My favorite book says, “… your gifts will make room for you“.
The truth of this was displayed watching the meteoric rise of Derrick “DNice” Jones. Before 2020, DNice was a culturally recognized DJ, but during the quarantine, he literally blasted into millions of homes by playing music on Instagram Live and dubbing it #ClubQuarantine.
He shared during several interviews that he started #ClubQuarantine because he was feeling low from not working and the uncertainty of being quarantined due to COVID-19.
So, he began to play music on Instagram Live for himself and felt like a few of his friends would tune it. On that first day, around 200 people joined him and less than a week later, over 150,000 people were listening to him play music from his apartment.
His Instagram followers went from 200,000 to over 1,000,000 in 48 hours. He has lead voter registrations with First Lady Michelle Obama, appeared on the Emmy’s, and partnered with Viacom and MTV to now take #ClubQuarantine to television.
This is a powerful example of when “DOING WHAT YOU LOVE MEETS DOING IT FOR THE LOVE“.
But what happens when you’re doing what you love but it’s not producing the finances, exposure, promotion, and acknowledgment that you are working so hard to achieve? How do you handle when you are giving your all but you’re not reaping the fruits of your labor?
There are times in our lives, when the work we are doing is equivalent to planting seeds in a garden. We know these seeds will produce flowers, but the process requires our patience while those seeds grow into beautiful flowers.
That’s when our gratitude empowers our patience.
I say all of the time, “don’t let the drive for what you want to achieve, rob you of the joy of what you’ve already accomplished.”
Gratitude allows you to be excited about what you will receive in the future and filled with joy around what you are experiencing in the present.
When we are flying in a plane. We feel the pull of the take off and the lowering during the descent. But while we are in the air, traveling to our destination, we do not feel the plane moving.
That’s what happens when we are doing work we love but not experiencing the advancements or financial rewards we want. Keep going. You are traveling to your destination. You are moving forward. You will reach your goals.
My challenge to you is spend the next seven (7) days counting your blessings. Start in the morning, stay committed throughout the day, and end your day focusing on all of the many things that fill your heart with gratitude.
Remember to own your gratitude so you can enjoy the journey.
Sheri Riley is a wife, mother, daughter, and entrepreneur and we all know this is not easy, but she’s discovered how to make it simple. After 20 years of creating marketing strategies for Usher, TLC, Toni Braxton, Converse, Nike, NBA, and Turner, she now serves as an Empowerment Speaker and Life Strategist. She speaks around the world, sharing her message of "Peace is the New Success®". Her award-winning book, Exponential Living® -Stop Spending 100% of Your Time on 10% of Who You Are® (Penguin Random House) is the guide to integrate your personal desires into your life without detriment to your professional achievement.
Learn more at SheriRiley.com. Instagram/Twitter @SheriRiley, Linkedin/Facebook @SheriRileydotcom.