In every moment, we have to take a leap of faith.

Singers know this well, as we have to move people with our voice, bearing our soul onstage and doing so without fear or reservation. We aren’t the only ones, of course. This bravery translates into any profession, into any relationship, into any way of living and expressing oneself.

It’s easy to feel misunderstood. There is so much happening in our conscious mind that we can’t possible share with the world: realizations that came in a flash after a string of experiences; a revelation in one magical moment; personal triumphs where we overcame our fear and doubts and gave more than we knew was possible. And yes, there are the hurts that broke our heart and shape the way we perceive the world around us. Those tend to take a real toll, as we live in the fear of repeating them instead of in the love of what we create in our lives.

How can we live the life we want to live? How can we be who we want to be? A mantra of artists is authenticity, expressing our own unique perspective of the world in a voice only we possess. And yet no matter who we “are,” we’re all getting down to one clear truth – that we all share the same experience, the same emotions, and are capable of the same tumult or the same depth of peace within. If you’re feeling bad, remember that the people you know and love have felt the same way. How can we take it all in? As I was reminded the other day, it’s our attitude that we need to keep free and clear. And remember, there is no substitute for experience, and if we’ve lived through times that we didn’t like, we need to create experiences that reflect the life we want to live.

So … it’s up to us to make ourselves understood. We need to open up our heart fully again and again and keep loving, keep giving. And we need to clearly express what we need and want from a place of love, not a place of fear. I have found that this is not as easily said as done! It takes a dedication, a presence of mind, that takes all the energy that we have.

What do I mean to say? Keep leaping! Keep going! The more you create with presence of mind, the more you will transform your world into what you want to see. Know that I need to hear this as much as anyone, and strive to point the way as much as I strive to walk that path. So bare your heart. Share what’s on your mind. Spend time with the people you love, the people who uplift you and hold you to your highest self. And the more you do, the more you will leave your comfort zone, and the more you will find yourself living in an expanding world filled with possibilities.

Be brave my friends, and you will feel within the satisfaction that comes from the true and pure expression of yourself, a gift from the source that inspires the same in everyone.