Happy spooky day, friends. Do you know what is scarier to me than a bloody bucketful of zombie eyes? It’s giving up. And for good reason.
Do you know the number one reason businesses fail? You guessed it. The founders give up the ghost. And in the wise words of Will Ahmed, “Companies only really fail if the founders quit or if they run out of money.”
There are dancers I remember auditioning with decades ago who were just plain bad. Today? They’re doing national tours. Because they never gave up the ghost. See, tenacity builds talent, whether we believe it or not.
But, we have to give up some things from time to time. Otherwise, we will just continue to collect responsibilities throughout the rest of our lives and we will asphyxiate under a pile of old obligations.
So, how do we know when it’s time to give up the ghost?
Well, first things first, it’s important to know what the heck that phrase means, anyway.
In today’s society, giving up the ghost means stopping an activity because it is no longer successful. We give up the ghost when we quit a job or file for divorce. Or, we can even give up the ghost when we stop trying to change another individual.
But, the etymology of the phrase is derived from the moment when a living human releases one’s spirit and passes away. Giving up the ghost indicates the death of something - a human, a project, a relationship, or an identity.
Now, I am not one to give up easily, but I am learning that hanging on to outdated obligations can be a pretty terrible usage of our valuable time and energy resources. I want to say I have never given up on anything, but I have. And if I hadn’t? It would have been a pretty dumb decision not to do so.
Here’s what’s going on. The company I co-founded, Danscend, is moving to a different level of operation. With some pretty large contracts looming, I can no longer spend part-time time on this growing juggernaut of an obligation. And this is an awesome thing!
But, what about the other things in my life? If I need to add at least 5-7 more hours per week to this endeavor, I will need to let go of one of my other obligations (or live on 5-6 hours of sleep per night).
Which of my lovely Caspers do I need to give up to add fuel to the brightly burning fire of the company that (I believe) is changing the landscape of the performing arts industry? Which ghost do I give up?
Well, in my mind, we let go of things when one or more of these situations occurs:
It is hurting our mental or physical wellbeing or the wellbeing of others
The output is significantly larger than the input (effort, time, or money)
It stops growing or producing fruit
Something else takes over and we can no longer sustain both (or all)
It’s like when I planted 3-4 chive seeds per pot instead of one. They all grew together at the same time and began taking each other’s resources. Eventually, I had to choose one or two of those chive plants and send the other two into chive heaven.
I have a ghost I need to give up.
I have been writing every day for years. Since May of 2020 to be precise. I love writing. I’m good at it. I have a degree in it. And it’s my outlet for understanding the world around me. I write to you, but I also write to myself. I learn as I go and I (hope to) bring you all with me.
Now, don’t worry - I’m not giving up this blog. A good friend warned me not to give up writing for good (I won’t). I have a few writing contracts in the new year, a column in a publication, and an itch to understand my world through words.
But, I do need to make space for what is to come (which is all good things). So, I will be giving up the ghost of my daily paid blog. (Sigh.)
I know this doesn’t apply to all of you, but I did want to share my thoughts behind the decision.
And for those of you who have been supporting me and reading my words every day, I am truly, truly grateful (and humbled). I will continue to write everyday and I will share much of my work with you (I know who you are), but writing a new blog everyday was, well, a lot.
So, I will be writing a few blogs per week. I will share most of them here with you. For free.
Thank you for understanding. And thank you for going along this journey with me. You’ll all “see” me next Monday. But, I will miss some of you tomorrow.
I now officially “exhale” and release my daily blog ghost. I am grateful for her, for everything she has taught me, and for the opportunity to share with you all.
Giving up is very difficult for me.
But, with every extra chive that is pruned, the ones that remain grow taller and stronger. Thank you for reading, friends. I will be here next week.
Love,
Michelle