Get Inspired: Hip Hop Showcase

Hiya friends!

Let’s talk about inspiration, shall we?

Inspiration is something that I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’m pretty far from where I want to be professionally. I’m not in my dream job. I may be significantly closer than when I worked in HR, so I’m happy about that, but it’s still a long way from my dream job. Such a long way, in fact, that I feel a little like an Underwear Gnome.

I don't like South Park, but I like Underwear Gnomes.

So given that those middle steps are still very vague and hazy I’ve been finding it hard to inspire myself to make moves when, for all I know, those moves could be in the complete wrong direction. I mean, Step 2 is still so hazy that I can’t even make a SMART goal about it!

This quote is not inspiring in the least.

I’m not the only person who feels that way, right?

So here’s what I’ve been trying lately to get inspired and keep Step 2 in my sights. Hint: it’s not bullshitty quotes on pictures.

Last week I went to a hip hop showcase. My friend came into town because she is making a documentary on a group of emcees that were putting on a show. I had absolutely no clue what I was walking into.

It turns out that I walked into a group of amazingly talented, amazingly brave artists. How talented were they?

I stayed out two hours later than I planned, which is huge because I don’t give up sleep easily.

Watching these emcees perform was beyond energizing. They held nothing back. They put everything out there. They cared as much about respecting and supporting their fellow performers as they did about what the crowd thought of them.

These guys (and one very talented lady) were normal guys. They were nerdy college students. One was a college professor. One worked at Planet Fitness. One puffed on an inhaler before starting. And they were doing this unbelievably cool thing. Their rhymes were so original and they talked about real things, not fur coats and banging hoes and whatever else rappers today talk about.

Watching these guys perform, I couldn’t help but get inspired. I’m not going to buy a rhyming dictionary and try to perform with them anytime soon (or ever, probably), but I want to be more like them.

I want to grind and grind and grind without recognition like they do, simply because I love what I’m grinding at so much. I want to encourage other people to get better and work harder without fear that they’re going to surpass me. I want to put myself out there and do big, amazing things without fear of failing in front of people.

I want to fail in front of people and then try again.

These guys were doing all those things and they were doing them set to a beat. Like I said, this whole night was beyond inspiring. I left feeling energized and ready to make moves.

I didn’t make moves that night because, again, I love sleep. But that energy and all the poorly shot cell phone videos I look that night are going to carry me through a lot of grinding to come.

What about you, friends? What has inspired you lately?

Cheers, Kara