Who Gave You Permission?

Patrick Bedard

Patrick Bedard wrote a magazine column that changed my life.

Patrick Bedard was an automotive writer and had a column in Car and Driver for over 40 years. He also raced cars and was in the 1984 Indianapolis 500, where he wrecked horribly. He walked away from the crash, but it caused a delay while crews cleaned up the mess and removed the pieces of his wrecked car from the track.

Other drivers were not happy with him. As you can imagine, there’s a bit of arrogance to being a race car driver and they weren’t happy that a “writer” was driving with them. I mean, who did he think he was?

After the race, another driver found him in the pits and went off on a tirade at him. “You’re just a writer! You’re not a driver! Who gave you permission to drive with us?”. He said he thought long and hard about what that guy said to him. After much thought, he realized that no one had to “give” him permission.

He wrote in his column “Permission comes from within”.

I wrote that phrase on a piece of paper and taped it to the inside of my front door, about eye level, so that every time I left my home, I would see that. It shaped how I saw life. I’d like to think it helped make me who I am today.

I’ve been running across a few posts with that common theme lately, or maybe I’m just more aware of it because I’ve been thinking about it.

Crossing The Red Line | IttyBiz

Nothing bad is going to happen if you cross the red line. You’re not going to be named and shamed. You’re not going to be arrested. Naomi’s not going to say, “Well, I’m not going to let you in, but now you have to pay anyway.” It doesn’t work like that. The worst they’re going to do is say no. Most of the time, actually, you run the serious risk of getting what you want.

Read the entire article at:
http://ittybiz.com/crossing-the-red-line/

and then there was this one:

5 Things You Don’t Need To Sell Your Art (And 5 Things You Do)

No one can give the permission you need to sell your art. I totally understand the need for approval – I’ve been there many times myself – but it’s a dangerous rabbit hole to go down.

You see, asking for permission and waiting for approval is a carrot on a stick. Once you decide to chase it, you’re forever grasping. Every step you take is on the back of someone else’s approval and the further you go, the more of it you need.

Not a good place to be.

You don’t need permission or approval to be you and do what you do.

Read the entire article at:
http://lateralaction.com/articles/sell-your-art/