I know you’re in there. I am writing this letter to tell you that the world needs your light. Each of us has a special set of gifts to share and you are the one and only you – there is nobody else like you. I know it’s scary to create, to open yourself up to criticism and to express what you’re feeling. I also know that creativity is a part of who you are and that to find fulfillment in life, we must acknowledge and honor our true nature.

Maybe you were hurt somewhere along the way. Or maybe someone laughed at you and told you that you weren’t any good. To allow those experiences to keep you from being creative, from doing what you love and shining your light, only gives them more power. You hold the key to your own healing and by using it, you can also give others permission to heal.

I’ve seen that light in you flickering in the presence of other artists’ authentic expression. When you heard that song that touched your soul, when you saw that picture that embodied the essence of a sunset, when you tasted that delicious treat that was a little piece of heaven. The same divine energy that gave rise to those magnificent creations lives in you and it’s waiting to be used. Not just used but used up – every last drop of it.

So USE your voice and let the healing begin. Find your instrument and let the music PLAY you. Write your story and allow yourself to be transported to another time and place. Photograph that timeless moment. Design that one-of-a-kind piece. Dance those worries away. Do what you LOVE and do what makes you FEEL good. Not to be rich or famous. Not to get the attention of others. Not to achieve any outcome but just for the pure JOY that you get from doing it. Simply, because it is who you are and it is what you were born to do.

Let go of the need to be perfect. Let go of attachment to outcome. Let go of any fear of being judged. The greatest thing to fear is to live life without really living, without feeling, without being fully self-expressed, to die with your music still inside you, with your creative tank full.

Dear artist, I know you can hear me. Please find the courage and the strength to overcome anything that has kept you stuck or stood in your way up until now. Let this be the day that you commit to honoring your creative gift and your special talent once and for all.

Above all, remember that you are not alone. Look around and you will see that there are so many others like you. Your dreams are real and what you’ve seen in the eye of your imagination is a glimpse of what’s possible. The world needs your light and the Uni-verse is cheering you on and ready to support you in any way it can. All you have to do is trust your instincts and believe in yourself. I believe in you and I am here for you. I love you and I can’t wait to see what you create.

Sincerely,

The Artist in me

Chris

Written for The Daily Love (May 12th, 2012)

That is how I was made and I’ve spent a good part of my life resisting who I truly I am because I long ago decided that being “too sensitive” was a burden rather than a blessing. I have become an expert at rationalizing, analyzing and transforming my way out of having to feel a lot of the stuff that I mentally label as unpleasant – sadness, sorrow, anger, heartache and even love. Sometimes, these emotions feel like too much to handle and so, at some point, I unconsciously made a deal with myself not to feel that stuff anymore. Rather than leading with my heart and soul, I’ve been leading with my mind.

All of this hit me like a ton of bricks when a dear friend of mine unexpectedly passed away recently. I could sense great sadness and sorrow deep down in me but, every time these emotions began to surface, there was something stopping them from being fully expressed. In certain instances, I felt numb and disconnected to the reality of the situation. For the first time in my life, I really wanted to feel my so-called unpleasant emotions, but couldn’t fully experience them because of the protective wall I had built to compensate for my sensitivity. I decided then and there that I would rather feel all of it rather than none of it.

Since then, I have been cultivating a new awareness and noting when I am leading with thoughts or leading with my heart. Am I thinking or am I feeling? Am I truly present or am I in my head? As I’ve gotten better at knowing the difference, I’ve been going inward and asking myself how and what I’m feeling. What’s most amazing to me is that I’m actually appreciating the full range of emotions as I allow myself to fully experience whatever it is without judgment, without labeling good or bad. I am so thankful for this lesson and the new beginning that it has brought. It has brought a renewed sense of aliveness and an intense connection to people, music, nature and life.

At the core of this revelation is an undeniable truth: my sensitivity is one of my greatest gifts. It is a magnificent internal guidance system that instantly lets me know if I’m in alignment with my truth and my purpose. It allows me to feel what others are feeling, to empathize and genuinely connect with them. It allows me to give and receive big love, to live passionately and to draw on all of it when I create and express.

My curse turned out to be a great a blessing and now I’m finally cluing in. The more I embrace all of my little quirks and idiosyncrasies, the clearer it becomes that I was born this way for a reason. The more I accept myself just as I am, the more I realize that I have exactly the right characteristics to fulfill my purpose and realize my dreams.

So what about you? What part of yourself have you been resisting? Is it possible that the very thing you like least about yourself is one of your greatest gifts? Could your burden be a blessing?

Let me know!

Much love,

Chris

Written for The Daily Love (May 5th, 2012)

Fortunately, I’ve been learning to identify this voice and the underlying pattern at its root. What I’m seeing very clearly is that being fed up and shutting down is my way of avoiding my fears and it allows me to play it safe. If I don’t step up to the challenges or opportunities, I don’t have to risk failure. If I don’t take action when an idea strikes, I don’t have to put myself out there, risk being laughed at or told that I’m no good. If I just keep my thoughts and feelings to myself, no one can get mad at me, no one can judge me and no one gets hurt.

The reality is that living life this way isn’t fulfilling and I know I’m not honoring my true potential when I play small and stay in my comfort zone. Even when I’m completely resigned or in a state of complacency, there is a voice deep down inside me that urges me to pick myself up and keep marching on. The more I listen to it and take action, the louder it gets. Beyond that, there is a part of me that knows that there is so much more life to be squeezed out of every moment and that if I don’t get up and get to it, life will pass me by. The longer I allow myself to live in a state of inaction, the more that realization weighs on me and the more stuck I feel. It’s a vicious cycle!

The greatest challenge lies in the fact that I’ve gotten so used to listening to the voice that says, “I don’t feel like it” and once I’m in that state, action becomes labored and everything feels like a struggle. Here’s what I’ve discovered: the only way to overcome that is by taking action anyway. Yup, I know, not the answer you were looking for. Me neither. But the truth is that it takes a whole lot of action to live life to the fullest, to make dreams come true and to continue growing and expanding.

Sometimes that means doing stuff – even when we don’t feel like it – until we strengthen that muscle called discipline. It means digging down a little deeper and finding the will to overcome whatever challenges lie ahead. It means drawing on our faith and inviting grace into our lives by taking the first step in the direction of the unknown. It may not be the sexiest part of following our dreams and rising to our full potential, but it’s absolutely necessary. The better we get at noticing the voice that shuts us down, letting it pass and taking action anyway, the more we will grow and the more life will flow.

The alternative is to just give up on your dreams, your vision for yourself and all that you want out of life. All you have to do is just stop making an effort and you’ll be free of all of the struggle. Right? Not so much. I’ve tried giving up and I didn’t last more than an hour. It’s just not in my nature and it’s not in yours either. If you don’t believe me, try it, even just for a day and see how it feels. I dare you!

If you are reading this blog, it means you are on the path of personal development and, whether you like it or not, there’s no turning back. So the choice is simple: you can embrace the ongoing expansion that you are destined for by greeting every challenge, opportunity and moment with open arms and a readiness to take action. Or you can fight it at every step, delay the inevitable and risk letting life and all of its magnificent experiences pass you by.

Personally, I’ve had enough of resisting my expansion and I’m fed up of being fed up! I’m definitely not about to give up on my dreams, so I’m going to stop my whining and get my ass in gear, because life is for the living and there’s only right NOW!

How about you? Where in your life are you feeling stuck? Do you feel like giving up? How would it feel to give up for a day? What would it take for you to play bigger and take action anyway?

I’ve got your back!

Much love,

Chris

Written for The Daily Love (April 28th, 2012)

Mountain Jam is a four-day, multi-stage event, featuring approximately 50 bands on 4 stages in one of the Northeast’s most pristine natural amphitheaters. Rolling Stone Magazine consistently rates Mountain Jam as one to the top music festivals in the US and this year’s headlining artists include The Roots, Michael Franti & Gary Clark Jr.

Click HERE for tickets and addtional info.

A dear friend of mine passed away a few days ago at the young age of 34. It was unexpected and has left an entire community of his family, friends and people who he touched with his kindness, questioning and trying to make sense of their beloved’s early departure. It hurts to lose someone you love. It’s hard to imagine what life will be like without them. It seems unfair that someone with so much life ahead of them had to go so soon. Some respond with sadness, others with anger. Some experience denial and numbness, others will experience an uncontrollable outpouring of emotion and seek to find acceptance. These are all part of the human side of the experience. They are real and need to be honored.

But we are not just human beings, we are spiritual beings as well. And herein lies the hope, and the rope of faith that we must hold on to when faced with life’s greatest challenges, especially death. When all is well and life is unfolding according to our plan or our wishes, it is easy to claim to have faith; it is easy to point to our spiritual practice and say that we know that there is more to life than our physical existence in these human bodies. The true measure, however, of our spirituality and our faith comes when life as we know it changes, is turned upside down or in my friend’s case, comes to what appears to be an end. It is in these times that our trust in the greater wisdom of the Uni-verse, in the connectedness of all things and in life beyond our human experience, is most important.

I don’t know for certain what happens when we die but I can tell you what I have witnessed in the past few days. I have seen displays of immeasurable strength, loyalty and hope in the people most affected by the loss of one most dear to them. I have seen people who have known each other for a lifetime drawn instantly closer than they have ever been by their shared experience. I have partaken in heart-opening and transformative conversations that I never thought would be possible. I have seen sadness turn into joy and tears to laughter at the mere recalling of a cherished memory. I have felt the presence of my friend and heard his voice more clearly than ever before.

This is the spiritual side of the experience. The one where miracles are made possible in the most seemingly tragic situations, where faith has an opportunity to be expressed and acted upon, where we can find peace in the will of the Uni-verse without needing to understand it. Though we can’t see it or touch it, it is also very real and needs to be honored, both in matters of life and death.

So today, I am honoring my friend by celebrating his life, his kindness, his warmth and his laughter. I am finding peace and taking comfort in knowing that even though our human experience together is changing, our spiritual connection is growing stronger and a new chapter in our relationship is beginning. I am welcoming this opportunity to strengthen my faith and trust that all is well and will come to good for those who love him. Most of all, I am taking this opportunity to be grateful for the gift of my own life and to deepen my experience of it, one moment and breath at a time.

Life on Earth is a precious gift and we must remember to live it accordingly. There will never be another today, there will never be another moment just like this one and there will never be another soul like my friend Mike’s. Thankfully, I know that his soul is still very much alive.

How can you live today more fully? Where in your life can you practice having more faith and trust? What ways can you find to honor both the human and spiritual sides of your experiences?

Much love,

Chris

Written for The Daily Love (April 21st, 2012)

I think we can agree that most of what we do in this life is aimed at experiencing certain states of being such as love, joy, peace and fulfillment, and avoiding states such as suffering, anger and disappointment. All of these states have one important thing in common: they exist within us.

And yet it is so easy for us to believe that they exist in the people, places and things around us. The tricky part is that those external things give us access to the whole range of states and emotions from love to fear but they are not the end destination in and of themselves. And yet we experience life as though this person makes us happy, our job makes us angry, we feel great when we’re sipping pina coladas on a beach. When we approach life from this perspective, we give away all of our power to create our own experience and we live at the hands of other people, circumstance and external things.

The truth is that we have access to happiness, anger, sadness, elation, inspiration, depression, creativity, fulfillment and all the rest of it all the time. It’s totally up to us what state we want to create and what space we want to operate from. The irony of it is that we are going to attract more of what we are already experiencing and as it has been said here on TDL many times, we will always find what we are looking for.

This morning I woke up feeling kind of off and a little blah. I spent some time with the feeling and upon further inspection, I discovered that my thoughts kept gravitating towards what is lacking in me and in my life. This is almost a default headspace that seems to creep up on me and it’s something I continue to practice becoming aware of and choosing to transform by consciously inhabiting a different mindset.

I did some more digging and I came to the realization that if I went through my day in this state, NOTHING that I might experience out there could change the way I was feeling. That’s when it occurred to me that the only option was to change the way I was feeling first and then the day’s experience could follow. So I asked myself: “How do I want to feel? What do I want to feel?” I sat with LOVE for a few moments. Then I tried PEACE. Then I spent a few minutes in GRATITUDE. What’s interesting is that in searching for these states within myself, at times I was able to take the route of picturing people, places and things, but it always came back to me and what I was feeling within. After a little while of doing this, the feeling of unease had given way to a deep sense of peace and a strong presence of love and gratitude within me. From this place of fullness within, I could go out and meet the day with my focus on all that is rather than all that is lacking.

Love is a word but it is also a feeling. We can say “love” or read and write about it all we want but to really know love is to know it experientially as the warm, expansive sensation in OUR hearts that is there all the time, that is limitless and that is one of life’s greatest treasures. So if you really want to feel love, stop looking for out there and start to become present to the fact that it’s already in you in abundant supply and FEEL it.

Similarly, let’s not blame the world around us for our anger or upset. Let us each be responsible for the emotions and states we allow ourselves to experience and remember that we are the ones choosing. Yes, we choose to be angry. We choose to let this thing or that person piss us off. If we want anger, there’s plenty of that available too. It’s a choice.

At the same time, it’s worth noting what people, places and things we have particular associations with. If we find ourselves feeling really free and self-expressed around a particular person, that’s a great thing and we may choose to spend more time with that person. The important thing is to remember that they are not the ones making us feel great but that we are allowing ourselves to feel that way in their presence. Similarly, if a particular person or situation continues to cause us to feel stress or unease, it’s good to be aware of that, too. The solution may be to use the relationship or situation as an opportunity for growth or it might be to spend less time there. It’s up to you.

Ultimately, it’s about shifting the paradigm and living from the inside out. That means realizing that whatever it is we want to experience starts within and then shows up in our physical world. So set your internal GPS to love, to abundance, to peace and to passion and witness the miracle of your creative power manifesting, see your choice within come to being in the world around you.

Everything you desire is already there within you waiting to be discovered and expressed. What do you want to experience today?

Much love,

Chris

Written for The Daily Love (April 14th, 2012)

This is the ego’s work in its most subtle and sinister form. We look around and we see the self-expression of others, the fruits of their labor, their successes and accomplishments and we make it about us. We compare and contrast what they have and what they have done with our own current reality and we conclude that because we are not there yet, we will never be. We look at their talents and abilities and ask ourselves how ours stack up and then conclude that they don’t, so we might as well give up. Does any of this sound familiar?

My question to you (and to myself) is: What good can possibly come from this kind of thinking? What’s interesting to me is that my journey on the path to my dreams began in much the same way, but with one slight difference. I used to look at the greats and the masters and I would see something in them that I knew I had within me and I believed that I was destined for greatness, too. I’d go to a life-altering concert or read some mind-blowing literature and I’d come out of the experience with more energy and inspiration than I could process. That’s because I was CHOOSING to look at those people and their work as my equals, as older brothers and sisters who were showing me the way and inviting me to step into my own light.

Somewhere along the way, after a few challenges and bumps in the road, the perspective shifted. I began looking at what isn’t, rather than what is. I began buying into the noise that I hear all around about how difficult it is to “make it”, how the times are changing and what was once possible is no longer. Well, yesterday a voice from deep down inside me spoke up and spoke loud and clear and said “Bullshit! That’s enough!!” (Yes, my inner voice has a filthy mouth sometimes.)

It went on to say the following and now I’m saying it to you:

“There is nobody else like you. You are special and you have a unique gift and set of talents to share with the world. Stop TRYING to make it and stop focusing on what you don’t have. Don’t believe all the naysayers and the voice of doubt in your head. Instead, look at what you do have and all that you have to celebrate and be thankful for. Realize that you are right where you are supposed to be and that you are already well on your way. Most of all, remember that there is no limit to how many amazing successes there can be in the world. Look at those walking beside you and those who have gone before you as living reminders of what’s possible for you and what you’re capable of. The Uni-verse is cheering you on and is doing everything in Its power to support you on your journey.  But you have to believe it first. You have to believe in yourself and know that you are worthy of your heart’s desire. So accept your life’s beautiful unfolding in its perfect timing and savor every step of the journey. Stay connected to that spark within and keep your focus on what’s possible. Don’t give up on your dreams. I know I won’t. I love you.”

The one and only,

Me

Much love,

CA

Written for The Daily Love (April 7th, 2012)

Well this blog is going to challenge the mindset that many of us carry about mistakes and what they mean. The fact is that we all make them. Nobody’s perfect. And more importantly, they are a necessary part of growing, learning and expanding.

Michael Jordan wasn’t born making 8 out of 10 free throws.  Picasso’s first painting wasn’t a masterpiece. And Mastin’s first ever blog wasn’t revolutionary.

Anyone who is great now has had to be willing to be imperfect, vulnerable, flawed. Mastery and greatness take patience and practice. This is something that most of us would agree with. What is perhaps less obvious is that having a different mindset about mistakes isn’t simply a necessary prerequisite to development, it’s also the key to fulfillment in so many areas of our lives.

When we are constantly worrying about making mistakes, we are coming from a fear-based mindset and the focus is on the end result rather than the experience.  This mentality causes us to play small and play it safe; it keeps us confined to what we know and what we can control. That’s not any fun, it’s no way to live and you can bet your ass that you’re not gonna get the life of your dreams with that approach!

I just spent the last month on tour in Australia and got a lot of opportunities to see where my fear of mistakes keeps me stuck. The last night of the tour, I was playing a show in one of my favorite Aussie cities, Sydney, to a full house of totally engaged and attentive listeners. I was admittedly a little extra nervous before the show because I knew all these people had come to see me, including a few people I really wanted to make a good impression on, and I wanted to really deliver the goods. About three songs in, I thought to myself: “This is going pretty good. Just don’t fuck it up!” Well, sure enough, during my next song, I made more than a few mistakes and they were not the kind you can get away with! For the rest of the show, I was so consumed with not messing up again that I didn’t get to really enjoy myself. Even afterwards, despite a lot of really great feedback and compliments, all I could think about was that one song that I botched.

Thankfully, I am now seeing the experience as a huge blessing because it opened my eyes to some really powerful insights. The most important thing I realized is that I was so focused on the outcome (e.g. impressing people or looking good) that I gave it more importance than the experience itself – actually just enjoying my show. In other words, I treated the present moment as a means to an end. This happens so often in so many different areas of our lives and it is a guaranteed way to lose out on the fulfillment and goodness that life has to offer, which is only available when our attention is FULLY in the here and now.

Another thing I realized is that my intention was on not making a mistake, rather than on giving a kick-ass performance. In essence, I was coming at the experience from a place of fear rather than faith. In the end, I got what I asked for and I made the mistake I feared making. We are powerful beings and when we focus on something enough, that is what we will create.

I can objectively say that I still gave a good performance despite this mindset, but I know I would have been so much more liberated and self –expressed if I wasn’t worried about messing up. When we are willing to put ourselves out there and take chances, that’s when the magic happens. When we face our fear of failure and inadequacy with the courage to do it anyways, to take risks and just go for it, that’s when the good stuff flows. One of my favorite authors and creativity experts, Julia Cameron, so aptly captured the essence of this distinction when she said: “You have to be willing to write a bad song to write a great one.”

These distinctions are as true in relationships as they are in any creative endeavor. When we are constantly preoccupied with not screwing up or pleasing others, we are not able to be our true authentic selves. As a result, we sacrifice the experience of being fully self-expressed now in favor of some future-based outcome.
That is the true mistake.

But the biggest mistake of all is to fear mistakes. I’ll say that again. Being afraid of mistakes is the biggest mistake of all.

So I’m taking on a new approach. Instead of trying not to make mistakes, I’m going to see just how badly I can f*#k up. I’m tired of playing small and playing it safe. I’m done with being stuck in the same spot, so I’m giving up my comfort zone and surrendering control. I know that the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward, so I’m going to take chances on behalf of myself and my dreams. There are sure to be some train wrecks along the way, but at least I’ll be playing full out and enjoying life to the max!

Who’s with me? What mistakes have you been afraid of making? Where in your life can you let go of your fear of messing up and just go for it? Where can you be more fully self-expressed and focus on the experience rather than the outcome?

Dream big. Play big. F*#k up.

Much love,

Chris

Written for The Daily Love (March 31st, 2012)

Chris will be joined on stage by his full-band & the night will kick off with a songwriters’ circle featuring Matt York, Brian MacMillan and Layah Jane w/ Oliver Johnson.

Doors: 7:30pm
Showtime: 8:30pm

Tickets: $15 at the door OR $20 (includes CD).

Here’s the thing…although we may not be broken, we could definitely benefit from some enhancements. As human beings, we have the extraordinary ability to learn, grow and develop new abilities. Even greater than all of these is the power to choose. One leads to the other. We need to exercise our power to choose to step outside of our comfort zone; otherwise we become stagnant and stay small. As Tony Robbins says, “Either you’re growing or you’re dying”. So we need to take action in the face of our fears in order to learn new skills, expand and evolve. But this can be extremely confronting for us and oftentimes, even just the thought of taking new action or moving out into the unknown can be paralyzing.

But you know what? That’s the secret. It’s the THOUGHT of change and all the stories and meanings we make up to go along with it that actually scare us more than the change itself!

I’m currently on tour in Australia and I just visited a part of the country I’ve never been to before. My ultimate destination was in a remote location and required a fair bit of driving. I’ve been driving for 15 years in North America but despite having traveled to Australia a few times before, I’ve never had to drive here. Thankfully, I haven’t had any major accidents or traumatizing experiences in my experience as a driver and yet, the simple task of driving on the other side of the road had me completely freaked out. I made every effort to avoid it but nothing panned out and I had to face my fear. When it came down to it, I worked it out with relatively little difficulty and it really only took a few minutes to adjust in comparison to the weeks of angst I caused myself leading up to my trip. I was actually amazed at how quickly my brain adapted to all the changes. The driver’ side of the car, gear shifter and turn signal were all on the opposite side from what I’m used to, not to mention driving on the left side of the road and don’t even get me started on right and left turns!

The point is that I spent SO MUCH energy stressing about it, worrying and trying to avoid the inevitable and when it came down to it, it was all good. I’ll admit that it was a little awkward at first, but once I got the hang of it, it was actually a lot of fun and it felt good to just do it and learn a new skill! So the fear and anticipation of the new experience were significantly greater than any discomfort that the actual change brought and there were also unexpected benefits. I was able to transform 15 years of doing something a certain way in a matter of minutes! That’s what we’re capable of!

And that’s how it goes in life.  The changes we’re afraid of are nothing like what we think they will be and in most cases, they actually end up being good for us. Take a minute to think about some instances in your life where you worried yourself sick about a change that was coming and then it turned out to be just fine or even greater than you could have imagined. Maybe it was a conversation with someone, a new job or business venture, a move, speaking in public, a social situation – you know which one I’m talking about.

Change is a good thing. It’s what keeps life exciting and interesting. It’s what keeps us growing and developing. So rather than waste our energy fearing the changes that will actually benefit us and allow our expansion, let’s embrace them, and use that energy towards becoming our highest selves and stepping into the lives we’ve been dreaming of.

What change are you afraid of? What actions have you been putting off? Are you willing to consider the possibility that what you’ve been running from could actually be a good thing for you? Step out of your life as you know it, play big and see what happens. If you miss your comfort zone, you can always have it back!

Much love,

Chris

Written for The Daily Love (March 17th, 2012)