August 6, 2017
The Big Purse
A few days ago, my girlfriend and I were talking and the concept of ‘the big purse’ came up. This is apparently common knowledge for most women but it was news to me. The idea is that the bigger purse you have, the more you will fill it with things. This got me to thinking about the concept and how it applies to self-development.
A few months ago, I sent a friend of mine a demo of the EP that I’ve been working on for about a year. He said he really liked the songs and then asked me if I wanted to open for his band in two weeks. I was honoured and a bit apprehensive since my friend’s band and the headlining band were some of the best in the city and I didn’t feel anywhere near ready to share the stage with them. In a moment of divine madness, I said I would do the show. Then the panic started setting in. In 13 days I needed to 1) Finish writing and recording my songs 2) Assemble a band.
Having a time limit on a given project, plus the added negative incentive that being unprepared would mean a fair amount of embarrassment, really pushed me forward and helped fuel the fire to get me from where I was (or where I THOUGHT I was) to where I needed to be. I asked a few friends who had expressed interest in my music to come together and we got to practicing. My days were spent working my day job and then practicing my songs, either by myself or with the band, and the nights were spent working on recording my demos. I managed to add 4 unfinished songs to the 6 already done and recorded them to show to my band mates.
My new band was eager to play, but scheduling conflicts meant that only 3 of us were available for the first two practices. We managed to get one final ‘dress rehearsal’ the night before the show where everyone was able to show up.and after that practice, we all felt ready for the show. We played an amazing set and got a lot of positive feedback from friends and new fans. I never would have thought I was capable of doing all that work in such a short time if I hadn’t been given a strict time limit and grew into the space between where I was and where I needed to be I filled up the big purse.
I’m currently reading “The Science of Being Great” by Wallace Wattles and he decribes the idea of doing small things in a great way. It’s sort of the same way that the big purse works, you think you’re great and act in a great way and the rest of the world conforms to that reality. If you give yourself a challenge which you feel is beyond you, try and reach for it and you may be surprised about what you’re capable of.