It’s a shallow life that doesn’t give a person a few scars.
— Garrison Keillor
To be a star you must shine your own light, follow your own path, and don’t worry about the darkness, for that is when stars shine the brightest.
— Author Unknown
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
— Marianne Williamson
With a little bit o’ teamwork and a whole lotta love, anything is possible.
— Shawn Madden
I know what you’re thinking.
What the hell’s gotten into Shawn? Why is he using such strong language?
Should I be afraid?
Offended?
Inspired?
WHAT IN TARNATION IS GOING ON?
Well, here’s the nut:
I’ve been committed from the BIRTH of Shawnslist to a “Quality Broadcast Only” policy, making sure that each broadcast be a message of love and inspiration; that you enjoy and look forward to receiving them because they make you feel good . . .
. . . and somewhere along the line, I got it into my head that that meant being soft and squishy and touchy-feely and sensitive and bleh . . .
Well, that has its place. I am all of those things, when that’s what’s called for.
But for the most part, that’s not really who I am.
Simply put, I’ve been playing WAY SMALL on y’all. Being careful not to offend anyone. Being cautious about what I put in these broadcasts. Being tentative about really offering my heart to you in these electronic messages with which I’ve been very stingy.
In short, I’ve been playing safe the game of my life, my music, Shawnslist, being with you, being a writer… Saving it all up for some far-off distant day when I’ve got all my shit together and I can go, “TA-DAH!!! Here I am!” with some pretty package wrapped up with a bow…
Well, if you’re someone who’s inspired by full self-expression, I’ve got good news for you.
And if you’re someone for whom full self-expression threatens your status quo, I’ve got good AND bad news for you:
That game is over.
The pain of holding back has become too great, and I am unwilling to spend ONE MORE MINUTE keeping myself reined in for fear of pissing people off or somehow or other making a “mistake that will ruin EVERYTHING!!”.
(I know, right? Puh-LEEZ…..)
Hence, the name of the new game: F U C K I T ! ! !
What exactly does that mean?
It means I’m no longer waiting for the day when I’ve got my shit together. I’ll NEVER have my shit together to the degree I’ve been thinking I need to have my shit together to really, truly, unabashedly, and generously give my gift to you and the world.
It means that from now on, my daily life consists of doing that about which I am most passionate – bringing people the good news that there is FREEDOM and JOY available N O W !
It means that the censors have taken a permanent coffee break (or whatever else they use to keep themselves so vigilant about keeping out the “undesirable” content), and
~ I ~
~ A M ~
~ F R E E ! ~
So – if you’re not interested in participating or being witness to a man UNLEASHING HIMSELF and diving headfirst into life with nothing hidden and nothing held back, go ahead and scroll down to the bottom and click the ‘unsubscribe’ button.
If you’re offended by strong language, and feel that it is inconsistent with the idea of “a source of LOVE all up in your inbox”, then you, too, ought to find the unsubscribe button below.
(To be clear, I’m not actually saying I will be dropping f-bombs, etc. on a regular basis – I’m just saying sometimes they’re part and parcel of living a loving, passionate life!)
If, however, you’re ready to RIDE with me on a bolt of lightning destined for a life fully lived, without apology or explanation, then hold on to your hats and glasses, because I’m fucking on FIRE.
You ready?
deeep inhale….
hold….
hhhhhaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…….
Ok. Here we go!
Lemme tell you a little bit about the man who’s going to be groovin’ up your inbox from now on:
Who I am is BODACIOUS and BOLD, with MASSIVE COJONES and a BURNING DESIRE to not only make a difference on the planet, but to have a REALLY GREAT TIME DOING IT!
Who I am is a FIERY, AUDACIOUS, PASSIONATE alchemist of words and music that speak to the heart of humanity, BECKONING you to come out and play – and play LARGE.
Who I am is a man STANDING for the FREEDOM of every human being on the planet to be FULLY SELF-EXPRESSED and to experience him and herself as a valued member of the human race with something unique to contribute.
I’ve been hiding all that from you, for fear that you would reprimand, scold, or otherwise reject the offering of my gift.
No more.
Breath…
Ok…
Now that we’ve established that the rules of the game are blown wide open, and that from now on Shawnslist will be a whole different experience, I’m sure you’re asking… What’s next?
Well, I’ve got so much to share with you!
And, I’m sure that this particular message is long enough – I don’t want to keep you from whatever else you need to be doing at this time….
So, I will leave you with a preview of what is to come in future broadcasts:
P.s. Last week, Shawnslist broke the 1,000-subscriber mark. Please take a moment to CELEBRATE that with me – the Shawnslist community consists of 1,020 people from all over this beautiful planet (3 continents!) with whom I’ve connected over the past 8 years, almost all of whom were face-to-face, with a song, a handshake, a hug, and a smile.
~dancing a celebratory dance!
Oh yes… One more ***very important*** thing:
One of the things that I’ve gotten REALLY clear about is that the time for being shy about asking for money is OVER!
I *LOVE* doing this. Making music feeds my soul. And I’m assuming you *LOVE* me doing this, too, because it feeds YOUR soul.
Well, it takes money to make music, and host the website, and buy guitar strings, and put fuel in the van, and burn CDs, and and and etc. etc. etc.
I have been sending out Shawnslist broadcasts for 8 years now – and, to my recollection, have never once asked . . .
The time has come to start asking. I’m in this game for better or for worse, and would absolutely LOVE to know that I have your support.
Sooooooo . . . how about making a generous contribution to the
“Shawn Madden, MusicMaker on Fire!” Fund?
Here’s to give you an idea of how far your money can go:
$100 will pay for an ENTIRE YEAR of web hosting – meaning you could SPONSOR SHAWNSLIST for a year with a contribution of that size.
$50 will buy THREE MONTHS worth of strings – that’s one set of strings every week for three months.
$1000 will pay for almost all fuel costs for the Austin-to-Maine tour coming up in July!
$1500 will cover all of what it will cost to put Big Red fully in the game!
$5000 will pay for a WHOLE RECORDING PACKAGE – think about it: with a contribution of that size, you could be Executive Producer of a full-length album. AND, I’ll come do a FREE CONCERT at your home or place of business when I’m in your town.
In the future, I’ll have all kinds of other goodies to offer. Today, I’m offering you the opportunity to FEEL REALLY GOOD about contributing to an artist committed to making you FEEL REALLY GOOD!
I’m just sayin’, y’all. Reach into yo’ wallet
and SHARE THA LOVE ya find there!
This Post is Sponsored by the word: FUCKIT!
I know what you’re thinking.
What the hell’s gotten into Shawn? Why is he using such strong language?
Should I be afraid?
Offended?
Inspired?
Well, here’s the nut:
I’ve been committed from the BIRTH of Shawnslist to a “Quality Broadcast Only” policy, making sure that each broadcast be a message of love and inspiration; that you enjoy and look forward to receiving them because they make you feel good . . .
. . . and somewhere along the line, I got it into my head that that meant being soft and squishy and touchy-feely and sensitive and bleh . . .
Well, that has its place. I am all of those things, when that’s what’s called for.
But for the most part, that’s not really who I am.
Simply put, I’ve been playing WAY SMALL on y’all. Being careful not to offend anyone. Being cautious about what I put in these broadcasts. Being tentative about really offering my heart to you in these electronic messages with which I’ve been very stingy.
In short, I’ve been playing safe the game of my life, my music, Shawnslist, being with you, being a writer… Saving it all up for some far-off distant day when I’ve got all my shit together and I can go, “TA-DAH!!! Here I am!” with some pretty package wrapped up with a bow…
Well, if you’re someone who’s inspired by full self-expression, I’ve got good news for you.
And if you’re someone for whom full self-expression threatens your status quo, I’ve got good AND bad news for you:
That game is over.
The pain of holding back has become too great, and I am unwilling to spend ONE MORE MINUTE keeping myself reined in for fear of pissing people off or somehow or other making a “mistake that will ruin EVERYTHING!!”.
(I know, right? Puh-LEEZ…..)
Hence, the name of the new game: F U C K I T ! ! !
What exactly does that mean?
It means I’m no longer waiting for the day when I’ve got my shit together. I’ll NEVER have my shit together to the degree I’ve been thinking I need to have my shit together to really, truly, unabashedly, and generously give my gift to you and the world.
It means that from now on, my daily life consists of doing that about which I am most passionate – bringing people the good news that there is FREEDOM and JOY available N O W !
It means that the censors have taken a permanent coffee break (or whatever else they use to keep themselves so vigilant about keeping out the “undesirable” content), and
So – if you’re not interested in participating or being witness to a man UNLEASHING HIMSELF and diving headfirst into life with nothing hidden and nothing held back, go ahead and scroll down to the bottom and click the ‘unsubscribe’ button.
If you’re offended by strong language, and feel that it is inconsistent with the idea of “a source of LOVE all up in your inbox”, then you, too, ought to find the unsubscribe button below.
(To be clear, I’m not actually saying I will be dropping f-bombs, etc. on a regular basis – I’m just saying sometimes they’re part and parcel of living a loving, passionate life!)
If, however, you’re ready to RIDE with me on a bolt of lightning destined for a life fully lived, without apology or explanation, then hold on to your hats and glasses, because I’m fucking on FIRE.
You ready?
deeep inhale….
hold….
hhhhhaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…….
Ok. Here we go!
Lemme tell you a little bit about the man who’s going to be groovin’ up your inbox from now on:
Who I am is BODACIOUS and BOLD, with MASSIVE COJONES and a BURNING DESIRE to not only make a difference on the planet, but to have a REALLY GREAT TIME DOING IT!
Who I am is a FIERY, AUDACIOUS, PASSIONATE alchemist of words and music that speak to the heart of humanity, BECKONING you to come out and play – and play LARGE.
I’ve been hiding all that from you, for fear that you would reprimand, scold, or otherwise reject the offering of my gift.
No more.
Breath…
Ok…
Now that we’ve established that the rules of the game are blown wide open, and that from now on Shawnslist will be a whole different experience, I’m sure you’re asking… What’s next?
Well, I’ve got so much to share with you!
And, I’m sure that this particular message is long enough – I don’t want to keep you from whatever else you need to be doing at this time….
So, I will leave you with a preview of what is to come in future broadcasts:
Stay tuned – YOUR music is too important to be otherwise.
Dancing wildly with my bald head on fire,
Shawn : )
http://www.shawnmaddenmusic.com
P.s. Last week, Shawnslist broke the 1,000-subscriber mark. Please take a moment to CELEBRATE that with me – the Shawnslist community consists of 1,020 people from all over this beautiful planet (3 continents!) with whom I’ve connected over the past 8 years, almost all of whom were face-to-face, with a song, a handshake, a hug, and a smile.
~dancing a celebratory dance!
Oh yes… One more ***very important*** thing: