Positivity – a side effect of watching the RuPaul Drag Race series

RuPaul is the mentor, the host, the singer and the judge of Drag Race, a reality show that follows 15 (sometimes more) drag queens as they compete to become America’s Next Drag Superstar.

If, like me you have been unaware of this show and if, also like me, you thought it had something to do with car racing, then perhaps like me you ended up checking it out one night on Netflix and got completely captivated and riveted to the series. I ended up spending 2 consecutive weekends binging on seasons 1 though 6. Yes, it is that good. Why? I don’t know why it is so good but sometimes, shows like this one defy standard reasoning. One thing that I did find is that watching RuPaul’s Drag Race will definitely put you in a good mood and you also tend to get very positive about life in general.

The show is very entertaining with the dramas, challenges, meltdowns and breakdowns, triumphs and failures, tears and laughs, and seriously impressive make up skills.

I think the fact that RuPaul does not take himself or life so seriously is what makes the show so uplifting. I like that he is not hung up about pronouns, and I love that he also sings even though he is not the best at it; that he has the ability to transform himself into an amazingly beautiful woman with a personality to match. Also, he has so many products he sells, I am sure he finds it hard to keep up with them all.  If only more people were like him: happy with who and what they are, can find the humour in life, don’t take themselves seriously and are always kind and authentic.

Then he sprouts those catch phrases and quotes that are a breath of fresh air, compared to the wishy-washy, new age and politically correct quotes that are so popular on social media.

Although, they do get stuck in your head.  Forever.

So  “can I get an amen in here” to 7 of RuPaul’s best…

• When you become the image of your own imagination, it's the most powerful thing you could ever do."
• My goal is to always come from a place of love ...but sometimes you just have to break it down for a motherfucker
• All sins are forgiven once you start making a lot of money.
• When the going gets tough, the tough reinvent. 
• Remember to love yourself, because if you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else?
• Can I get an amen in here?
• You are born naked, the rest is drag. 

Living your purpose in life comes with steep learning curves...

In the wake of doing that ‘something’ I am passionate about and 'living my life purpose', I find that there are times when I need to take a deep breath, and some days, I need many of those deep breaths. I need to stop and assess where I am, where I am going. Interestingly, I never need to assess the why? That’s an unmovable constant.

The last eight weeks have been amazing but also a huge learning curve...

THE DETAILS, THE DETAILS….I know that while I am very capable of hitting the ground running with all the passion, enthusiasm and discipline of an Olympic athlete, I am equally capable of neglecting the smaller details. Those small mundane ones, that over time can and will come back to haunt me.  And as everyone who has started a business, charity or project knows, the devil is in those details. 

LETTING GO… that’s a big challenge for me but a necessary skill I must acquire and excel at if this project is to succeed. So I am on it and learning every day to let go of certain expectations, disappointments, setbacks and even people.

THE COMFORT ZONE... now this one is a mixed bag. The Comfort Zone is called that for a good reason – being in my comfort zone I produce great work, have amazing ideas, I talk the talk. Then I step outside the zone, even just a few millimetres and sometimes its like being on the front line….incoming missiles are raining down on me from all sides (in the form of those voices in my head).        

So I came up with a strategy. Instead of stepping outside of my comfort zone, I now push the parameters of my comfort zone further out, a millimetre at a time. It’s working and eventually my comfort zone will be a huge region.

KEEPING MY MOUTH SHUT... when some people tell me the project won’t work but don’t really tell me the reason why not. I am willing to listen to constructive criticisms but just saying “well that won’t work” and then leaving the statement floating in the air, pisses me off (and I quote) “Ain’t nobody got time for that”. But I am working on recognising the difference between those people who are just making noise and those who actually have a point to make.

TRUSTING MY INTUITION... This weekend someone told me ‘that I need to trust my intuition, listen to what my gut is telling me’. One area where this intuition thingy comes into play is ‘time and money’ - I do need heaps more of both and I feel panicked at odd moments of the day and night. Yet, I know it will be resolved, I don’t know how or when but it will and I just need to keep moving forward.

That statement right there terrifies me but I am guessing that learning to trust my intuition also means overriding the negatives and the rational and replacing them with the certainty that all will work out as it should.

Countering all of this is the 'effortless and the happening naturally' of the project- the flinging open of doors, the support I receive every day from people I know and those I don’t, the wonderful people I am meeting, the happiness and calmness  I feel when I talk and work on the project and best of all, the feeling of pure joy when the project connects with the people it is intended to for.