If you’ve read even just a single post from me, then this is for YOU

The great thing about loving what I do is being able to do it for the sake of doing it. Whether it’s early in the morning, or very early (read: past midnight) the next day, I’m always thinking about what to write, how to crystallize an experience, how to share a feeling, how to translate a thought in words. Sometimes, while watching a gig or catching myself in the middle of a moment, a mini-screenplay comes to my mind. I think of how to write certain moments or encounters as short films. When I overhear conversations in a café, I think of how to present them if I were to show them onstage. Even when I watch DVDs, I prefer keeping the subtitles on—I read movies (and try to imagine the screenplay behind it); I don’t necessarily watch them.

It doesn’t matter that I haven’t yet published (or released) a single short story, theater script, screenplay, novel, book, whatever… As long as I’m able to imagine myself working on them and finally unveiling the Author in me, then I know that the dream is alive—and it will someday be reality.

What fuels this dream, believe it or not, are the daily messages that I get from people like you who thank me, encourage me, and egg me on. In the past month alone, I’ve received more emails and messages from people I don’t know than I have in the months before that. They are kind words from people from everywhere around the world who have written to say that they have read my blog or articles and can relate to what I’ve written. You can’t imagine how humbling it is to know that, in some way, my words have become a part of your life.

It gets scary, too, when I think about it. Words carry such weight with them—they are energy actualized, the building blocks of reality. When you say or write something down, you more often than not manifest it in the physical world. So when you write something down that people actually take seriously, you are somehow affecting their decisions and how their lives will turn out. It’s scary to be responsible for that kind of thing. But, then again, I’d really much rather contribute to something good than to not do anything at all.

So what I’m really trying to say is this: THANK YOU—for reading my posts, for taking my words seriously, for responding to me, for encouraging me, for being a part of my work and my life. It fills my heart with so much gratitude to know that, even from my little corner of the world, I am doing something that means something to someone else. What I’m feeling now is something that I’d wish for EVERYONE to experience at least once in their lives.

Petra Nemcova (the supermodel/humanitarian) was right when she said something during a telephone interview I had with her a couple of months back: “I think it’s really selfish to help others. You help others to make people happy but you make yourself happy too. So if you want to be selfish, be selfish and help others. It gives more meaning to your lives.”

So go and be selfish! I’m sure you’ll be as happy as you have made me.