Day 366 - I'm Back with a Blog & Tonic. Just Trying to Thrivive.

August 12th, 2010

It's been four days since the last day of my "365 Day Blog Entry Challenge of Cosmic Angst Through the Eyes of Comedic Insight". If you want to peruse the synopsis of my experience of this endeavor, visit http://jacquelinekabat.blogspot.com and read , "Day 365 - The Finale: Drunk. Drunk off Blog". Next step- pitch as book to literary agents. Goal it ready to submit to agents by September 17th. On deadline and my boss (me) is breathing down my neck. Bitch. And she didn't even wear a bra today.

I'm back bloggin' sooner than expected. It appears as if I have a genetic predisposition for getting drunk. Off blog. My poison? Blog and Tonic. With an umbrella.

Plus, I missed y'all...the rapport, the pillow fights...the walks on the beach discussing feminine products. Sure, I've risked the chance that you've moved on to another blog with a fancier backdrop. I know how you love paisley. I can't commit to daily entries... but just know I am available to be your part time blog lover.

Despite the fact that I am still supersonically driven to take McBlog to the next level, I was feeling a tinge of that sluggish malaise that visits us after those grandiose positive occurrences. Luckily before I got hooked on drowsiness, these happenings kept me in the flow.

- From the largish amounts of congratulations, it turns out that more people were reading than I had assumed. That felt good. Real good.

- I discovered that if printed Day 1 - Day 365, it would equal a 505 page book. My blogasphere output seemed tangible..and I like to touch things.

- My creative genius friend, Amanda Berlin, asked to interview me for the site. http://the-thrivivalist.com/. According to Amanda, I was a Thrivivalist: (n) thri-vie-vuhl-ist, one who lives in a state of thriving, living life with fervor, with love, and with integrity, minute by minute, not only during times of adversity.

As I never like to disappoint anyone who takes time to blow smoke up my ass, I answered her inquiry with a, "Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes!"

I shall share:

What does "thriving" mean to you?

Thriving is directly related to owning your passion, the confidence to carve your own path and keeping your sense of humor. Laughing at our mistakes is an immediate remedy for self criticism. I also feel maintaining a deep empathy for others and yourself is a crucial quality. Making the effort to resonate with others keeps us grounded, selfless and humble. Thriving is the payback we get by tapping into our emotional intelligence to be sensitive, genuine and patient with ourselves and the world around us.


What do you do on a regular basis in an effort to thrive?

Write. I'm not only speaking about my 365 day blog entry challenge. If I say, think, see, hear or feel anything that makes me take pause...I know it's worth holding onto. It might serve me creatively in five minutes or 5 years. I trust that what's reaching me on any level is absolutely connected to my passion.


In what ways have you gone from survival mode to thrivival mode?

I started to embrace my "think outside of the box" wiring. On the last day of my blog I wrote, "Upon review of blogs past... there were days that not only was I out of the box... I was miles away from the box. Or kilometers if I lived in Europe." My readers were appreciating and finding humor in the way I was processing everyday trial and tribulations. This support allowed my writing to develop because I had the confidence that my big, perplexing and amusing choices were resonating with my readers. And myself.


What are some things that get in the way of your efforts to thrive?

Being involved in so many aspects of comedy (performing, writing and teaching) has the potential to feel overwhelming and leave me scattered. The year long blog challenge kept me working, focused and curious. Committing to write everyday forced me to be accountable to my readers. To myself. My life on an "unconventional path" used to make me overly sensitive to what others thought about me. Upon reflection, I've come to realize that I am ultimately judging myself and creating a self sabotaging and debilitating occurrence that will undoubtedly put a halt to my focus, passion and creativity.


If you feel low, how do you boost your level of thriving?

Shifting self-critical thoughts is the first step because one negative idea has the capacity to turn into an 8-lane highway if we allow it be all-consuming. It's unbelievable how unkind we can be to ourselves. I would never treat anyone the way I treat myself at times. I have a very thin veil around me and tend to absorb people's energy very easily. This has been a great challenge when in the company of people who see themselves as victims...but has also served as a powerful healing tool. When life appears to be working against me, I try my best to surround myself with positive people with giving, authentic and loving energy. This seems to clear the negative emotions that could hold me back from success. I also suggest that diving into some creative endeavor can shift a mood quite fast by keeping us present. I've discovered that there is some wisdom to simply approaching fear, shaking hands with it and than transmuting the (real or perceived) fear into any medium of art. I generally process hardship into some form of comedy.


Is there someone whose efforts to thrive you really admire? Who and why?

My students. As a comedy improv teacher, I am aware that most of my students haven't played since they were children. Watching them step out of their comfort zones and unleash all fear and inhibitions never seizes to inspire me. They are constantly reminding me that although there are times we feel off-centered and unsure, there is the potential for us to thrive and become alive by simply getting up, doing something, trying it out, making mistakes, playing, laughing and trying it once again. Teachers teach what they need to learn.