Prepare for Blessings: Don't Chase Them

My biggest lesson from 2020 so far?

The best way to succeed or achieve in life is by preparing for God’s blessings rather than endlessly seeking them.

What is the difference between preparation and searching? And how can you prepare yourself for blessings without searching for them?

This one has taken me a lot of learning the hard way. I have messed up this concept time and time again in matters of love, career, and personal success. You can’t force things in your life to happen. You can only control so much, but it’s hard to even feel like preparing for success without tangible prospects.

Why get fit, work on my inner peace, or focus on building the amazing things I could bring to a relationship without any prospect of a real partner? We tell ourselves that we’ll buckle down and get to those things at some point, while at the same time we’re scrolling through a dating app on a Saturday night microwaving a Lean Cuisine wishing we weren’t so lonely.

Why should I, as an influencer, create content consistently without knowing where to get any collaborations or partnerships?

Why, as an opera singer, should I put hours upon hours into an independent role study when I haven’t even seen an audition for the role pop up?

The truth is, we know the answer to all of these “why?”s. We know, deep down, that there is just as much happiness to enjoy in the result of your preparation as there is in the gift of a blessing. I derive joy from independent role study, just as I do from performing and collaborating professionally. However, sometimes I get caught chasing the blessing. I chase auditions for hours on YapTracker without cracking open my score for twenty minutes during the day.

The circumstances of this year have made me feel stuck, or worse, like my path was backtracking. I’m sure I am not alone in feeling this way. I am not the only young professional that moved out of their hometown only to be left with little option, but to return. Performing artists are not the only ones looking at the ruins of their industry. And single people that thought they were just one social event from meeting “their person” are everywhere.

And there is almost nothing that can be done about any of that. The only thing left is to prepare for the next opportunity around the bend. I have already decided long ago that when the live performance industry is back, I’ll be ready. Just as I’ve decided that when the right person comes along, my heart will be ready to give freely and truly.

Remember preparation is not just the active practice and homework of skills. It is also the mindset of doing your best at everything you have working for you at the moment. I want a home and family of my own one day. To make that happen, I originally thought I had to move out of my parent’s home and waste my money away in monthly rent. I figured out that I value family. This extra time with my parents before I have my own family is precious to me. I’m not taking that for granted. If I lean into that mindset of patience, peace, and gratitude, I can be better prepared to bring those same values to my future home. In the meantime, I’m happy.