On Purpose

The weather guys said it would be irritatingly hot. I’m here to report, they nailed it. The event took place at 1015 Rooftop. Thankfully, that roof was only about a flight and a half into the cloudless, morning sky. Heat index aside, it was gorgeous. About a third of the space is unexpectedly sprawling with nature. Wildflowers, grasses and trees juxtaposed with the textured brick of Automobile Alley with Downtown Oklahoma City sitting pretty in the background.

CreativeMornings exists to bring, quite literally, a world of creativity together. Here is what sets this community apart: CreativeMornings celebrates CREATIVITY. Period. Not simply Creatives. It is a community of people who appreciate creativity, art and beauty in all aspects. My husband will say that he himself is not particularly artistic but he has a great appreciation for those who are and their craft. My husband and I are both welcome at CreativeMornings, that is some kind of wonderful. CreativeMornings communities around the globe host morning lectures to inspire, empower and enrich creativity.

This month, their regularly scheduled speaker fell through, which resulted in an opportunity for four audience members to take the stage. I was encouraged to submit. I hope everyone has this person in their life, I happen to have a few of them. The ones who see the whole you. The ones who genuinely cheer you on and want to challenge you in the best ways. To my surprise, I received the news that I would have the opportunity to speak on the topic of CRAFT.

For seven minutes.

Seven minutes?! I had so much to say, so many points to make. How could I possibly make any sense of it in seven minutes?

I did what I do. I wrote it all. I wrote and I wrote and I wrote.

And then, I slashed. This and that. Here and there. I did a run-through and 12 minutes later, I was out of breath knowing I really had 15 minutes of content. Eventually, I remembered what my man-of-fewer-words husband always tells me when I am preparing to speak – hit the high points, share what matters most.

I stood facing East, catching glimpses of faces and rad sunglasses of the CreativeMornings audience. The sun would not defeat me nor would the fear of the mic that seemed to weigh 13 pounds in my weak and shaking hand. There was no turning back now, I was all in. On the front row were my new friends smiling back at me, believing in me. One by one, they would follow me in holding this mic. I desperately wanted to make them proud.

I received my two-minute warning and was both elated because I had made it that far and a little bummed because right then, in that very moment, I was making a memory, crushing an “I Can’t” and feeling on-purpose and it was about to end.

Here is the very best part. That feeling hasn’t ended. My experience at CreativeMornings lit me up. My fellow speakers spoke directly to me in different ways.

Krista Rice: She reminded me what the flight attendants tell us when we get on a plane. If the air masks drop, put yours on first before helping others. How can we be our best to those around us if we do not take the time to meet our needs? Krista reminded me to be mindful of my yeses.

Tim Dillingham: He helped me see that comparison is the thief of joy. His own story of this will impact how I encourage my son who often focuses on those who “do it better”. Tim challenged me to continue to try new things.

Ashley Stephen: Chills. Someday I’ll be reading her book, I’m just sure of it. Her seven minutes left me feeling uplifted and on fire. Ashley brought light into my life and I only just met her, how many people can you say that about?

CreativeMornings took a chance on me by handing me the mic. I’m not sure anyone took anything away from the words I shared that sunny, summer morning, but one thing is certain, I’m better because of it.