Today, I write to you about 3 things:

Follow what you know is right
Trust your childhood curiosity
Make your statement positive

A few days ago, I watched this great talk by the amazing Seth Godin. Godin emphasizes to young Creative entrepeurs to follow what he/she knows right (the yes), versus waiting for someone else to tell you your fate (the no).

2013/05 Seth Godin | Backwards from CreativeMornings on Vimeo.

(Please watch this, even if you book mark this page for later – this video will give you insight to the YES !!!).

In one way or another, this reminded me of something I learned about almost 20 years ago.

I came to a memory of an art piece that Yoko Ono did, titled Ceiling Painting. It debuted in 1966, London at the Adica Gallery.  I first learned about it as a child, when I watched the Beatles Anthology on the TV. In this documentary,  John Lennon spoke of going to Yoko Ono’s art exhibit (before they knew each other), where he climbed a ladder–and at the top of the ladder was a magnifying glass that lead to a word written on the building’s ceiling. Lennon (and other audience members), upon using the magnifying glass to read the letters, read this simple word:  YES.

This interactive art piece asked it’s participant to climb a familiar device, the ladder, to discover. And within that discovery, there was a positive message. YES.

As a child (around 11 or 12 years old) when I first learned about this piece, I remember feeling two things: I thought it was strange and at the same time, I found it intriguing. It never ever left my memory….

(A side note, this piece influenced John Lennon so much that he became a supporter of Ono’s artwork, and then that lead to them to start to date, and then…the rest is history!)

Fast forward to my adulthood–where I have a degree in Art History, and I studied under an Art Historian whose focus is in performance art of the 1960s & 1970s just like Yoko Ono’s Ceiling Painting. My curiosity then lead me down a path of art making, art writing, and now on the leading edge of many current Art topics.

This all leads back to the follow the Yes. In one way or another, this introduction to Art as a child via the Beatles Anthology lead me to today. I said yes to my curiosity. Ono wrote Yes on the ceiling and Lennon loved it. Seth Godin drills students to follow their inner yes.

In summary, here are some lessons to take away from all these bits of trivia.

Lesson 1. There are no coincidences.

And the same way that Seth Godin lectures about, almost 40 years after Ono’s piece, follow the Yes. Don’t wait for someone to tell you No to take the next step. Trust that all is lining up as it needs to.

Lesson 2. Follow your instinct.

In other words, trust your gut! Don’t wait for someone else to determine what you know is the next move. Climb the ladder of yourself. It will always lead you to a Yes.

Lesson 3. Stay connected to what influences you.

This ties all of it back to myself, though I promise I’m thinking of you, too. I kept in my memory a deep connection to my curiosity (Ono’s artwork). I didn’t know how it would come back into my life–until it did. Until 3 days ago, none of these connections–of Seth Godin and Yoko Ono and following your curiosity–made any sense to me. But I kept myself open–as a learner, observer, and grateful being on this planet.

Stay connected to what influences you. Know it all makes you a rich & happy person–as long as you let it unfold as it needs to.

Follow the Yes. Don’t wait for the No.