Reveal Your Secret Identity

“Creativity is the essence of our creative power through the direction of energy. Every thought, emotion, perspective and action is a creative choice. That choice can be powerful or limiting. When you make choices from your heart that make you feel good, and believe in all possibilities, anything lies within your creative power. To be creative is to consciously use your power over energy to create the manifestation you desire.”

- Dee Wallace, Actress

If you’re unaware of who Dee Wallace is, you’re certainly aware of her work.? She played the mother in?ET, Cujo, and several other remarkable roles. She was also kind enough to provide me with that quote when I reached out to her about a book I was writing. I love that quote. The sentiment behind it is why I write, produce a science education podcast, and host a YouTube channel about vinyl records.?

I had an epiphany a few years ago. One that dared me not to sit down and consider it. It was a Sunday morning, and I was walking a familiar path through a nearby wooded area to cool off after a morning run. The path leads to a small footbridge that crosses the Cocheco River in NH. I’ve lived in this area and crossed the same little footbridge for over four decades. On that particular Sunday morning, a memory surfaced that I hadn’t thought about in years. My brother and I used to ride our bikes over the same bridge to catch turtles during the summer. On the other side of the footbridge was a road that led to the little general store where we bought our comics every Saturday.

As I often do on these walks, I mentally created a “what-if” story.? In this one, I slipped back in time and encountered my younger self crossing the footbridge. What would I say? What would the younger Rick think of me? I had wanted to be a writer and an author even back then. At this point in my life, on?the day of the epiphany, I had written a few short stories but never fully committed to the time it would take to write anything longer. Imagine being told by an older, taller, and stranger version of yourself that you’d done none of the things you’d dreamt about. ?

It was a wake-up call.

That morning on the footbridge was thirteen years ago. Since then, a lot has happened.?

Since you’ve read this far, I have to assume you have a desire to create as well. I also assume there are many reasons why you haven’t started. Raise your hand if any of these sound familiar:

“I’m not good enough.”

“Others are much better.”

“Even if I did do it, who would care?”

“I’d love to try, but I don’t have a creative bone in my body.”

“I don’t know where to start.”

“I simply have too much to do.”

There’s one thing I can tell you about the statements above with complete certainty. ?

None of them are true. Not a single one. ?

So why do you listen to these reasons? ?

Self-protection.

We convince ourselves we’re not good enough, so we never have to be told by someone else that it’s true. We wear our masks and go about our days as if nothing is wrong. That spark of creativity, the one that once warmed our souls when we were young, grows dimmer.?

That’s why I’m writing this now, and I hope it will help you on your journey as well. You won’t have to wait years. You can start now.? Today. Reveal your secret identity. Create that podcast, write that story, start that scrapbook, cover a canvas in paint, or start that blog you’ve always wanted to start.?

Your future self will thank you for it.