“All it takes for something extraordinary to happen is one person with enthusiasm.”

– Richard Coraine

Enthusiasm is often dismissed or even discouraged. People are afraid to take risks. People are afraid of embarrassment. Being embarrassed or wanting to be celebrated is focusing on things outside of your control and ultimately a fruitless venture.

We live in a society where passion and enthusiasm sometimes come across to people as “cringe”. I sincerely believe this is because people are afraid to take risks. Taking a risk means there’s a chance you might fail. The focus is heavily on failure and not the chance to do something great.

Something I’ve heard in so many iterations is if you knew you couldn’t fail, what would you do? I’d like to offer two of my own versions of that to help those that can’t get by the “cringe”. The first one: if you knew you wouldn’t be embarrassed, what would you do? The second: if you knew you would be celebrated, what would you do?

Both of these are much better than focusing on what could go wrong. However, they should not be the end. There should be no end in working toward what you are passionate about. You should consistently move toward working with the energy of someone that knows they can’t fail.

Only working with the mindset of thinking you’ll be celebrated or not embarrassed is putting your fate into someone else’s hand, giving up control. Working with the mindset of someone that knows they can’t fail is freedom.

As an artist, I firmly believe that you cannot afford to be embarrassed. YOu have to be willing to put your work and yourself out there for others to see. They will judge and they will praise, neither of which is in your control. That’s scary, but what is scary to others is your true enthusiasm for your work. People are afraid of that because they are afraid of what they would feel if they did what you do. They are afraid of falling on their faces if they step out of a ledge and risk it all the way you do. They project their insecurities and fears onto you in the form of critiques and disrespect and cautions.

Take some advice from Bruce Lee:

“Absorb what is useful, discard what is not, add what is uniquely your own.”

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit iraterrycross.substack.com/subscribe