Discovering My Authentic Journey: Through Missy Higgin's Story. A personal reflection on life, success and journey.
Ever felt like you're on the outside looking in, amidst a world that seems to applaud everyone else but you? This is a personal reflection that I wrote recently after watching an interview of Missy Higgins the Australian folk singer. It related to the fact that although I had achieved so much in my life and was respected in my personal and business life, that I never felt connected, recognised nor worthy!

My story began years ago with that all-too-familiar feeling of being on the fringe. As I observed industry giants, Silicon Valley avatars, Hollywood celebrities, famous writers and then the hierarchy of social media influencers and followers.

I couldn't help but wonder – where do I fit into this? The pursuit of connection, recognition and acceptance became a persistent theme in my life.

This changed dramatically on an ordinary weekday night while tuning into an ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) interview between Zan Row and Missy Higgins on the show called 'Take Five' which took five favourites songs of Missy's and her reflection about the song and its meaning.
Waiting for your real life to begin
What started as a typical show took an unexpected turn, morphing into what felt like a cathartic session. As Zan played Colin Hay's "Waiting for my real life to begin," the atmosphere shifted. Missy's tears, Zan's embrace, and Missy's revelation about her journey which seemed outwardly like 'Success Nirvana' where she had gained international success early in her life as a celebrity, adolescent singer-songwriter. However her story revealed more how this experience related to her ongoing adult journey and her success which resonated profoundly.

https://youtu.be/nNouvzJBfqs

Missy dismantled the conventional story of success. Her 'success nirvana' wasn't what it seemed. Instead, her real life unfolded in the pursuit of finding a partner and building a family – a perspective that challenged superficial societal norms and expectations about celebrity .
Success versus Journey
This revelation prompted a re-evaluation of my own journey. From early on, I had adopted the notion that success was a destination to be reached through hard work and perseverance. But did I, perhaps subconsciously, believe that I wasn't truly worthy of it, and that it was always something elusive and just over the horizon?

A quote by T.S. Eliot lingered in my mind: "We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." It became a guiding principle as I grappled with the concept of creative success, questioning whether Missy’s ‘real life’ was already part of her life journey.

The persistent inner voice questioned – where was my creative success, my breakthrough, my moment in the spotlight? Or was it possible that I was already there, manifested in the journey I had undertaken and the life that was unfolding?

Missy's story became a compass, helping me navigate the tumultuous waters of self-doubt and external expectations. It led me to question the essence of success and recognize that, just maybe, the journey itself is the destination.

In the end, Discovering My Authentic Journey isn't just about Missy Higgins's story; it's about all of us who have felt like outsiders, who have questioned our worthiness, and who have tirelessly pursued a future version of success.

It's a reminder that life is the objective (not success) and it is a dynamic, personal journey, and sometimes, my real-life journey is happening right now, waiting to be acknowledged and embraced.

Dr Jonathan Drane

https://www.jondrane.net/the-never-ending-startup-the-circular-business-entrepreneur/

https://www.jondrane.net/books/camino-de-santiago-spanish-pilgrim-trail-the-way-of-a-thousand-arrows/

https://www.jondrane.net/mentoring-for-success/