Ep #151: I’m Making It All Up

Are you ready to change your life forever today? If so, this short episode is the one for you. You’ve heard me say before it is my intention to offer an invitation to transformation. A shift is available in everything that I offer. And for some of you, you will hear this and it may not necessarily go in one ear and out the other, but you’ll dismiss it and say, “Oh, I know that.” But you won’t actually take it in. You won’t actually let it change you in the profound way that it could.

So, I’m going to introduce this particular concept, idea, episode with a quote from Steve Jobs, “When you grow up, you tend to get told the world is the way it is and your life is just to live your life inside the world. Try not to bash into the walls too much. Try to have a nice family. Have fun. Save a little money. That’s a very limited life. Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact. Everything around you that you call life was made up; made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it. You can influence it. You can build your own things that other people can use. Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again.”

So, that’s the end of Steve Jobs’ quote. And he says, “Once you learn that, that life was made up by people no smarter than you, that that can also be you.” And he says, “Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again”

And here is just where I want to expand upon that and will dive in deeper in the episode. What does “learn” mean to you? Because for too many of us, we are way too passive about learning. The way he’s talking about it, the invitation he’s offering is not just, “Oh yeah, I know that’s how the world works.” But does it change the way you live your own life, the way you view yourself and your place in the world? Does it change your world view? Does it move you into that capital-C Creative role?

Because you have to do more than just know this. You might have heard that quote before even. Take it in. Get it. Make it your own. Own it. And I promise, you and your life will never be the same. The world will never be the same.

You are listening to The Art School Podcast; a show for artists and creatives who want to become the next greatest version of themselves. Learn how to cultivate an extraordinary way of being and take the mystery out of making money, and the struggle out of making art. Here is your host, master certified life coach, artist, and former lawyer, Leah Badertscher.

Hello, everyone, and welcome to another episode of The Art School Podcast. Thank you for being here. And wherever you are in the world, let me just say again, I’m so glad you’re here. Welcome, welcome, welcome.

In each of these episodes, every week, I hope there is something – it is my intention that there is something that you can take in; an energetic infusion, inspiration, empowerment, actionable wisdom to implement in your life, and move the needle in meaningful ways.

Maybe sometimes, you just want to come in and bask in a different energy and take something in by osmosis and you begin to move the needle almost effortlessly in your own good time. Others of you are raring to go and jump right in. So, no matter where you find yourself on that spectrum, trust where you are.

And I want to also say this week, have fun with it. Give yourself license to have fun with it and let that be an acceptable standard for you. As you up-level your life, let it be, “Hey, if I am not making this fun, if this is not fun for me, then this isn’t the way.”

So, that is the kind of rule you get to make up, as a capital-C Creative. So, I don’t want to speak too much and to bury this message in a barrage, a flood of words. What I wanted to share with you this week is that stark, pure principle that the world was made up by other people no smarter, no quote unquote better than you, and it’s not your lot in life to just bang around inside the walls, inside the paradigms that other people have built.

You were built for more than that. The world is built for more than that. And there is more than enough room for you and all your gifts, and also the gifts and the dreams and the intentions and the goals that you haven’t even touched yet.

So, personally, I have been imagining and sensing and thinking and writing and creating and building and failing and floundering and raising myself back up and reevaluating, reflecting some more, revising, calling my visions back, breathing, resting, integrating, and moving.

I have been living my way into the moonshot goal I set a few years back. And so, if you haven’t heard me talk about my moonshot goal before, you can reference episode seven of The Art School Podcast. And that will give you the full story of what a moonshot is and the details of mine.

The shorthand version of mine is that I am making $2 million and more a year basically being myself, on my own terms, creating that level of success doing what I want to do, being a creative force of nature and flowing in the world.

The way I envisioned that happening, the particular mediums, media that I currently love and envisioned were the art of coaching, the art of creating traditional art, painting, writing, and also leaving the door open for those things that I just can’t even – opportunities I can’t even see yet.

And so, while I am not at the $2 million a year mark currently, I am on my way. That is what I am creating. That’s the direction in which I am headed. Any other alternative, there aren’t any.

I’m not available for any other alternative. And also, one of my sacred twin intentions along with that particular marker for a goal is that this is fulfilling. It is a fulfilling process for me. And part of that is that I’m having fun doing it, and it’s also a process of evolution for me; spiritual evolution, intellectual, emotional, of my craft in terms of being a coach, of my craft in terms of art and writing. So that this really can be an example of creating success on your own terms, of building soul while building a very lucrative, successful, rewarding, fulfilling business.

I should state that when I set this goal, I hadn’t at that point cracked the six-figure mark as an entrepreneur. I had created a lot of success as an artist. I was painting. I was painting a lot. I was selling a lot of paintings. Many of those for several thousands of dollars. Some of those for five-figure amounts. And I was coaching too and I was making more money as a coach, but again, had not crossed that six-figure threshold.

But since that time – and I believe that episode was released in early 2019 – I have crossed that threshold and many times over. So, cumulatively I am nearing the seven-figure mark over the past few years. On track this year to easily hit three quarters of a million dollars, cumulatively. That’s my conservative estimate for the last three years of counting. And that’s me just staying on the conservative side right now too in terms of estimates.

So, I don’t need to parse out the math. I think you get the picture that that’s a pretty – that’s not a pretty significant. That is a tremendously significant difference. And that is the power of a moonshot goal. That is the power of letting yourself decide that you can be someone who decides to make up what they’re going to do, to leave no room for any other consideration other than, “This is who I am and this is what I’m doing. This is the value I create in the world.” And anything else, you’re just not available for.

And while obviously the money is awesome and the financial impact is real and I am so proud of that and so grateful for that and I am also very passionate about speaking about it to destigmatize any of the nonsense we have about talking about money and money goals. Because I want to be an example for you of what’s possible.

And if we have shame or stigma around being financially free, financially empowered and wealthy, if we have stigma around overcoming our underearning and stepping into our brilliance and our value and claiming our seat at the table, if there is any stigma or shame around that, it’s not going to happen.

So, I will not kowtow to paradigms that say, “Oh, it’s impolite. It’s crass. It’s low-brow. It’s unsophisticated to talk about money.” Bull-loney. I really want to model for you, no matter what your goal or dream – maybe it’s financial. Maybe that’s part of it. Maybe it’s not that at all. What I want to model for you is giving yourself permission to step into your light and your power, to shine unabashedly, unapologetically, messily, imperfectly, flawed.

I so am and I have still been able to do this. There have been rocky points on the journey and there’s been fun. And I have learned so much. And I have not let those rocky points, those low points, my imperfections, my just fall-on-my-face failures, I have not let them mean that I am not fit for my goal. I have not let them mean anything that would impair the perfection of the vision that I’m doing it, that this is doing it. And that’s been a practice.

And what I was starting to say is one of the greatest gifts of this moonshot process, the way that it has required me to evolve, evolve my faith and trust in myself and in a creative process where I decide I am going to be this empowered and this capital-C Creative, it has allowed me to step into abilities and gifts that I had no idea that I had.

It has allowed me to have an impact in people’s lives that I hear about on a daily basis. It has allowed me to be a part of people’s lives in such a profound and meaningful way that – I mean, that’s not too much. But it’s overwhelming in the best of ways and I really have to slow down and take it in and let the reality of that sink in.

Like, the reality that I once made up was that I can have this vision of a beautiful thing I’m creating in this world, whether it be a painting, whether it be Art School. And that beautiful thing in the world, it’s going to mean so much to other people. It’s going to change their lives even.

And I get to be rewarded, supported financially. I get to enjoy that aspect of material support, resource support, so that I can continue to grow and evolve and live my fullest, most fully expressed authentic life.

I made that up. No one told me that that was available. I didn’t see that as a career track, you know, listed in some college brochure. I didn’t see  particular template of anyone doing – but what I did see, and I’m grateful for, are the trailblazers, the visionaries, the artists, the other coaches, the mentors that I have had who have made their way doing their own thing.

I didn’t see any one person combining things the way I wanted to, but inspired and empowered and invigorated by these other people, including people like Steve Jobs. Because as a multi-faceted, multi-dimensional shadow light as that human being is, was, you know, remarks like that, remarks from a creative genius like that who changed the whole world about how, “Look around, this is all made up.”

I absolutely took that in. I absolutely decided, “I will not let something like that be wasted on me. I will not decide that that might be for some people, but that’s not for me. I will not let my life and my opportunities be wasted on me.”

And has this always been the easiest? Absolutely not. Also, I say that, and at the same time, it is not easy to just bash around the walls of an existence created by someone else, meanwhile knowing inside that you are meant to create in a big way. You are not meant to live in a house and a world which someone else built and designed. And you’re not a square peg into a round hole.

But feeling like that’s your experience in life, no, no. So, these words, like words from Steve Jobs are like so abundant. The wisdom is out there. My podcast and other podcasts like mine are so abundant. Do take the time to take it in and let it change you.

You can’t just know this information. You have to integrate it and you have to do something with it. And I find that this can be a stumbling block for many super intelligent, brilliant, talented people. Is they know better, but they are not enforcing the levels of mental, spiritual devotion and discipline required to give themselves that whole vision, let that be their truth, let that be their North Star and say, “No more. I reject anything that is less than that. I reject a life that is settling.”

And this is not from an egoic place. This is from an openhearted place. You came to be expressed in the world. You came to love and live in this authentic free way. So, it’s not about being ungrateful. It’s actually about looking at your whole experience in life and saying, “Where have I been frustrated? Where have I been heartbroken?”

And don’t be hard on yourself for decisions that you’ve made that haven’t worked out. But to instead harvest the wisdom, harvest the compassion and strength that were hard-earned from all of those experiences and use it all to carry you forward.

So, I want to share with you something that I wrote on our Slack forum for the Art School. I posted in our celebrations channel that I am celebrating all of you, including the specific fact of all of you being here, even more so sweet given that the Art School was literally once a dream. Not even start dust, but a North Star in terms of the fact that I knew where I was headed.

But first, it existed solely in my imagination, so far as I know. I don’t know where it came from before that. And then I spoke it into the world. Shakily at first. But it got easier, more solid, more real. As long as I kept tuning into the energy of it and not the energy of not-it.

And I kept acting and showing up as best-aligned as I could be. And the gathering myself and then regathering myself and realigning myself when I felt knocked off-course. And I will add, sometimes I have felt way knocked off-course, guys.

In other words, I made this all up. And it is better. You all are so much better, brilliant, gifted, amazing than I even imagined in my best and wildest dreams. In other words, make things up. Make sure you are admitting what you really want.

And then, keep focusing on what you really want. And keep practicing, pruning your tendency to focus on what you don’t want. Discipline yourself to the dream energy. And that is nowhere as punitive as it sounds, I promise.

It’s ridiculous amounts of fun. So much so that sometimes it feels borderline illegal. But it’s not. It’s just unusual. Maybe. But hopefully less and less for this group. Let’s normalize extraordinary creativity. Let’s normalize extraordinary success. Let’s normalize extraordinary fulfilment and shining as human beings. Let’s normalize making things up and then actually doing it, channeling it, sustaining, the ruthless beliefs, sustaining the ruthless love that allows the creativity in gives you strength and allows the magic to happen.

And so, my friends, if you could make up anything, for real, if you could make up anything, what would you make up? Another way of asking this, “What are you making real?”

So, I blew by the actual coach with me segment like 20 minutes ago. This whole podcast, the point of it is coach with me. The point of it is, no more will you just take in precious pearls of wisdom and then not allow them to change you, to enrich your life. No more will you sit down at a banquet prepared for you, the feat of your life, and then go back to a corner and eat stale Saltines. Take this in. Let me ask you these questions again. Here’s an additional one, put a little bit differently.

Look around at your life, what you currently consider reality. So, that’s what you’re currently making or not making real. And if you survey that landscape, inner and outer, if you could make up anything, what would you make up?

Oh my god, I wish I could sit down with you or go for a walk or have a coffee or a glass of wine or whatever beverage of your choice and actually hear this answer. I am dying to know, what would you make up? What is your heart and soul dying to make up?

I love this kind of conversation. I love hearing someone’s authentic, unabashed answer. So, if you want a sounding board, if you want to send it out into the universe, write to me, support@leahcb.com with the answers to these questions. And I am going to carve out special space in my calendar and make sure that I read and respond to every single one that takes the time to write to me and with this question.

So, if you could make up anything for real, what would you make up? And another way of asking this then – and this is a tricky question. I worded it this way on purpose because the way I’ve worded this, it already assumes you’re taking action, that you’re going to take new action – what, my friends, are you committed to making real?

This is how you realize. Realize, make real the dream. I cannot wait to hear from you. I cannot wait to see the dreams, the goals, the vision, the work, that expression of you, the love that you give and make real in the world. Go get it, my friends. Go get it.

Thank you so much for listening to another episode of The Art School Podcast. I so appreciate you listening. I appreciate you being part of this movement and this rising tide of creativity. If you are stoked to participate in continuing this momentum and in spreading the word, I would love your help in spreading the word about this podcast.

It’s another of my moonshot goals to reach a million downloads. And if every listener currently sent this podcast, recommended it to 10 friends and then just organically the word spread from there, I have no doubt I will be smashing that goal in several months’ time. Maybe even before the year is out. Is that too tall an order? I don’t know, but that’s kind of how I like to fly.

And I, again, just want to thank you for listening and also in advance, if you are so moved to help me spread this message, I love that. And I greatly appreciate it.

If you have any questions about working with me, opportunities to work with me including upcoming Art School opportunities, mastermind, Art School masterclasses, please subscribe to my newsletter. You can do so at www.leahcb.com.

I am also rolling out some very special features only for my newsletter-subscribed audience this coming year. So, I’ve been working on some things behind the scenes and again, it’s just some exclusive writings and teachings, all free for that newsletter subscription audience.

So, if you’re not already on my life, please hop on over, www.leahcb.com. You can smash that subscribe button and get yourself on the list. If you have any other questions, you can email us, support@leahcb.com and we’d be happy to help.

So, to close the podcast today, I have a quote to share with you. It’s from the X Company. So, you may have heard me mention this before if you’ve attended any of my classes, the Art School. I’ve maybe even included it on this podcast before. But it is so apropos for today’s episode.

Throughout the course of history, we’ve seen that when people set their minds to wildly ambitious goals, the seemingly impossible starts to become possible. Moonshot thinking is about just that; pursuing things that sound undoable, but if done could redefine humanity.

And I will say, that has absolutely born out in my personal experience, both in my own life, but also being the near witness and guide to other people’s lives, these wildly ambitious goals, and you begin pursuing them. And pretty soon, they’re within reach. And pretty soon, before you know it, you’re doing things that you’ve never done before.

And for me, again, that $2 million goal, at one time I was in that place of paradox, of, “Oh my god, it’s wildly impossible. And oh my god, there’s no way I’m not doing this.” and I had no idea how.

Now, I have a very clear view of how. So, now I have some moonshots that are a little different. But for the purposes of this podcast, I’m going to still continue talking about this one with you and keeping you updated.

But let me just say this again. When people set their minds to wildly ambitious goals, the seemingly impossible starts to become possible. Moonshot thinking is about just that; pursuing things that sound undoable, but if done could redefine humanity.

And you know, it redefines beginning with you and beginning with your life. And at one point, honestly, I had much more difficulty. Like, I had a vision. I had a dream of, “Oh my gosh, look at things like the X Company. Look at government programs like DARPA. Look at things like the MacArthur Genius Award,” places where they are fostering ingenuity and creativity and setting these wildly ambitious goals. And from a sense of, “et us see what the human spirit and mind and the imagination can do. Let’s see what the potential is for humanity.”

And that has always deeply inspired. And yet, there was a lot of time when I had so much difficulty with, I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I had so much difficulty owning it. I don’t now. That’s what I want to do in the realm of creativity. That’s what I am doing in the realm of creativity, in the Art School, in any masterminds I offer. That is what my work is about. That is what I want my personal life to be an example of. And that is the work of my life.

There are other works of my life. But this is a core obsession and passion of mine. And again, I share this because I know the power of mirror neurons. I know the power of giving an energetic example and learning from someone else’s energy. And I know there are some of you out there listening who, this is all you need.

You don’t need to know more. You are here at this moment because you’re meant to hear this message and receive it at this frequency and be like, “You know what? I’m going to cut the psychic drag to any of that business where I’ve been doubting myself and holding back. Because you know what? It takes so much energy. And I’m going to give all that energy now to my truth. That’s where I’m going. This is what I’m about. This is who I am. And this is what I’m doing. No more bashing around the inside of other people’s walls. I am making it up. And I’ve never felt so alive. I’ve never had so much fun. I’ve never been so in love with life.”

That’s what I want for each and every one of you listening. And I hope you have a wonderful week. I look forward to talking with you next time.