Many of us grow up hearing that we must sit down, be quiet, and mind the rules. “Do as you’re told,” a common refrain in too many households where children’s spirits are being stifled daily.  

Even worse is the expectation that a child will follow in the parents’ footsteps, take over the family business, or join the firm that has been handed down for at least a generation or two. 

All too often, no one questions whether the child would want to do this or what that child might prefer doing instead. And because children are so eager to please — especially their parents — they will often choke down what’s being forced on them in an effort to make Mummy and/or Daddy happy. 

But that’s not why we were put on this planet. Each of us has a purpose and a path to follow that will help us fulfill it. In order to do that, we arrive with our own personalities, interests, strengths and desires. And it is our job to fully express all of that, as this is how our spirits speak.

Think about watching a film or reading a story that doesn’t allow you to connect with the main characters. You aren’t given a reason to care about what happens to them. You aren’t emotionally invested and you end up not giving a rat’s @$$ and are left feeling like you wasted your time. 

Life is the same. If you skate through it by stuffing your feelings and ignoring your dreams, you can’t expect to be happy. Without being connected to your heart and expressing its desires, your life will feel empty or as if something is missing. It will lack the kind of meaning you wish it had. You won’t fully express the beautiful spirit that’s locked away under a mountain of expectation or beliefs that keep you small and hidden. 

You’ll never know what you could achieve if you don’t give yourself the opportunity to find out.

It is especially prevalent amongst people who call themselves “creatives,” those of us who feel a burning need to create something whether it’s art, crafts, music, dance routines, or perhaps being a storyteller and writing books or poetry. When considering “what to be when we grow up,” we might have been told these are not suitable fields to pursue. We probably heard, “Get a real job.” Or “Don’t even think about it! You’ll never make any money doing that.” 

So we stifle those desires and all that delicious creativity. We force ourselves to fit into some sort of “real job” that might pay the bills but it leaves us entirely unfulfilled. 

Perhaps you’ll be “lucky” enough to get a job in your preferred field but it’s supporting others while they live out their dreams. Maybe you’re the PR person for a famous author. Or you’re an Intellectual Property Rights lawyer for people who are making art or music or taking beautiful photos. You experience a taste of your dreams through those people. But you don’t get to live your own — unless you’re brave and take that bold step to see what happens.

Take Norman “Hurricane” Smith, for example. Born (1923) and raised in England, he was the engineer for nearly 100 Beatles songs and produced three Pink Floyd albums. Hiding his own light, he wrote songs he hoped other artists would record — one in particular that in 1971 he’d hoped John Lennon would record. But on hearing the demo, a fellow record producer urged him to release it exactly as it was. “Don’t Let It Die” hit number 2 in the UK charts.

Just one year later, in 1972 Smith had a massive international hit with, “Oh, Babe, What Would You Say?” It reached number 3 in the US and number 4 in the UK.

What I love even more than this brilliant example of what can happen when you step out of other people’s shadows and into your own light is that although Hurricane Smith didn’t exactly become a household name in the same way as those of some of the musicians he produced, he left his mark around the world with this playful song. One need only hear his name and immediately, this tune and these great lyrics come to mind. Offering a good dose of nostalgia, more than 50 years later the classic tune harkens back to a time long before it was written, leaving us with a sense of fun and a reminder of simpler times. 

Better still is that we can clearly see that playful quality of the song — and Smith’s spirit — when he performs on the Johnny Carson show in February, 1973. Although his live performance isn’t quite as “note conscious” as the original recording, I prefer this one because he’s obviously having such a good time.

So good, in fact, that during the saxophonist’s solo toward the end, Smith dances around the stage and playfully sticks his finger into the man’s ear.

When did you ever see a professional musician do that? Smith’s childlike spirit radiates throughout this performance and it’s absolutely delightful!

Initially, Smith pursued a career that would allow him to earn a good living while helping other artists express themselves doing the thing he loved most — writing and performing their own songs. And although he might be best remembered for one wonderfully playful, timeless song that will continue to be a delight for decades to come, I will always think of him as a shining example of how important it is for us to follow our dreams and create to our hearts’ content. 

The purest expression of your soul lies in your creativity and it is nothing short of a tragedy to keep it locked away where no one ever gets to experience it. 

Especially you.

Be brave. Step into the light and let your soul shine in all its childlike playfulness and creativity and wonder. 

When you do that, you connect with your Divinity, the very essence of who you are. 

And in this way, you encourage others to connect with theirs, too. 

Let your spirit speak. Show us the true beauty of your soul. Of you. Follow your heart and give your dreams a chance to come true. That’s the whole point of being here. 

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As a Spiritual Arts Mentor and Master Teacher, I will guide you in discovering who you are, why you’re here, and how to follow that path.