Dani’s Diary:

Why do we always put so much pressure on ourselves to complete everything so fast and in such a rush? Why are we always in such a rush to release another song so fast and then make sure to get to another one right away? What happened to giving us space, time and magic to act on divine timing and not feel like we need to take on a million things a mile? Can we for once start to enjoy the process and let go of rushing into everything so much? Can we learn to have more fun and enjoy living vs feeding the addiction of finishing something right away as fast as possible? Can we just slow down a bit and breathe into the magic and let go of the some of the weights we put on ourselves day by day? This was the reminder I got this week when I went I took a mini road trip to Ashland City, tn to meet with a friend I have not seen in over 5 years. This girl is very special to me and a dear friend! I will not name her to respect her privacy. We have so much history she performed back at my book release party in NYC! When I stepped into her home I felt such a warm welcoming energy, such a good vibe space. I saw plants everywhere, beautiful lighting, amazing interior design and she treated me to such delicious home cooked meal. I felt like I was on vacation and it was just what what soul needed. She is just a pure kind hearted person. This trip was amazing! My friend cooked me home cooked meal, we had the most amazing songwriting session, had amazing heart to heart conversations, delicious breakfast in the gulch before we headed to Ashland, TN. Her home is surrounded by trees and it felt so good to just be surrounded my nature. My soul felt so happy! Sometimes we all just need to slow down and we need a mental break hence this email..

When I asked her about her plans for her music she told me she is working on an EP/ album and that she is taking her time with it and that she is not rushing to finish it so fast and that she rather have it be amazing quality then rush just to get songs out. I loved this way of thinking and decided I will try to start to adapt this into my every day way of being. Why rush? Why not enjoy? Why not really appreciate where we are in the moment vs trying to always rush into the future and accomplish every single thing in an instant? As an artist I have felt pressured to release music every 4-8 weeks but honestly it is ALOT and I rather be at peace and take my time then be in a state of constant stress and pressure. Maybe that is just me..

Even with my show I feel pressure to make sure it gets done yesterday. But the thing is there is such thing as divine timing and if we try to fight against the universe and flow we will feel it! What is the secret to being in flow? Not going against things and letting things happen. Not forcing yourself to finish something so fast but instead having faith that things will work out the way their meant to and that you will finish that song/ EP/TV Show/ project etc when it is meant to.

I tried rushing to get my tv show pilot edited and I end up going through three different editors to do it. This was because I had very little patience but also because of not being more selective of what I wanted and being in a more desperate state of mind to just have anyone and everyone edit it that has access to editor. I should have from the beginning really sat down with myself and got a clear picture of what i wanted and then went to hire that person vs hiring anyone for timing sake just to get it done. Just doing something to get it done is the wrong approach and will set you up for failure. Even after I finally found the right editor I have had to bring on 2 more editors just to mentor that editor, in total having 5 editors throughout this project from start to finish thus far. Do I regret it? No because in life there is always learning lessons. But my point is why rush something? Why not take your time? Why not make something epic vs good? This is a hard lesson I am starting to realize, the lesson of patience, taking my time and also having faith and creating space for things to flow and not forcing things to work.

Second example is last year I was in a rush to release my single Unapologetic. We were supposed to film a music video in a few days after I got the latest mix back. I just wanted to get a new song out so much and was running out of patience. Again, patience is a virtue. So I plugged in my laptop, was texting some of my friends the song, had my interface plugged in at the same time and started playing the song on my laptop. Before I knew it my laptop started smoking!! I did ask for a sign if the song was ready and if I was meant to film the music video and low and behold my computer caught on fire and long story short I end up burning multiple rugs, the battery exploded and my team end up going back to make changes for the song. Maybe that would of not have happened if I was not in such a rush or maybe it was meant to so I could manifest a new laptop for my birthday in March, I will not know but my point is, maybe we should start to slow down and not rush things so much?

Third example is on New Years Eve I was really excited to go out and have fun and see one of my friends perform live. I was really hyper on some kind of sugar, not paying attention and was doing laundry. Suddenly, I walked into my laundry room bent down, bent back up and banged my head on the laundry dryer which I forgot was not closed. It was wide open. If I was being more present maybe I would not have done that. If I was in less of a rush and paid more attention to the moment.

My long winded point is maybe we need to all just start to take our time more and take the pressure off ourselves? So what if something does not get done yesterday, so what if projects take more time then we hoped or anticipated? Why are we in a constant state of this project needs to happen right now or else? Can we start to shift our mindset into projects will done when they are meant to and that divine timing is always at play and the more we rush things the more sometimes we actually will delay it because we will be fighting against flow, the universe and ultimately our higher selves?

Can we start to normalize just living life in joy and wonder and not just rushing rushing rushing rushing everything always? Can we start to make a conscious effort to just enjoy life more and living in the moment vs acting in a constant state of fear and lack? Can we start to adapt the mindset of if not now, another time. If not this one person to work with my team, another one. If not this singer to record my song, another one. If not release our EP in this month then another month? If not this client another one. A better fitting client. A better fitting singer. A better fitting person to pitch XYZ, manage us etc?

Oh by the way, one of the crucial steps in this was also I turned my phone off for almost the entire day. It felt so good being disconnected from everyone and just being able to focus being in the moment with my friend with our writing session. I highly recommend everyone to start taking more breaks with your phone. It led me to some powerful downloads and insights. I also noticed that day I felt more at peace because I barely looked at my social media. I think social media can really trigger alot of anxiety in me and hence trying to use it less. I think the biggest thing it does is leads me to constantly compare myself to everyone else and what they are doing but really that is not healthy. That actually is very triggering and can cause alot of insecurity, atleast in my experience. So I vouch to try to use social media less except when posting and focus more on staying in a state of peace. Really being in a peace of mind state is where we can manifest the fastest and most powerful anyway!

My points are:

  1. Take mental breaks, surround yourself with nature and surround yourself with things that inspire you
  2. Sometimes when your remove yourself from your current environment you start to see a different perspective and get new insights, ideas and creative thoughts that you never would have if you did not remove yourself from that specific apartment, work place etc
  3. Start to slow down and enjoy the present moment more
  4. Take breaks from your phone and social media
  5. Be less harsh on yourself and start to just enjoy the process more then focusing so much on the destination of whatever it is your trying to accomplish
  6. Have more faith in divine timing and leave space for things to happen, potential clients to text you, etc
  7. Take care of yourself, get enough sleep, eat healthy etc, make sure you have energy to do the things you want to do
  8. Take it one step at a time
  9. and really get clear on what you want in your life. Not what others tell you is good for you. You want to be a signed artist, great! Go for it. You want to do more songwriting behind the scenes, that is okay too. There is no wrong or right answer. It is ultimately your life and you have to choose what is best for you!
  10. Lastly, surround yourself with people who are supportive of your goals, dreams and inspire you to go for everything you ever want to accomplish! If people laugh at your dreams or doubt you or tell you , your dreaming to big or try to only be realistic, let them go. You are so who you surround yourself with so make sure to surround yourself with people who bring you up.

I hope this insight inspires you!

Best,

Dani