Bernie Siegel — Hope

As a young writer, hope is one of the few things that kept me going.  I would read a story about someone who was 50 or 60 or 7o and he had just published his first novel.  After years of toiling in the salt mines of writing, he found success.  These stories inspired me to keep writing.  I had hope that one day I would be discovered and become successful.  Even today I have that sense of hope, that belief that one day I will be proved right.  Yes, I am a writer.

When we lose hope, we give up on life.  We quit.  Some days all we have is hope.  As the old saying goes: every dark cloud as a silver lining.  We just have to find it — to look at the world with new eyes.  To see the butterfly in the midst of chaos.  No matter how dark the night, there is always a sunrise.  Everyone faces challenges and difficulties.  The sad thing for me is people who see no way out of a problem but to take their own lives.  Never give up hope for a better tomorrow.

As creative thinkers, we need hope.  We need to believe in ourselves, our ideas, our art.  Have faith that you have been given a gift.  Have faith in your dreams.  Have faith that the sun will rise again.

William James

Every person is unique. There has never been a person just like you and there will never be a person just like you. The life you lead is yours. Nobody can lead the same life and do the same things, so that makes you special.

Do not judge yourself by how much money you make or how much power you have or the creative work you produce. Your success lies in the lives of the people you have touched. And if that is only one person, then you are a success. All of us in some way will touch the lives of our parents and our siblings. So from the moment we are conceived, each of us is successful.

Be not afraid to live the life that you want to live.  Trust in the belief that you are here for a reason.  You are here to make a difference in the lives of others through your creative work. You have a purpose for being. You have been given the gift of life. Accept who you are and celebrate your individuality.

Kahlil Gibran

Hope is an essential gift we have been given as human beings. Hope is the capacity for believing that tomorrow will be better. Without hope, we are wandering through a dark, desolate world. We are at the mercy of our fears and doubts. Hope allows us to see beyond the current trouble we are experiencing. In even our worst moments, we need to remember that life will get better. There is always light at the end of the tunnel, even when we can't see it.

As artists, writers and creative leaders, we need to believe that the next painting or the next poem will be our best. Hope keeps us writing, painting and acting in the face of self-doubt and failure. If we were to quit now, we would never know what was around the next corner or what opportunities lay ahead.

As creative leaders need hope because we live in a very negative, sometimes hostile world, that often does not understand or appreciate our creative work. I have been writing seriously for almost forty years and have yet to receive acceptance and recognition for the work I have produced. Another person might have quit many years ago, but I keep plugging away.

Do you have faith in your creative ideas? Your poems? Your stories? Your paintings? Your ability to become another person on stage? Do you have dark days when you want to quit and live a normal life? Hope keeps us going even when everything and everybody around us are telling us to give up — that we have no talent, no gift.

What keeps you going during those darkest of hours? Why do you believe in your ideas? Where does your hope come from? Don't give up. Keep dreaming. Keep hoping. Keep believing. In every winter you will find the flowers of spring.

William Butler Yeats

“I always think a great speaker convinces us not by force of reasoning, but because he is visibly enjoying the beliefs he wants us to accept.”

— William Butler Yeats

Irish Poet

1865 - 1939

Commentary

So what does this quote have to do with being a poet, a writer or an artist?  Like great speakers, creative leaders must enjoy the work they do and be able to communicate their passion through their creative work.  If we are not passionate about what we do, our work will fall flat and be uninspired.  Are you passionate about the work you create?  Do you enjoy creating?

Biography

William Butler Yeats was born in Dublin, Ireland, the son of John Butler Yeats and Susan Mary Pollexfen.  When Yeats was two, his family moved to England to help his father further his artistic career.  Yeats did not do well in school, particularly in the areas of spelling, math and language.  His family moved back to Ireland when he was fifteen and he began writing poetry.  His first poem was published in 1885 in the Dublin University Review.  Thirty-eight years later at the age of 58, Yeats received the Nobel Prize in Literature and was recognized as one of the most important figures in 20th century literature.

Poetry

Here are a few poems by William Butler Yeats.

A Drinking Song

Wine comes in at the mouth
And love comes in at the eye;
That’s all we shall know for truth
Before we grow old and die.
I lift the glass to my mouth,
I look at you, and I sigh.

To a Child Dancing in the Wind

Dance there upon the shore;

What need have you to care

For wind or water's roar?

And tumble out your hair

That the salt drops have wet;

Being young you have not known

The fool's triumph, nor yet

Love lost as soon as won,

Nor the best labourer dead

And all the sheaves to bind.

What need have you to dread

The monstrous crying of the wind?

A Coat

I made my song a coat

Covered with embroideries

Out of old mythologies

From heel to throat;

But the fools caught it,

Wore it in the world's eyes

As though they'd wrought it.

Song, let them take it,

For there's more enterprise

In walking naked.

Here is Colin Farrell reading When you are Old by William Butler Yeats.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we will not find it."

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

American Poet, Speaker, Writer

1803 - 1882

People often think they are unhappy and dissatisfied because of their external circumstances.  They dream of moving to the city of their dreams, finding the ideal job, or winning the lottery.  What they don't realize is that no amount of money will make them happy if they are not happy on the inside.  Living life is an inside job.  Happiness begins with self-acceptance and belief in oneself.  

Norman Vincent Peale

"People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things.  When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success."

— Norman Vincent Peale

American Author, Minister

1898 - 1993

Beginning writers and artists often have doubts about their talents and abilities.  Even seasoned writers who have published multiple books may still have doubts when they begin a new book.  "Do I still have what it takes?  Can I pull it off again?"  Fear and doubt are normal responses to some new activity.  If we allow ourselves to wallow in self-doubt, we will never accomplish anything.  We must find a way to believe in ourselves and our abilities.  The secret to success is belief.  Do you believe in yourself?  What are you doing to eliminate doubt in yourself?

Harley King

"May you wait patiently for your success with the belief and confidence that it will come."

— Harley King

American Speaker/Poet

1949 -

Many of us are impatient.  We can't wait.  We are in a hurry.  Yet success has its own timetable.  You can't hurry it.  So develop patience and have faith that when the time is right you will receive your moment in the sun.  Enjoy the moment.  Enjoy the present.  Don't worry about tomorrow.

Here are three of my short poems written in 2011.

What color

are your dreams,

my friend?

Bright blue?

Midnight red?

A thin pink?

I gather my fears in my hands.

###

I've grown old

with doubt,

a finger of time

between clouds

of darkness.

I open my mouth

and swallow the wind.

###

I am

the moon,

a faded light,

a distant dream.

Hold me

in your arms

that I may be free.

Michelangelo

Portrait of Michelangelo
by Jacopino del Conte

"I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free."

— Michelangelo

Italian Artist

1475 -1564

Pieta
(1499)

Creative leaders see the world differently than others.  They see things that others do not see.  Do you see the angel in the marble?  Have you set him free?  Don't be afraid of what you see.  Don't worry that you may be crazy.  What you see makes you very special.  Trust yourself.  You won't lead yourself down the wrong path.  Believe in the angels locked in stone.  Believe that you can free the angels.  Believe that the world will be a better place because of what you created.  Believe in your talent.

Richard Wilbur

"All that we do
Is touched with ocean, yet we  remain
On the shore of what we know."




— Richard Wilbur
American Poet
1921 - 




There is a vast world of knowledge and wisdom that we know little or nothing about.  We choose to live our lives on the shore of what we have learned.  We judge everything in light of what we think we know and seldom venture out of our safe haven.  Try to see  the world from new angles.  Explore the unknown and come away a better person because of it.  Change who you are by increasing your knowledge and wisdom.

Hermann Hesse

"The deity is within you, not in ideas and books.  Truth is lived, not taught."

— Hermann Hesse

German Writer, Painter

1877 - 1962

Are you living the truth of your life?  Do you know what the truth of your life is?  Do you know who you are?  Are you comfortable with who you are?  Are you in touch with yourself and understand why you behave in the way you do?  Have you forgiven yourself for your mistakes and failures.  Do you believe that the answers to your questions are inside you, not in books and ideas?  Believe in yourself and stand up for what you believe.

Anne Frank

"In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart."

— Anne Frank

German Writer

1929 - 1945

One of the challenges that I have faced in my life is that I am sometimes too trusting of people.  I believe that inside every person there is some good.  Yet, I know that people have been nice to my face and negative behind my back.  Sometimes I have not found out about it until years later when somebody accidently says something.  


As creative leaders we may encounter people who will try to use us and manipulate us for their advantage.  People will try to take advantage of us.  I talked with a speaker once whose office manager embezzled more than $750,000 from him.  He trusted her and treated her as family only to find out she was stealing from him.  Those of us who have a kind and trusting heart need to be careful.  


Fame and fortune can turn friends into enemies.  Fame and fortune can bring jealousy and envy.  In the book, Dean and Me: A Love Story, Jerry Lewis discusses the breakup of his business and theatrical relationship with Dean Martin.  Fame and fortune brought people into their lives who did not have their best interests at heart.  These people stoked the flames of jealousy and envy.  And eventually the dynamic comedy duo was destroyed.


Yet, as Anne Frank says so well, we need to still believe in people despite what they may have done to us.  Don't let yourself become cynical and sarcastic.  Not everyone is out to steal from you.  Not everyone wants to use you and your good name.  Hold onto your innocence.  Believe in the good in others.

Ann Linnea

"The essence of parenting is to never lose faith in your child and the essence of adulthood is to assume that faith in yourself.

— Ann Linnea

American Author/Educator
1949 -

Many have compared the act of creation to the act of giving birth and to their creations as their children.  And there is some validity to the analogy.  But the more important message is that one should never lose faith in what you create.  Believe in your creation as you would a child.  And believe in yourself as an artist and creative leader.

Too many people give on their creativity because they haven't found fame or fortune.  Lack of interest in your art by the world does not negate what you have created.  The opinions of others don't much matter.  What is important is that maintain your faith in yourself and what you create.  Don't give up or give in.

Blaise Pascal

"I bring you the gift of these four words: I believe in you."

— Blaise Pascal

French Writer, Mathematician

1623 - 1662

One of the greatest gifts that any creative leader can receive is the gift of knowing someone believes in his artistic ability.  Do you have someone who believes in you and your ability to create works of art?  Is it a parent?  A child?  A spouse?  A friend?  A teacher?  A mentor?

I have had a number of people in my life who believed in me.  My parents believed enough to send me to college and to pay for it even when I disappointed them with my religious views.  I have had teachers and professors who encouraged throughout my school years.  When I was in the fourth grade, a teacher pulled another boy and me aside and told us we needed to take a leadership role on the playground and prevent fights.  In college a professor asked to publish one of my poems in the college magazine my freshman year in contrast to another professor who criticized the poem in public and called me an ass.  Through out my 38 years of marriage, my wife has been very supportive of my need to write even when it brought us no money or security.  It took my time and energy.  My daughter has shown her support by incorporating my poems into her paintings.  Each one of these people said through their actions that they believed in me.

Who have been the people in your life who supported you and believed in you?  Have you said thank you lately.

Arthur Koestler

"Every creative act involves. . . a new innocence of perception, liberated from the cataract of accepted belief."

Arthur Koestler

Hungarian Novelist and Writer

1905 - 1983

Creativity involves breaking down old ways of seeing and believing and discovering new perceptions and ways of understanding the world.  Creativity must first be a destructive force as it destroys the old patterns and beliefs.  We must tear down before we can build.  Then destruction gives way to rebirth and renewal and the generation of innocence and hope.  This is the paradox of creative energy: Death and Rebirth.  Destruction and Rebuilding.  Cynicism and Innocence.  Doubt and Faith.

Are you looking at the world in new ways?  Have you discovered new ways of thinking about your art?  Have you liberated yourself from the prison of the past?  Have you found hope in what you are creating?  Have you opened the door to the future?

Harry Chapin

"Music was his life; it was not his livelihood.  And it made him feel so happy and it made him feel so good."

— Harry Chapin

American Songwriter, Musician

1942 - 1981

Album Cover

These words come from Mr. Tanner, a song by singer and songwriter, Harry Chapin.  In those brief moments of despair when I doubt whether it worthwhile to continue writing, these words bring comfort.  For some of us, our art is not meant to be our livelihood.  That does not make what we do any less important than those people who create professionally for money.  

Fame and success is fleeting.  How many one hit wonders are out there?  How many child movie stars fizzle and implode when they become adults?  How many writers disappear from the publishing world after their deaths and their books go out-of-print?  How many artists have one major show and disappear?

Harry Chapin is one of my favorite singers because he tells stories with his music.  I first heard of him when a high school friend of mine made a short movie based on his song, Sniper.  I played one of the victims of the sniper.  I had a chance to see Harry Chapin in concert in the late 1970's on the campus of the University of lllinois in Champaign-Urbana.  And I was sad when his life was cut short by an automobile accident in 1981.

Here is Harry Chapin singing Mr. Tanner.  Listen to what his wife says about where Harry got his ideas for his songs.  Listen to the words of song and don't let the naysayers and critics put you down.  You are gifted.

Mark Rothko

"The most important tool the artist fashions through constant practice is faith in his ability to produce miracles when they are needed."

Mark Rothko

Russian Artist

1903 - 1970

I remember in the early days of speaking when I was conducting 2 1/2 day workshops, I was never sure what the ultimate outcome would be — would the group bond and be persuaded by the message I was delivering.  After conducting more than 25 sessions, I became confident that no matter where the group began, they would end up in the same place — passionate about creating a caring environment for their customers and employees.  I developed a faith that the program worked.  I learned to believe in my ability to connect and bond with my audience.

As creative leaders we need to believe in what we are doing.  We need to have the faith that the art we are producing is good.  When our backs are up against the wall, we will be able to produce a miracle.  Do you have faith in your abilities?  Do you believe in what you are doing?

Ralph Waldo Emerson

"The purpose of life is not to be happy.  It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that  you have lived and lived well."

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

American Poet, Speaker, Writer

1803 - 1882

Too often people spend their time trying to find happiness.  Instead, they should be seeking ways to make a difference in the lives of others.  Happiness is never permanent.  We may experience moments of happiness, but we will not stay in that frame of mind.  Seek instead to be useful — to help others in their time of need.  If we focus on helping others and worry less about our own happiness, we will wake up one day and find that we are at peace with ourselves.

Why were you born?  What is your purpose for living on this planet?  When you reach the end of the road one day and look back across your life, what is the legacy you want to leave behind?  I believe we each have a reason for being born and part of our mission in life is to discover our purpose for being.  How would the world be different if you had never lived?  Ponder that question.  How many lives have you already touched?  A few years ago someone told me that I had inspired him to become a nursing home administrator.  I did not remember the young man, but he had heard me speak and was inspired.  And I sure you have made a difference in the lives of people you never met.  Has someone been inspired by a poem, a story or a novel you wrote?  Has someone been inspired by a picture you painted?  Maybe someone bought a painting from you and hung it in their living room.  And every time they look at it, they experience a moment of happiness. 

Here is a poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Maybe it will inspire you years after he wrote it.

The Apology

Think me not unkind and rude,

That I walk alone in grove and glen;

I go to the god of the wood

To fetch his word to men.

Tax not my sloth that I

Fold my arms beside the brook;

Each cloud that floated in the sky

Writes a letter in my book.

Chide me not, laborious band,

For the idle flowers I brought;

Every aster in my hand

Goes home loaded with a thought.

There was never mystery,

But 'tis figured in the flowers,

Was never secret history,

But birds tell it in the bowers.

One harvest from thy field

Homeward brought the oxen strong;

A second crop thine acres yield,

Which I gather in a song.

Catherine Lanigan

"I learned that writers make something out of nothing.  We make dreams into reality.  That's our nature, our mission.  We were born to it.  I will never give up my dream again.  Never." 

— Catherine Lanigan

American Writer

1947 - 

Catherine Lanigan gave up on her dream of writing while in college because a college professor told her she had no talent.  Years later after encouragement from a journalist, she returned to writing. 

We all have people who try to destroy our dreams and it takes courage to stand up to them.  If you are a beginning artist, writer, actor or singer, don't ask if you have talent.  No one can judge that but you.  Ask if you have the passion and persistence to keep creating even when others discourage you.  Ask if you have the heart and the courage to stand up for what you believe in.

Writers and artists make something from nothing.  They take a blank canvas and fill it with color.  They take a blank sheet of paper and fill it with story.  Believe in your dream.  Believe in yourself.  Believe in your creative gift.

Virginia Satir

"We must not allow other people's limited perceptions to define us."

— Virginia Satir

American Author

1916 - 1988

One of the challenges we all face is not letting other people's perceptions of us determine who we are and how we behave.  This development of who we believe ourselves to be begins almost from the moment we are born.  Our parents judge us based on our gender.  I have talked to women who say: "My father wanted a boy so he named me ___________."  Other people will tell us that we are big or tall or pretty.  And over the years these observations sink into our subconscious and we begin to believe them to be true.  Much of my childhood I was told that I was big for my age.  Over time that observation by people translated in my brain as "you are fat" even when I wasn't.

What observations have you heard throughout your life that you have come to believe as true?  How did these observations become translated into your brain?  Are these observations true or do you need to discard them?

As artists and writers we experience similar challenges.  People will criticize our creative works and often we come to believe these criticisms to be true.  We may even change our work to please the critics.  If we do, we are allowing their limited vision to define who we are and what we are capable of achieving.  Do not let those with limited imaginations limit you.  Stand up for yourself.  Choose to define yourself and your work by your vision, not that of others.

 

Alan Watts

"Faith is, above all, openness; an act of trust in the unknown."

— Alan Watts

British Philosopher, Writer, Speaker

1915 - 1973

Creative leaders need faith in their talent and in their ability to find the answers to the problems they face in their artistic endeavors.  This requires being open to new ways of viewing the world — to believing the answer lies within the psychic.  Creative leaders must also trust the unknown.  

When you find yourself staring at a blank piece of paper or a blank canvas have the faith that you will fill it and complete your story, your poem or your painting.  You must have faith in yourself and trust that you have the skill and the talent to complete the work.  If you lose faith,  you will fail.

Do you have faith in yourself?  In your talent?  In your skill?  In your artistic vision?  Do you trust that you will produce the creative work that you are meant to produce?  Do you trust the unknown?

Listen to Alan Watts in this animation video.