A Zenith Rising From the Ashes

I love Pacific Palisades. I’ve hung out there, have friends there, and almost bought a house there—it had an underground bomb shelter in the front yard!

Like you, I was riveted by the images of flames and smoke and moved to tears by the stories of unity, connectedness, and the lifelong friendships forged in the fire’s aftermath. Sometimes it feels like prayers aren’t enough, but I’ve sent them anyway.

For all the artists, entrepreneurs, and creatives who lost everything, it may take a while to shift your focus from present responsibilities to imagining a new future. However, you know how to do this—it’s in your bones. You have the ability to imagine and conjure up a vision from nothing, then begin creating it, manifesting it, and offering it to the world. It doesn’t matter if it’s a song, a script, a startup, a new home, or an entirely new life. Fortunately, your creative process isn’t confined to one part of your life; it permeates everything you do. You know how to reinvent. Others don’t have that gift—they have different ones—but this is yours.

And while it’s true that when we’re blindsided by impossible circumstances, we often feel alone and out of control, as though we’re losing ground, it’s also true that when an artist or entrepreneur is up against the wall, they instinctively tap into the field of all possibilities. They process ideas, invent solutions, and explore options right on the spot. That right-brained, non-stop stream of creativity is one of our greatest assets!

After you’ve given a big hug and a respectful farewell to what was, and you’re finally ready to reconnect with that familiar tug of desire for what can be, getting back into the groove will feel exhilarating. And if you look closely, you’ll notice that the choices and decisions you make after this upheaval, could actually propel you further down the road than you were before. Why? Because you’re not starting over—you’re starting from here. Like a zenith rising from the ashes, you now have the chance to stand on the shoulders of a lifetime of knowledge, experience, talent, and wisdom, and use that as your foundation to build new dreams and set new goals.

Important because when we find ourselves standing toe-to-toe with the demon of disaster, the most empowering thing we can do is trust the experiences we’ve had to teach us, honor the knowledge we’ve acquired to lead us, have confidence in our talents, abilities, and skills to support us, and lean in to that deeper wisdom we’ve acquired to help us navigate the perplexing labyrinth we’ve unexpectedly found ourselves in. The flames may have destroyed everything on the outside, but they can’t touch anything on the inside. I send you a deep bow and a prayer.