One of the final items on the Passion Pays the Bills list is Sharing.

Sharing has actually snuck into many of the previous posts. Talking about your thing is a way of sharing it. Thanking people for the ways in which they help involves sharing your appreciation. And asking people for help is sharing, too.

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Writing this blog series has let me practice sharing.

More important, it’s let me practice sharing in an improvisational and imperfect way. It’s helped me continue to practice my biggest improvisational lesson — finding a place to begin and then figuring it out as I go.

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As I’ve mentioned (once or twice *wink*), I prefer to operate out of the limelight. I like to work out all the details ahead of time and in private and then present a perfect, polished finished result. Studying spontaneous singing helps counteract that tendency (at least some of the time *smile*).

Case in point, I had no idea what the posts of for Passion Pays the Bills would be like. I just posted the list and then challenged myself to expand on it.

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Once I was in it, however, I could start to see a path. Kind of like untangling a ball of yarn. You can’t work it out by looking at it, you’ve got to get in there and starting pulling strands. The important part is picking up the yarn in the first place.

If I had forced myself to write the whole series before sharing it with you, we would be starting a new year without anyone having read any of these posts. (Because I wouldn’t have written them.)

Giving myself permission to write one post at a time — often not knowing what I was going to say each week until I finished the post — let me explore what each topic meant to me and to articulate what I’ve learned.

(It’s interesting that the posts that were the hardest for me to write were the ones that garnered the most response. It was as if these slippery topics — talking about your thing, asking for help and using what you know — resonated so strongly because they were … well … slippery.)

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But, to be honest, when I jotted “share what you know” on the list, I meant sharing in a more direct way.

Sharing resources and information and time and energy. Cooperating and collaborating to support other people in their passions while you grow your own.

Becoming a helper, mentor, consultant or expert are all ways to share what you know and help your passion (and your bank account) grow.

I find if I’m feeling anxious, frazzled or just over-caffeinated (which happened a LOT this past week!) that this breathing exercise moves me from shallow anxious breathing to slow contemplative breathing.

Not to mention that as part of my vocal routine it strengthens and refines breath control and support. Most important — especially when the frazzled caffeine thing is happening — it takes about 2 minutes.

It has two parts … inhaling and exhaling. (*wink*)

Each exhalation is a count longer than the preceding inhalation. After each breath cycle you increase the count by 1.

Confused? Let’s walk through it.
(Hint: read through the instructions before trying it.)

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First, establish a steady beat (not too fast, not too slow, but juuussst right *smile*). You can tap your foot or snap your fingers or just hear the beat in your head.

1. Breathe in for 1 count (yup, it’s quick!)
2. Breathe out for 2 counts
3. Now, breathe in for 2 counts
4. Breathe out for 3 counts
5. Breathe in for 3 counts
6. Breathe out for 4 counts …

Got the idea? Continue until your inhale count is around 14 and your exhale is 15.

I notice that at about 6 or 7, I have to change the way I’m breathing. I have to consciously slow the inhalation AND the exhalation. Slowing and deepening the breath calms the rest of me, too.

By 13 or 14, I’m calm, cool and collected.

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Thanks to everyone who showed up for the holiday show, we had a great time!
(Maybe you can tell? *smile*)

Spices: A Women's Ensemble celebrates the holidays.

Wow, I heard from a lot of you about Monday’s post on working. (I had no idea it would prove so inspirational!) Many of you said it was exactly what you needed to hear. I’m glad to be of service and I thank you for appreciating my work.

Oh! and If you’re in the Twin Cities area, swing by Butter Bakery Cafe tonight around 7:30 pm (12/18) to catch me singing with Spices: A Women’s Ensemble in our holiday show. ~sg

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More on working:

“Find something you love to do and you’ll never have to work a day in your life”
— Harvey MacKay

“I really am happy as a part-time film composer, not a full-time film composer.”
— Danny Elfman

“I tried for modeling work but it was a bit slow and that’s when I took a part-time job at McDonalds. It gave me income while I was waiting for my big break and at the very least I could eat.”
— Sharon Stone

“Set priorities for your goals. A major part of successful living lies in the ability to put first things first. Indeed, the reason most major goals are not achieved is that we spend our time doing second things first.”
— unknown

“You don’t get paid for the hour. You get paid for the value you bring to the hour.”
— Jim Rohn

“What we really want to do is what we are really meant to do. When we do what we are meant to do, money comes to us, doors open for us, we feel useful, and the work we do feels like play to us.”
— Julia Cameron