it's "our song" whenever the gang goes out to karaoke. It just made sense to have him sing this for the 300 songs project.
Instead of a straight rehearsal video, I wanted to show you just how GOOD Matt is - as a comic, a singer, and all-around nice guy. So for the first time, you're hearing the final recording of our song, with a bunch of video from Matt's day at the studio. Stay tuned to the end to see a fun little outtake.
Matt's gifts sat under a bushel until he was able to show up and embrace his gifts. Now - just a few years later - his voice is a wonderful contribution to our community and to this project. I was lucky to be a person of encouragement for Matt. Sometimes I forget to be that person. Sometimes, I NEED that person myself. Someone to believe in me even when I'm not so sure. His story always reminds me that you never know when someone is going to come into your life and need some encouragement - and You could be the person that makes all the difference.
I hope this encouraged you. Who will you encourage today?
Each time I go to my coach's weekend intensives, I always walk away with lots of ideas that pop like "popcorn" over the coming weeks. Sometimes they come in the most unusual ways.
For example, I was back in my hotel room, kind of winding down for the night. After a weekend like this, you can be emotionally raw, which means I can cry at the drop of a hat.
This video took me over the edge. Not only is it a powerful display of courage, but also conviction, commitment, and to staying the course when it comes to owning your dreams. Watch (you might need tissue), and I'll share some key lessons after. (more…)
So, um, I was listening to a Michael Buble CD, and as his swing rendition of Van Morrison's "Moondance" started playing, it became apparent that I could also hear strains of "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson. It would not leave me.
You know how you get a song stuck in your head and can't shake it? Yeah. THAT.
It isn't beautiful, but it's certainly silly. You've been warned. 🙂
Want more songs from the studio? Subscribe to my YouTube channel and be the first to be updated. Still need tickets for the upcoming show? Get 'em here!
Every time my family and I make the trek to North Carolina to visit my in-laws, there's one place I have to stop.
It's called JR, and it claims to be "The World's Largest Cigar Store." I don't know if that's true or not, but every time we plan a trip to Statesville, I try to finagle my way to JR... but not for cigars.
To be clear, cigars don't do it for me. I don't smoke, never have, and can't see a time in my future when I ever will. Heck, my Dad died from lung cancer. After Mom's heart attack, her doctor told her to stop smoking. She didn't. She died. So I know that smoking is one dead end road I have no intention of travelling.
Like any good nerd, I'm there for the books. JR has an extensive selection of best selling books and a few out of print or hard to find titles, as well as books on tape, and other media. To a bookworm like me, it's like putting a $20 in the slot machine in Vegas and hitting the jackpot.
Unfortunately, this last time I was there, the selection of books was grossly diminished. The book section was maybe half the size it was a couple of years ago. I started grumbling to myself about how I was actually going to have money left in my pocket when I was done shopping. There are usually so many good books - hard to find, out of print, and best sellers - that I have to use decide which books to leave on the shelves because I just don't have enough money. I walked out with three titles to add to my bookshelf, and a whole lot of change from that $20 bill.
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Blasting back into the studio after a long hiatus, I've put together this swinging soul version of "Straight Up" by Elliot Wolff. It was a hit for Paula Abdul back in 1988 or so. This is a rehearsal video from the 300 songs project563.
I love the empowering nature of the lyrics. Instead of pining for a guy, or waiting for him to make a move, she comes right out ans asks him to play it straight with her. After watching a few episodes of "Drop Dead Diva564" I really wanted to hear Jane Bingum bust out this tune.
I'm no bass player, so I had to rely on the built-in sounds on my fancy-schmancy Yamaha. If you watch closely, you can see me playing the keyboard (barely, but I'm playing, dangit!) When we do it live, the amazing Owen Ananich will be rockin' out the bass. Did you get your tickets to our May show yet? You can do that here565.
Subscribe to Lisa's YouTube Channel567
568566
He was laying in that hospital bed for several days. Stubborn, cantankerous.
He'd had difficulty breathing when they admitted him, but this eighty year-old man was a fighter, and while he hadn't been eating well for the past few weeks, his strength was contagious. His children, gathered in the room, listened to him tell off the nurses, the doctors, and just about everyone that entered the room.
He talked about how he wasn't done living yet. He just bought a new house. He just celebrated his 80th birthday. He had a grandson he wanted to watch grow up. He was a vigorous "old dude" that didn't give up easily.
His vitals looked good, and no one knew what was causing the trouble. All signs pointed to stress, maybe from making that move, or not getting enough rest.
After a couple of days in the hospital, test results came back.
"You've got a tumor the size of a baseball on your lung. It's causing pressure on your stomach when you eat too much, which, is presumably why you're not eating." the doctor said.
"Cancer?" said the old man. "Well, I guess that's it."
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It started innocently, as revolutions often do.
I've been working (and re-working) my branding and messaging for the past year, and nothing really seemed to hit the mark. I dove into course after course that offered bits and pieces of what I was hoping would help me craft a clearer direction for me as both an artist and entrepreneur. As usual, some were better than others. While class is still in session in at least one of those programs, I want to update you on a major ah-ha I got from Revolution U579, the brainchild of author and all-round good guy, Jonathan Fields.
It probably sounds better when the Beatles sing it. Jonathan's premise is that instead of creating a business, we can create a commercial revolution that sets us apart in our industry as well as in the minds of our biggest fans. We stand for something bigger than just the "stuff" we sell.
That sounds like a pretty sexy idea to me.
RevU takes you through a series of exercises and prompts to ultimately identify the core idea of your revolution. Jonathan asks what you're moving away from and what will supplant the old dictatorial regime. For me, it boiled down to one simple idea:
As kids, our hearts are full of whimsical fantasies and never-ending stories about our biggest dreams. Firemen, princesses580, becoming a rock star. We keep on dreaming until, one day, something happens, or someone else enters our lives and slowly, those dreams get squashed, squelched, or otherwise relegated to some dusty corner in the attic of our minds581... often to never be revisited again.
582That's when death begins. It's slow, plodding, and sad. Most of the time, we don't even realize it's happening to us. Someone tells us we're too loud, or too enthusiastic, or a bit obnoxious about our dream, so we turn the volume down. Little by little, (more…)
I am thrilled to be a guest this week on my the Current Inspiration blog, wherein I share my simple 2-step process for gaining instant invincibility. My secret? I use an army of Grandmas:
Okay, maybe not exactly like this, or even this:
But it's a quick and easy technique that's helped me through some pretty tough stuff (like being in court for 4 hours this week waiting to find out the results of a plea agreement in my youngest son's case.). If you could use a shot of invincibility every now and then, check out Pam's blog and tell her I sent ya!
I remember it like it was yesterday. 4th floor of Darrow Hall, BGSU. A throng of students were piled into and onto my friend Angela's futon "loft" bunk bed. She had the coolest room (and furniture) in the dorm by far, and there had to be at least twelve people crammed into that little shoebox room. I was late to the party and everyone was camped around the TV set watching "The Princess Bride".
I got there just as the sword fight was beginning. I'd never seen the 1987 movie before (it was considered a "classic" by 1993 - don't judge me), so I was asking questions trying to get up to speed. Mesmerized by the hypnotic choreography and delicious one-liners ("get used to disappointment"), I was shushed more than I was answered.
By the end of the film, however, it had become one of my all-time favorite movies. I still randomly quote passages from the movie on facebook just to see who is paying attention.
Inconceivable, I know.
Little did I know that some 20 years later, that movie would become not just a quintessential classic from my young adulthood, it would also teach me a lot about life, and specifically, about pursuing my dreams.
In the spirit of Bec Oakley's post, here are 12 lessons I learned from "The Princess Bride" if you really want to go for your dreams.
1. "You rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles."
Stuff takes time. And just because you're not where you think you should be, doesn't mean you're not where you need to be. It's a hard-won journey to cross the eel-infested waters, scale the Cliffs of Insanity, and brave the Fire Swamp to reclaim what matters most to you. Even Dorothy couldn't click her heels together until after the journey was over. (more…)
[Note: I originally wrote this post a few years ago, for my Business Action Hero website. I've refreshed it here because it's still relevant - maybe now more than ever.]
"If you are deliberately trying to create a future that feels safe, you will willfully ignore the future that is likely.”
- Seth Godin
It hit me between the eyes. This painful, jarring sensation at far too early on a Sunday morning - on a holiday weekend no less. This strange need for safety that we all seem to crave - even go out of our way to re-inforce.
Even if the result is less comfortable than pursuing change.
We don't want to rock the boat and get people mad at us. So we stay in the comfort zone. Maybe we push a little here and there, but we're not really making true progress on our own path.
It's here where we have to choose:
Because safety is the ultimate risk. Hoping and praying that nothing will change. Images of ostriches with their heads in the sand come to mind. They can't see that tornado bearing down on them, but golly, they sure feel safe!
[tweet "When it comes to owning your dreams, safety is the ultimate risk."]
Back in 2010, I had the honor of interviewing best-selling author Jonathan Fields about the upside of being an entrepreneur. During that interview, he said something that has stayed with me:
"There is no sideways in life. It's an illusion. There's only up and down. Usually this is the most horrifying scenario of all."
- Jonathan Fields
At first, I didn't want to believe it, but my own experience has validated that there's no standing still. You're either moving forward (as you define it) or you're getting left behind. When I interviewed him again for his second book, "Uncertainty", he offered up this gem:
"If you want to do great things in the world, you have to go to a place where you don't know how it's going to end."
- Jonathan Fields
(You can listen to that interview here.)
Since then, he's launched the Good Life Project and Revolution U, all the while, going where he'd never gone before. It's been fascinating and fun to watch. Clearly, this is a guy that continues to choose "adventure" over "safety".
Safety is your nemesis.
I don't mean you should recklessly throw caution to the wind. We need to be smart about the risks we're taking. Safety and security is one thing most of us crave - it's the foundation of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Without it, we don't feel like we can move forward.
But once we "have" it, we're less likely to move forward because of it. Safety means we don't have to push, strive, or work as hard because, well, we're safe, and nothing's going to happen to us in our safe space, right?
That's a wicked catch-22.
Safety works hard to keep you stuck - just as hard as you work to plow forward in your adventure.
"What if they don't like it?"
"What if they think I'm crazy?"
"What if it flops?"
"What will _____ say?"
"That's too hard/easy/fast/slow/tedious/tiresome/boring/good for me."
"I'd love to but I don't have enough ______ (or I am not ____ enough)."
We judge ourselves so harshly that we don't give ourselves a fighting chance. Let's change that!
Remember: perfection is an illusion. You're already as perfect as you're gonna get. You're human. To expect perfection 100% of the time will only cause more judgement (pain, resentment, frustration). Stuff happens that we call "failure". Big deal. Take a moment to celebrate the wins, stop staring at the door that closed, and look for your next steps.
The nature of a nemesis is that it has an equivalent level of power and sway. Think of The Joker and Batman, Prof. Moriarty and Sherlock Holmes. A nemesis is not easily defeated, but can be thwarted and often contained. It is when you underestimate your nemesis that it takes a foothold, and often wins a battle or two.
Simple, but not easy.
I have a friend who, for the past few years, has committed to posting on her blog every weekday. That's hundreds of posts each year for the past few years. I don't always catch every post, but today's post hit me between the eyes, so I thought I'd share it with you.
The little girl in the video says she wants to be a fairy when she grows up. (more…)
It was a business trip. 8 days in sunny Vegas, while my family was snowbound, just HAD to have some kind of a story, right?
SPOILER: this one begins with guilt, shame, and resentment, and ends up with me feeling like a princess, and six lessons you can use in the pursuit of your dreams.
Let me break it down for ya...
It began as most business trips do: with lots to do and not much time to get it all done. Between flights, a showroom rearrange before the annual January Gift Market, and training for the sales reps - not to mention the Gift Show itself, I really didn't expect to have any time to "enjoy" Vegas. I was, after all, there for work. An earlier version of myself would have holed up in my hotel room during all off hours and either slept (to make up for the time zone shift) or worked (because, well, I'm an overachiever like that).
Not this time. (more…)
It's a pretty audacious claim, isn't it?
For years, I've been walking around with 50-100 extra pounds on my frame. Well-meaning friends and family have tried various ploys to "get" me to lose the weight, as if I was stubbornly holding onto it like a rainy day fund.
Like many people facing weight loss issues, I've put a lot of time energy and money into various weight loss programs, plans, schemes, and pipe dreams. At my highest, I've weighed close to 270 pounds. As an adult, my lowest weight (as I write this) was around 185 while I was in college (the first time).
According to all the charts and diagrams, no mater how you slice it, I've been overweight most of my life - and all of my adult life. Weight loss isn't as simple as "calories in, calories out" - although that does play a part. I'm also NOT a diet or nutrition expert, even though I've probably read as much as any health sciences student ever could on the topic. What I've learned, though, is that everyone's weight loss journey is personal. It HAS to be personal, or it's just too hard to stick with it.
So this year, I set a new priority on my health. The reasons aren't important right now, but I have them.
But reasons alone are not enough for me.
On long drives, I often take a couple audiobooks along for the ride. From my home base in Michigan, it's a fairly lengthy trek to Litchfield, CT - where my friend and colleague, Amy Oscar, hosted her first-ever Soul Caller retreat. The pristinely-quiet setting of Wisdom House gave this city girl plenty of time for contemplation, opening up, and revelatory introspection.
I'll get to some of that, but first, the audio book.
On this trip, I only took one: Michael Bernard Beckwith's book "Spiritual Liberation". It seemed fitting, considering this was mostly a trip for spiritual purposes (more on that "mostly" in a bit).
As I drove down the road, I heard Beckwith revealing his own story and spiritual journey. A one-time drug dealer that turned a new leaf and now leads one of the largest non-denominational spiritual centers in the U.S. But what really struck me was this passage: (more…)
First the important stuff: Happy birthday to meeeee!!
Second, the REALLY important stuff: My gift to you is this powerful conversation with Dave Ursillo. As part of his "conversations in purpose" series, Dave and I riff on one of the hardest things I've had to learn how to do: accept and own my value as a creator, a human, a person on this planet. We also touch on his work with the Literati Writers, how his first dream didn't go as planned, and the choices he's made that have led him to this point in his life and career.
Enjoy!