088 – The Art of Allowing: How to Recognize and Value the Right Opportunities

Have you found yourself drowning in opportunities but struggling to determine which ones are worth pursuing? Do you sometimes reject possibilities that could transform your career because they arrive at inconvenient times or challenge your ego? Perhaps you've experienced the opposite problem—feeling stuck in a creative desert where meaningful opportunities seem nonexistent? In this episode of Creativity Excitement Emotion, David shares his journey from resistance to "allowing" as a foundational approach to both life's challenges and opportunities. Beginning with candid stories of a day filled with minor mishaps—from spilled smoothies to broken windshield wipers in Vancouver rain—he reveals how embracing what is creates space for better decision-making about what could be. Drawing from personal experiences with predatory offers, overwhelming choices, and observations of self-sabotaging behaviors in the artistic community, David offers a philosophical framework for recognizing and valuing the right opportunities while maintaining the self-care necessary for sustainable creative practice. Download the PDF Transcript Sponsors: Productivity, Performance & Profits Blackbook: Get a free copy of the “Definitive Guide to Productivity for Artists and Entrepreneurs.” The Renegade Musician: David’s magnum opus on building an independent music career is here! Highlights: 00:17 – A day filled with minor mishaps 04:46 – How internal conditions manifested external circumstances 05:30 – The universe operates on allowing 07:28 – Evaluating and valuing opportunities only gets harder with time 10:58 – Questionable opportunities 16:30 – Ranking the opportunities that cross your desk 17:55 – People shooting themselves in the foot 23:06 – Closing thoughts Summary: In this reflective episode, David explores the concept of "allowing" as a pathway to better valuing opportunities in both life and artistic careers. Beginning with personal anecdotes about a challenging day filled with minor mishaps—from spilled smoothies to windshield wiper failures in Vancouver rain—he weaves together insights about emotional processing, opportunity evaluation, and the self-sabotaging behaviors that can prevent artists from recognizing valuable possibilities in their lives. Through vulnerable sharing about his own journey, David offers a philosophical framework that balances pragmatic career advice with deeper wisdom about living well as a creative professional. Key Themes & Takeaways The transformative power of allowing versus resisting life's circumstances The evolution of opportunity as careers progress and how to evaluate increasingly complex choices The self-defeating cycle of pride that causes artists to reject potentially life-changing opportunities The delicate balance between pursuing professional opportunities and maintaining personal well-being The progression from scarcity to abundance of opportunities as creativity becomes sustainable The wisdom of developing discernment rather than reflexive acceptance or rejection The Practice of Allowing David shares his journey toward a more accepting relationship with life's challenges, presenting a philosophy that extends beyond mere positive thinking: Moving from resistance to acknowledgment, then to welcoming and finally allowing The freedom that comes from seeing circumstances exactly as they are without trying to fix or avoid them How this principle applies to emotional processing, financial reality, and professional opportunities The wisdom from spiritual teacher Gary Spivey that "the universe operates on allowing" The courage required to face reality—particularly financial reality—exactly as it is How allowing creates space for intuitive decision-making rather than reactive choices This perspective offers an alternative to both toxic positivity and cynical resignation, suggesting a middle path that acknowledges difficulties w...