This culture prides itself on thinking big, doing big, living big and it's all so each human being can mistakenly feel larger than life. But this is an illusion. Maybe to some people ignorance is bliss.
But for anyone who ever achieves their own ideal of success it is the small actions that count.
So what do I mean by that?
It's the artist that takes five minutes at least to sketch rather than waiting for a big and grand inspiration to come.
It's the musician that plays the instruments or sings for the love of the experience it brings rather than for the fame.
It's the dancer that immerses herself/himself in the dance whether anyone is looking or not.
The trait is to be unself-conscious because this means that the real art can come through. And that the experience is of more value than a large name or personality known world wide.
The small actions always count in our day to day lives. Small actions always have the effect of enhancing life.
If you smile and acknowledge a person who is homeless and give them a dollar or two which is worth so much more to them than it is worth to you.
If you take the time to understand another persons situation leaving all tendencies to analyze and be superior behind. But to truly connect with another human being.
All of these small actions unseen been anyone other than yourself and the other person are huge and make all the difference.
Small actions take us outside of ourselves. They teach us to be human and to relate to others as human. They remind us of the value of experience and of life rather than the greedy grasping of titles, status and stations. Titles, status and stations work to separate a person or an organization from their environment and from the people they are interacting with. They make people forget that they are human and that they are mortal.
Small actions add up but even without adding them up to something worth acknowledging in the larger culture they are still bigger than any petty and vain goal.
A person should consider themselves worth more than the number that exists in their bank account, the equity they own, the clothes they wear, the crowd they hang out with, the names and businesses they are affiliated with. And a person should be valued not as much for what they "do" and "what they are good for". People need to think more about what they can bring to an interaction rather than constantly sizing everyone up as either being not good enough or good enough for their time when they themselves fall well below the mark.
People interrupt you, they talk over you, they don't listen, they judge, they look down, they don't take the time, they get stuck in their own huge problems which aren't so big to really distract them from being there for someone else. Instead of using any of our experiences to connect with others we use it as an excuse to disconnect.
The small actions of listening and forgetting yourself for a bit compared to interrupting or talking over someone matter. With all of us reaching for fame and some form of status and respectability it's usually our first priority to not listen but to yap about all that we do, all that we know or all of who we know.
This isn't the same as talking about things that you love and are passionate about, especially if someone asks and especially if there is room for some back and forth conversation to happen.
Artists like anyone have suffering egos in a culture where your nothing unless you shout loud enough to silence everyone around you with your innate and monumental awesomeness.
Believe me, you'll be a lot happier letting it go. If you can value yourself regardless of status, numbers etc, everything is so much better. Not only will you enjoy what you love doing a whole lot more, you'll feel like you are really free, like you are really living. There is really nothing holding you to achieve any kind of fame or status in society no matter what it is you do or wish to do. If your doing it because people you know won't respect you anymore you may be right, but then, does that matter?
The thing about valuing yourself as a human being first and foremost is that the value of you comes from you, not from anyone else who has the power to snobbishly lift you up or asphyxiate you according to the fad of the day.
It still hurts to be snobbishly judged by cold things gallivanting around as humans sometimes but they will find something to judge you for anyway even if you are busting your ass to meet one standard they hold dear to their empty hearts.
So why keep busting your ass to meet the impossible standards of someone who cares nothing about who you are or your REAL worth as a human being? Is it worth it?
Not really.
Live your life elegantly with your own design in mind.
Your life should be your own work of art.
Not another persons horrific tragedy.
These kind of people never went for what they wanted and have lived their whole lives living in bondage to ideals that made them shrill, sour and ugly. For all of their hard work and cult like following everyone else must follow in kind in order for them to feel cozy in the crypt. If someone doesn't ascribe to it they can simply look down, way down at you and write you off when your presence rocks their safe and frigid world.
It doesn't matter.
Walk away with dignity because people like that can't give it to you or hold it away.
Paint with dignity, dance with true freedom, and sing who you are.
And here is a great link to an article about not caring what people think.
http://30sleeps.com/blog/2007/09/12/how-to-not-care-what-other-people-think/
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