Ep 52: Knowing Where To Look with Light Watkins
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Knowing Where To Look
Episode 52: Show Notes.
This week’s episode is something a little different. Instead of bringing on a guest, Light uses this episode as an opportunity to talk about his own journey through the context of the book that he has coming out on May 25th, 2021, called Knowing Where to Look: 108 Daily Doses of Inspiration.
The book is full of personal stories, as well as classical stories, anecdotes, and observations that he has composed over the last five years. It's important to hear about the background of these kinds of projects, because we all have some sort of project or passion that we dream about or work towards. You might think that it’s easy for someone who hosts their own podcast to write a book.
In today’s episode, Light assures you that his journey has been just as busy, uncertain, and messy as anyone else’s, which is likely true for nearly anybody you admire or look up to! You are just as capable as anyone else of achieving your dreams or completing that dream project, no matter what your background or your journey looks like.
Sometimes, it’s all about knowing where to look for inspiration, and this episode will hopefully form a point of reference. Light encourages you to look inside yourself, to listen to your still small voice, to consciously follow your inner guidance, and to trust yourself to take that leap of faith! You never know where it might lead you.
Key Points From This Episode:
Hear about the opening story of the book, which Light calls ‘Right Time, Right Place’.
How he first made the decision to follow inspiration, no matter where it led him.
Light shares the story of his first two hours in Paris, during which time he serendipitously landed a job, an apartment, and a group of friends.
The divine lesson he learned about consciously following his inner guidance.
Why this book is like a meditation on the subject of inspiration.
Light reflects on why inspiration makes us feel both excited and scared simultaneously.
Learn about the origins of Light’s Daily Dose of Inspiration emails.
He shares the excitement and fear he felt at the outset and what he did when his greatest fear was realized; he ran out of content!
As per Maya Angelou, Light discovered that “being creative generates creativity.”
The concept of the muse and the role that mediation plays in Light’s creativity.
The reasons it can be challenging for you to hear the still small voice inside yourself.
Why your pain voice is often the loudest and can prevent you from taking a leap of faith.
If our two most important days are when we are born and when we die, Light proposes a third; the day we take action on our purpose.
How to decide whether to find a publisher or self-publish your first book.
Why Light wrote this “treasure trove of inspiration” and how it is designed to be read.
Why it is crucial for fan’s of an author’s work to preorder that author’s book.
Light shares his gratitude for everyone who has supported him and his mission to leave you more inspired than he found you.
Tweetables:
“I would find comfort in the discomfort of uncertainty, of the unknown. I'm sure that can sound scary or crazy to some people but, had I not trusted my internal GPS, I don't think I could have done it.” — @LightWatkins [0:06:00]
“My internal GPS was my travel agent.” — @LightWatkins [0:08:51]
“No matter how things appear on the outside, if I consciously follow [my inner guidance], I’ll almost always find myself in the right time, at the right place.” — @LightWatkins [0:18:48]
“No one ever has to tell you that working out feels good, because it's self-evident. Inspiration also has those same characteristics. When you follow it, there is a degree of uncertainty associated with it, but it feels awesome.” — @LightWatkins [0:24:34]
“I have to credit my [meditation] practice with providing me with the space to keep showing up and to keep trusting what I hear and feel and experience inside.” — @LightWatkins [0:33:46]
“There's so much negativity happening in the news, on social media, Twitter, and so little positivity or inspiration. I wanted this to become a treasure trove of inspiration that anyone could use.” — @LightWatkins [0:42:10]
“Part of my mission at this point in time, in this lifetime, is to take whatever I have and do the most with it to help leave you in a better place, to help leave you more inspired than I found you.” — @LightWatkins [0:48:23]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Episode 49: Art + Activism with Saul Williams