Twice in one day it happened. Two unrelated situations where I should have stopped, but that little voice said “Go!” So I went. And both times good things came to me. Yeah, they were minor things, but each time I followed the voice I was rewarded. If you listen to your smarter inner voice, you’ll be rewarded too.

The First Time

I’d had a great visit with a friend who lives on a gated street. The next day I realized I’d left my reading glasses on a bench in his front yard. I was headed to a rehearsal where I really needed those glasses. But he wasn’t answering his phone and that gate wouldn’t open itself for me.

Common sense said forget it, get by without the specs. We’ll deal. But my smarter inner voice piped up and said “Go Anyway.” I did and damned if that gate wasn’t wide open. I hesitated, surprised by my luck, and as it started to close I punched it and drove through.

Glasses found.

The Second Time

Later that night my wife and I  went to see Arrival at a theater with those new recliner seats. But once in line at the box office we saw the bad news on the sign. The 7:05 show was sold out. My wife started searching for another movie.

I was second in line and about to step out when the voice piped up again and said,  “Stay And Ask.” I did, and the cashier found two seats together for us. We slipped in, claimed our seats and reclined.

Movie seen.

Sure, these are tiny little bumps in life’s road, but I think they are significant. Too often we stop at the first sign of resistance. But amazing things happen to people who show up anyway. The greater the resistance, the greater the luck. If we train ourselves to keep moving forward we will often change our luck.

That movie was damned good and so were the seats.

Regret and the Smarter Inner Voice

“Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again, too few to mention”                                                                                             Frank Sinatra

One of my regrets in life was for not showing up. I’d seen a notice for an audition at a jazz club in L.A. I called and got invited down to take my shot. But I made a big mistake. I asked my cousin where the club was, and when he mentioned it was in a rough part of town, I hesitated.

I used to work rough parts of town. On foot, selling attic insulation door-to-door. South Central, Watts, Compton, on the roughest streets in the worst neighborhoods in L.A. I knew how to handle myself, but despite all that, I allowed a little seed of doubt to take hold and grow.

Sure enough, that little weed of doubt grew big enough to scare me off, and for the only time in my life, I was a no-show at an audition.

Shame on me. I knew better. I missed the chance to let the universe reward me for moxie. I’ve regretted it ever since, because something awesome could have happened for me – if only I’d shown up.

Don’t let doubt scare you off. Listen to your smarter inner voice, move forward and eliminate regret. Sure, bad things can happen, but most of the time worse things happen when you don’t show up. Things like fear, doubt and regret.

Seeds of doubt always seem to germinate. But they never sprout into flowers. They usually end up as nasty, tough weeds that can take a lifetime to remove….