What you do and what you accomplish is not merely directly, intimately connected to who you are; right now, there is no distinction at all. Therefore, project yourself fully into what you’re doing. Bring in every resource that you have, every talent, every idea. I suggest, in particular, that you focus on what you consider your most radical ideas or plans. Radical means reaching into the roots, so what I am suggesting is about depth rather than about how shocking something is. Some may consider it shocking, and one measure of depth is the feeling of being drawn out of your safe zone. Ideally what you begin at this juncture will have a feeling of risk, and of being a little edgy. Ideally, you’ll feel like you have to risk your reputation in order to do something more authentic than you’ve ever done. Think of what would be your most idealistic future plan, and then remember that it’s possible to put into action now. At this moment you are opening a door to a new phase of your creative life, which is what you used to think of as your professional life. Therefore, this is the time to claim your deepest mission. Send yourself the message that what you’re doing is real and you will signal this to the world. Let everything you say and do have the same basic message. If you get distracted or caught in externals, go back to the roots of what you’re doing and express yourself from there.
