What up y'all this midweek mom chat? I am just going to talk about worry and also why I'm like why, I'm like, oh worry, Like why ife worries a waste of time? So I just didn't really cool. Today I was asked to speak at my old college school, my old college campus, Belmont University. I went there and I had a friend asked me to come talk to her class, which is such a cool class, Like I didn't even
know this was existing these days. There's this whole class called Women and Entertainment in college, like you can like register for that, and so she asked me to come speak, and I was like, um, are you sure. I don't I don't feel qualified to like speak to students, but
I immediately said yes because I thought this is so cool. Um, And I just remember when I was in college, I had a lot of anxiety about not knowing what I was supposed to do with my life and not knowing like like I believed that I was worthy of great things, but yet I also believe that I I hadn't accomplished anything, and so I didn't I believed I was worthy of stuff, but then I also didn't feel worthy because I didn't have anything to show for myself, and I'm like, how
am I ever going to have anything to show for myself? I don't even know how to get started. And man, I just had probably one of the best experiences today that I've ever had getting to teach this class of students. So everyone in this class is obviously creative or like, has a desire and a dream and they want to
be in the entertainment industry. And it is just so easy to get discouraged when you're first getting started and at any point in your journey, honestly, because when you haven't got like this huge resume for yourself, and maybe you already are dealing with a lot of self doubt and overcoming obstacles, maybe family obstacles, maybe you're overcoming um.
I don't know anything in your life that has posed itself as a hardship or has made you feel inferior, or has made you feel um less than, or has made you feel like you have to fight and be defensive, or that you're not good enough or whatever. Like I mean, that could be anything. I'm not even gonna try to guess what it all could be, because there's such a
variety of options. Um. But man, I just felt like I felt really lucky that I had the chance to talk to these students today because I was that student. And I don't know what each one is thinking, obviously, because everyone's their own individual person. But I sat in those I went to Belmont. I wanted to be in the music industry. I wanted to be a singer, to
be a songwriter, be a star. I thought I wanted to matter, and I thought if I could become something important, that I would matter, and you know I was looking for I thought it was like I thought that like stars that I looked up to, or people in the music industry that I looked up to, I thought they were more special. I thought they were more equipped. I
thought they had um. I thought that they had just like they were gifted more than me, and that they just had this like magic mojo that I would never have. And through my journey, which I explained to the class, I've realized that nobody hasn't figured out. Everybody is a work in progress. We all come from situations that we have insecurities from. We all I don't know how to get started. We all hit moments where we feel like
we're a loser. We all hit spots in the journey where we're like, I don't even know what I'm what I want to do in my life at this point, like just feeling lost, feeling stuck, feeling um completely alone. And that was like a really cool moment for me today to get to go and share my story and to say you are totally on track, like you're exactly
where you're supposed to be. I know, it feels stressful because you have all this pressure from the world, from maybe from your family, maybe from maybe I mean just like to make money. I mean, we have to make a living. Hello, we have to survive in this world. There's all this pressure coming at us that we've got to have our life so buttoned up and figured out and ready to rock in this timeline, Like, man, did I have a timeline? And I talked about this today,
Like I had a timeline. I was going to be like and love and by the time of I was gonna be married. By the time I'm like seven, You're gonna have my first kid. Before thirty, I'm gonna be in my dream job. All of the stuff. Oh my god, No, Like my timeline, I was all over the place for my timeline. My timeline got thrown up the window, and I just it was really empowering for me today to talk to all these students and be like, listen through the timeline out the window, and I know that you
all have a dream and your dream. Your dream brought you to Nashville. Your dream brought you to Belmont, Your dream brought you to pursue whatever it is. Like, you came from wherever you're home town is, You traveled, and you came to this school to be in this environment and this music industry because you had a dream. And I just sort of told them my philosophy and I was like, I had a dream to be a singer, and I moved to Nashville, and I I didn't know
what to do, and I started following my curiosity. And that was my first step that I encouraged them to do. When you don't know what to do, follow your curiosity and just let that lead you and just taking that next step. But I was like, pretend you're like in an ocean and hold onto your boogie board. I was like, I'm like a million years old and I'm saying hold onto your boogie board, but like, hold onto your boogie board and all you have to do is hang on
tight to that board and step into the water. So you step into the ocean, and then you know where you want to go, Like you have an idea where you want to go, but you have to let the waves take you. And they're gonna not take you on
a straight path at all. It's gonna like, all of a sudden, you're thinking you're jumping in and going forward, and then all of a sudden, you're turning to the right and you're like going that way, and then you're the waves are going to ride you back out in a different direction, and you just have to hang on. And that's what I tried to tell them. I was like, everybody wants to know that they can have this clear cut path and then it's all I'm just gonna work
out and that everything's gonna fall into place. And you have this dream and you're trying to follow these steps and you want to you want it to be this like paint by number type situation, but that is just not how life goes. And you just have to be willing to ride the wave, and you have to have
some faith. You have to like give it up on some level, we all want to have this like tight grip and this deep control because if we feel like we can get everything boxed up and like stay on our timeline and get everything in order, then life is gonna be perfect. But guess what I heard him Carrey say this in an interview. I think he was like giving him a speech to um his like alma mater for college or something, and he was talking about his dad.
I'm fairly confident with Jim Carrey and his dad like had this was like followed this really safe route and really wanted like it was like worked hard, showed up at the same job every day, like did his due diligence, never took a sick day, like was safe, was calculated, did what he was supposed to do, and he got let go, like the company went under something and his
dad got let go. And Jim Carrey was like, my dad showed up every single day, did what we supposed to do, worked as hard as he can, followed all the rules, and he still got let go and his life got turned upside down. So why would you go for a road that the safe road? We think if we go for this like safe road and we get everything all box in that like nothing can happen to us. We think that we are escaping potential pain or potential trauma happening, or potential like upset of our life happening.
But none of us are exempt. And you can play it safe and you can go down this road and you can try to avoid any kind of variable that's going to mess up your stability, but you can never plan for everything, and they're always unknowns that can happen that are bigger than us, and your life can still get turned upside down. And you could have played it as safe as you ever can and everything and still fall on its face or it might work out, who knows.
But you can also follow your passion, chase your curiosity, have some side hustles, And that's what I told to cost it down. Like you want to be a singer, you want to be a manager, you want to be an artist, you want to be um an event planner, you want to all these students have such great dreams. I made each student go around the room and say why they moved to Nashville, what they loved, what they're drawn to, and why they think they're going to succeed.
Because I think it's so important to speak that out out and it was so cool because there's probably thirty kids in the class, and every single one of the kids had a different dream, very different dreams. Like one girl, she loves writing music, but she loves doing like, like um soundtracks to TV shows. So what she does is she'll turn off the music and a TV show and she'll turn on her Spotify and she will make music for the scenes in the movie and the show. I
would never even think to do that. I'm like, that is such a unique gift and such a unique calling. And so many of the kids, I'm calling them kids, So many of these young adults had all of these very specific dreams, Like one girl wanted to be a I think coordinator on a Disney cruise ship because she wants to make people happy and she wants to travel the world and she thinks Disney is great. I mean, I just saw it was blown away by these people's
dreams and there were such cool dreams. It just reminded me that we have to go for it. And like I was saying about that speech from Jim Carey and talking about his dad playing it safe, Um, you can play safe, and that's totally cool, like it really is, Like I get it. There's all sorts of there's all sorts of circumstances in everyone's life, and you have to do what feels right for you. You have to you have to take care of yourself. You have to do
what feels right. But when I had the chance to talk to these students who are wide open, who have all of this just beginning in front of them, like they're so they are just a blank canvas, and they all have these hopes and they all say they all have these dreams, and I thought to myself, like I'm really getting a chance to impact here, and like I really took seriously what I was saying, and I said to them this. I said, There's gonna be a lot of stuff that comes your way that is going to
deter you from your dreams. You are going hang on to your biggie board, jump into the ocean, ride the wave. You're going to crash. You're going to crash. People are gonna tell you you're stupid. People are gonna tell you it's not smart what you're doing. But you know, And like thirty of these kids went around the room and said what they loved and what they were drawn to and what they wanted to do, and every single one of them was different. That is no mistake. They all
have this different desire and this different calling. That is why they are here. And I was like, listen, it is hard to chasee your dreams, which it's also hard not to chase your dreams. If you don't chase your dreams, you sit around and you think about all day that you're not chasing your dreams and you're not fulfilled. If you are chasing your dreams, you sit around thinking about how hard it is and that you're trying to make your dreams happen and you're getting door slammed in your face.
It's hard no matter what. So you just have to decide what kind of road you want to go down, because they're both going to be hard. Whether you chase your dreams and you try to pursue your calling or you try to pursue a safe road, you're going to run into hardship either way, So you just have to de say which kind of hardship you want to run into. And I told him, like, you're gonna get the door slammed in your face. You are going to not know what in the world you're supposed to do with your life.
You're going to hit moments of feeling lost and feeling like you're a total loser and feeling like you don't know what to do and that nobody understands you. You are going to hit those moments, but just take a baby step forward if you can, just take a step forward and just keep moving towards your joy. And that's
what I told him. If you don't know what you're supposed to do in your life, start writing down what makes you feel alive, Write down what makes you feel alive, and start noticing people in the world that are doing jobs that you would love to have, and take note of this and journal about it, and like really start trying to pinpoint where in the world people are doing
something that you would love to do. And if you're in a situation and all of a sudden you're feeling alive and inspired, take notice of that and start seeing if that could be a job, because there's always a job for every passion that is out there, there is a job that goes with it. Because at the end of the day, we are all humans and we're all fueled by passion, and so there are careers out there
that are very passionate. You just have to start getting creative and paying attention and start realizing how things that you love could turn into a job. And sometimes it starts as a side hustle. Like one girl was like, well, I want to be a singer, but she was struggling with she wants to just only be a singer, and I'm like, I get that, but sometimes you have to have a side hustle first before you can just become
a singer. Like, yes, that will be your ultimate goal to sing and make music and have that be your living. But if you can't make that be your living right away, then do it as much as you can. Play writers round right, songwrite with friends, songwrite with other songwriters anytime you get the chance. But you might have to work
a waitress drop. I mean, you might have to keep a side side hustle going until you start making enough money and it becomes a big enough force in your life that you can drop your hustle, your side hustle. And so I was just encouraging this class to realize that. Okay, so say you need say you want to be a singer, and you want to be a side hustle. It's like, and you you want to be a singer, but you need a side hustle. It's like, what if you get
the job to babysit for a hit songwriter? Like what if they need a nanny and you are great with kids. You want to be a songwriter, but here's this hit songwriter that needs a nanny. You start nanny for them. You're still writing. Over time, you build a relationship, You get to play them some of your songs. They hear you, they realize that you're talented. They want to help you. They start bringing out to like maybe a number one event every now if they wrote a hit song, they
invite you to the number one party. They introduce you to people. That stuff leads to stuff. As long as you are moving in the right direction and you are moving forward. You don't have to end up in your perfect dream job right away, but just taking steps forward,
just taking opportunities. When you get an opportunity, you have to be willing to jump and to go for it, and like, you can't always know where it's all going to end up and have everything perfectly planned and have it all boxed up, because that's just not how it works. And I just felt really, um, I'm not blessed. It's the word that I mean that the word can be overdone. Someone's like, I feel so blessed, but I really did.
I felt like I had such an opportunity to get to talk to all these these students who are so fresh and so ready to attack their dreams, and I was like, Wow, this is a privilege that I'm getting right now to inspire them in a way that I'm not trying to say you have to have all these boxes checked off, but it's more like, do not lose that spark in you and I don't bury it. And listen to your body. And if your body is giving your resistance, and if your body is telling you, know what,
this is not the right path. And if your body is saying I feel gross about this or this feels wrong, or like this isn't right for me, you have to listen to that. And if your body is saying I love this, and I feel alive, and this feels good and I feel easy. It feels easy, and this feels free, you have to listen to that. And it's a lot simpler than we make it because we we put all these rules on ourselves, and we put all this this like pressure on ourselves, but really our soul, on our
body and our heart and our mind. It knows what we're drawn to. It knows what we love, and it knows when we're feeling good and when we're feeling bad. And it's pretty much as simple as that. If you're feeling bad, you got to reevaluate. If you're feeling sick, if you're feeling bad, if you're feeling dread, if you're feeling hopeless, you got to reevaluate. And I was telling them it's okay to be lost. I've been lost so
many times in my life. But every time you're lost, take a moment and to start thinking about what you love, and start noticing what you love, and start moving towards what you love, and it will open opportunities. It will things will move around, and stuff will shift and you will get opportunities presented to you. You will start seeing things in a different light if you just start focusing on what you love and committing to that and not thinking you're crazy for wanting to do something that you
love or live a life that you love. You're not crazy for wanting to love your life. We have one life. You're not crazy for wanting to love it. I'm not saying we can make it exactly how we want it
to be. We're not god like, but we can really reframe our mind into seeing the blessings that are already in our life and then and paying attention to where we feel drawn to move instead of just letting life happen to us, instead of just letting life like feel like we're under the eight ball and that we were behind and we can't We're like, you know, it's like
heavy and we're stuck. Instead of just getting stuck on those feelings, we have the opportunity to open our eyes and be like, Okay, I know I meant to live a life that I love. I know I'm here on this earth for a very short time. I know it's a miracle that I'm here. I have a purpose. I'm going to start diving into what I love. I'm going
to start paying attention to that. Maybe I'm gonna point in my life where I cannot fully pursue what I love, but I am definitely at a point in my life where I can pursue starting to learn more about what I love. I can pursue making it even a side hustle. I can pursue following my curiosity. I can I can pursue showing up for myself. I can sue being intentional.
I can pursue chet king out of my phone, checking off of the TV, and like showing up in conversations and like finding people that inspire me and asking them to go to coffee and picking their brain about how they got to where they were. And I can pursue being positive and choosing to we have gratitude for the things that are that I know I love in my life. And I might not be exactly where I want to be, but I can choose to have gratitude for things that I do love in my life, and like focus on
what I do love. I can make those choices, and I can keep making those choices every day, and slowly but surely I can inch my way into this life that I love, some more or less. That's what I was talking about today, and I just basically wanted to let them know that, Like, I'm thirty six years old and I've been on a ton of journeys and I still don't know what I'm doing. I'm still figuring it out, but I've never been scared to jump. I've always listened
to my gut. If I get a feeling of non don't know, resistance, resistance, resistance, I stop and I take a new turn, and I analyze, and I figure out where I need to go next. And sometimes I don't know where I needed to go next, but I know if I like, I know if I'm on the wrong road, because it feels terrible. And if I get that feeling, I stop, I reevaluate, and then I'll just wait for clarity, and I'll take a break. And I'm okay with having
a season of waiting. And waiting sucks, and none of us like to wait, but sometimes we have to wait. It's better to wait than to make a hasty decision out of fear. And I have learned that because I've made plenty of hasty decisions out of fear. But really, if you're if you wait for clarity and you keep pursuing your curiosity, and if you feel resistance, you take a beat, you take a break, You evaluate why you feel that, and you try to move towards the open feeling,
the good feeling, the love feeling. You will slowly start working your way into your purpose, and that's what I was encouraging all these kids. These keep calling you kids, they're not kids, they're students. But like these students to do is don't think you're crazy for wanting to live your dreams. You're not. You're not crazy for wanting to live your dreams. That's why we're all here. We want to live our dreams. And you can do it. And I believe that you, who is listening to this podcast
right now, can do it as well. Whatever stacked up against you, I know you have that spark in you that knows you're worth it, that knows there's something bigger for you. Or maybe you're already in your dream job and that's freaking awesome, or your purpose. But I know every single one of you guys who is listening to this right now, I know you're worth it. I know you have a purpose. I know there's something bigger inside of you that you came here to accomplish. I know
you can do it. You are special, you are capable. You are not a loser. You are not alone. And no matter how much you feel like you were behind, someone else is doing it better. How you will never catch up. How you are not worthy. I'm here to tell you you are. If you are looking for a sign, this is your sign. I believe in you. I know you can do it. The reason I know you can do it is because I have written the same wave in my own life. Like everyone has their own story
and nobody can compare to anybody else's. But like I have had highs, I've had loads. I felt like I was crushing it. I felt like I was a failure. I've done all the things, and I just know that all of us are here for a reason and we have a purpose and listening to everything. One of these students purpose. Today. They went around the room and said
what they loved and what they're drawn to. Every single one of them was different, and that just confirms the fact to me that everybody has their own desires and dreams and goals. Here's just a bunch of wide eyed dream or students. They I mean, they all very specifically knew where they were drawn and what they wanted to do,
drawn to and what they wanted to do. That just goes to show, like you right now, who's listening to this, you were drawn towards something that is very unique for your life, and that is important for you to pursue that because that is your gift and you were so talented at that gift. And you don't give yourself enough credit because you feel unworthy for whatever reason. But you are worthy, and I'm proud of you. And if has if no one's told you this today, you can do it.
You can and you can start small, and it doesn't You don't have to totally turn your life upside down. I know we all have responsibilities. I know we all have stuff we gotta do. I know we all have things that like we can't walk away from, and sometimes we feel stuck and lost and all that. But you can keep pursuing that little spark. You can listen to it, you can pay attention to it, you can find time
to like just tap away at it. Just let it start coming alive and and just like follow your curiosity to see where you're curious and let it lead you to a podcast, Let it lead you to a book. Let it leads you to a conversation with someone, Let it lead you to opening up about something. Just let it lead you a little bit that spark that's in you that you knows you're driving force, let it start leading you a little bit, just a little bit, just a little bit, and slowly but surely it will lead
you to your purpose. Um. I love you guys, and thank you all so much for falling along with me and staying on this journey. I truly feel like y'all are this community that I'm a part of, and that we're all just striving to navigate life and help each other be the best that we can. Give yourself some grace, accept the reality that you're in. Mallory Irvin said something and I have never forgotten it. Do not let your
blessings become your burdens. Remember what your blessings are. Do not get so overwhelmed the life that you let your blessings become your burdens. Take enough time, give yourself enough space in your life to remember where you're blessed, and to never forget your blessings, because remembering your blessings is
going to make you more blessed. And the more you can think about your blessings, the more blessings come your way, the more joy you have in your life, The more fulfilled you get in your life, the more happy your life gets, the more opportunity to start showing up. So just focus on your blessings and don't let them become your burdens. Even though I know we all have burdens and we all have heavy stuff we have to deal with.
Focus on your blessings, not your burdens. I love you guys, and thank you all so much for being in this community with me. You are the best