The Freedom of Finding Your Rhythm
What does freedom mean to you? For many entrepreneurs, creatives, and musicians, it means succeeding on your own terms. In order to do that, you need to really get clear and find your personal rhythm. That will unlock the door.
As I tell my private and group drumming students, listening is often more important than playing. They need to listen to find the beat. In a metaphorical sense, you are doing the same. Ask yourself:
* What’s needed?
* What makes you stand out?
* What’s on your heart?
* What is God or the Holy Spirit telling you?
When you’re just starting out, you may not hear the beat you’re supposed to follow. Many people try to emulate others and follow their success, not realizing that that’s not their beat. Or they start but they’re off the beat and just can’t seem to find their rhythm. They feel they need to hustle. All. The. Time. But what they really need to do is listen.
The beat of your own drum
If you’ve read my book, Find Your Divine Rhythm, you know that I’m a rebel with a lot of causes. Beating the drum for these causes has gotten me into trouble on occasion. Back when I was an educational consultant and private tutor, I reported an entire school district for not being in compliance and labeling kids as ADHD (attention deficit disorder) or LD (learning disabled) and recommending medications they didn’t really need. Why? Because no one figured out that these kids were highly gifted, talented, and creative!
The schools were getting the funding but these kids were not getting the education they were entitled to by law. Yes, many had underlying issues that were triggering the symptoms but those were easily fixed without medication. How do I know? Because I created a special coaching program that accomplished this – hundreds of times.
We were medicating brilliance. And no one cared. Many of these kids were minorities. They weren’t being recommended for the gifted and talented program but for Ritalin. Now, it’s Adderall and a host of other potentially dangerous stimulants. If you knew what I knew, it would blow your mind. And so I keep beating my drum. Literally. And I’ve added special drum therapy techniques that work really fast. What ticks you off? That could be your mission.
Finding your spark
Finding your spark and your mission may take a lot of trial and error. It may take months or even years. Be prepared to lose some friends in the process. These are the people who are either naysayers or just don’t get it. Your true friends and fans will stick with you. They’ll encourage you so the flame doesn’t go out. You’ve got to hold onto your faith and trust the process and the path. Eventually, things become really clear and you’ll be unstoppable. And that’s freedom, indeed!
How about you? What spark do you have that needs to be ignited or re-ignited? What would it feel like if you fully released your gifts to the world and found your Divine Rhythm?
Dori Staehle, MBA lives in the Raleigh, NC area and is the founder and CEO of Next Stage Drumming. She’s a drum therapist, drum teacher, percussionist, speaker, author, and ADHD specialist. She loves to share the joy and healing power of drumming with individuals, groups, and organizations! Dori has enough hand drums and percussion instruments for 50 people. Her programs are personalized, science-based, and loads of fun!
