ARTICLES: fertile ground
Articles by Penelope Brackett

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THE MOUNTAIN December 2000 Below is the response I gave to a client who was suffering from the anxiety of an exciting career opportunity- a breakthrough leading to breakdown. In this case, the client was reeling from the feedback of director, producer and audience during previews of a high profile play and contemplating reviews to come. Since I emailed this response, I've found it helpful in working through a wide array of huge client personal and career challenges including a parent's death, a new marketing job, a new baby, the return home following a string of challenging directing jobs out of town. Breakthrough would not happen if we kept doing what we were doing before. It does not happen in the normal course of events. It happens when we reach and open up new possibilities. I've recently reworked my mission statement and came up with, "to fully accept, grow and delight in the continuing and joyful balancing of our personal and professional lives. (I acknowledge Laurie Beth Jones and Her book, "The Path" immensely helpful in its evolution) It is clear that the first step to breakthrough is to accept where we are, to release any desire to feel or be anything else other than that truthful place and even to be willing to grow and delight in that place. I hope this letter will add to your enjoying this holiday time, and facing the small and big challenges of closing this year and opening the next. The "Breakthrough Steps" are making an appearance again, having appeared in two previous newsletters. They bear repeating. (I've changed the client's name at her request.) Sow yourself like a seed, Penelope . . . . . . . .

Dear Andrea, Living fully and passionately, being willing to grow and change opens us up to all sorts of vulnerabilities. The alternative, playing it safe, may produce less vulnerability but less joy as well. You're in breakdown, not a nervous breakdown, just a normal run of the mill breakdown. Discouragement, questioning, sadness are often byproduct of breakthrough. Most of us think life is working when it's smooth sailing. But life is working when there are cycles of breakthrough and breakdown too. It often means you're growing the most. You're working on a whole new level. Breakthrough would not happen if we kept doing what we were doing before. It does not happen in the normal course of events. It happens when we reach and open up new possibilities. We climb the mountain, thrilled, exhilarated, possibly a little light-headed and then we look down and we imagine the fall. When you are in breakdown: sit down, breathe. When you're ready to climb, climb a little slower and acknowledge what it takes for you to challenge yourself. Celebrate each step. Pause often, take in the beauty. Eventually you'll be ready to push on a little stronger. For now respect what you've done and take care of your aching muscles. Moreover, know that you can't fall off the mountain of life only the one of ego. If your life is about the purpose/mission of "cheer people on to connecting", there will never be a time where you cannot live that, whether you are at the bottom, the top or a completely different mountain. This show is a vehicle to live your purpose. It is not life itself. Below I have some practical steps for moving through breakthrough. We do these naturally when we're not in breakdown, but we have to more conscious when we're hitting the wall. Give yourself a lot of love. And tell your friends if they can't be effusive about your performance, they will be banished from attending. I once told a visiting friend whom after visiting me in the dressing room, and walking out with me still had not mentioned the show, that if she didn't say something about the show immediately, I was going to push her down the stairs. (No, I probably wouldn't have gone through with it.) Know what you need, especially in those early performances. Also, invite someone you trust, who knows how to give you constructive feedback to come during these previews (if you can handle it!) These are previews!!! They are for you, not the critics! Sow yourself like a seed, Love, Penelope FIVE STEPS TO BREAKTHROUGH 1. Acknowledge and express how you feel. Get it outside of you. Put it down on paper. Say it to a friend. Speak it out loud. Paint it. See the movie. Hear the song. Try to get to the bottom of it. "I can't do it all, so why bother. It just won't work. I'm obviously a person who can't…I'll just never have, be, do…" 2. Center yourself in purpose and project. Remember purpose. What do you stand for? How do you want to wake up into the day? When you are being purposeful, powerful, who are you? "Wake people into possibility, rattle their cages, rev their engines, dare people to the truth inspire people to dance naked in the cold clear water…" After you remember purpose, give it to yourself, dance, inspire, dare, rev, rattle and wake yourself. Then ask what am I excited enough about in the face of all my acknowledged and expressed objections to become purposeful for? What is my project? That dissertation, jewelry show, lecture, screenplay, advertising job, film, home, health…my path with heart. 3. Plan an action and a payment. Plan one specific measurable, action you can take toward your project and a form of payment for having taken that action. One hour of writing and a coconut frozefruit. One hour of phone calls and lunch with a good friend. Just beyond your reach. Be honest and start with your appropriate weight whether it be 2 lbs or 200. The size isn't the issue. The movement is. 4. Take the action and Give yourself the payment. NOT EITHER/OR. 5. Make a plan; a series of actions and payments. Note: At any point you can go backwards a step until you are ready to go forwards. But don't give up. Keep working the step until you can go forward. If you're not ready for the plan, "keep chopping down one tree at a time", as Bernice Kurchin says. The field will get cleared all the same. If you can't take the action, keep decreasing the weight until it's manageable and then keep building your strength and stamina so you can add more. If you can't get to planning an action, look at your project. Is it really inspiring to you? Maybe you like the idea, but the work, or the life changes it seems to signify are objectionable to you. Or perhaps you'd prefer to purposefully soften people's hearts rather than rev their engines. Lastly, if you aren't able to turn your attention to any project, spend some serious time expressing. Get support. Be supremely interested in yourself, how you work, and don't. ( Instead of gazing longingly at what appears to be a cruse liner next to you, get to know yourself bow to stern). Start appreciating yourself and the biggest challenge of all, start loving yourself, barnacles and all. Now start moving forward again. Acknowledge. Express. Purpose. Project. Plan. Action. payment. Take action. Give payment. Plan. AND REMEMBER THE IMMORTAL WORDS OF THE IMMORTAL BETTE DAVIS, "YOU GOTTA LOVE TO SWEAT" BACK TO ARTICLES PAGE BACK TO TOP Home | About The Creative Seed | Services | Articles Creative Seed Network | Client Resources | Newsletter | Contact TheCreativeSeed.com 973-762-5871 | info@thecreativeseed.com All material copyright 2001 by Penelope Brackett. Site design by James Donegan. Photos by Jacquelyn Prussing 718.420.1334 jagunjac@aol.com Site development by Mark E. Lang, TBEdesign.com, NYC.