Simply More by Cynthia Erivo

Annotations from "Simply More" by Cynthia Erivo

With music everywhere, home felt like a place I belonged. I could ask all the questions in the world and was never shamed for my curiosity. I could bring in as much music as I wanted and play it wherever and whenever I wanted. Mum would let me take over the hi-fi system and I’d spend an afternoon just sitting and waiting for a song I loved to come on the radio so I could record it. My passion for music was never, ever a problem. I hope you had a safe place like that. But if you didn’t, make one for yourself now, even if it’s just in your own mind. That still counts.

The director, Rae McKen, saw me. “Why don’t you audition?” she asked. “You’re here. You might as well.” “Okay, I’ll try.” I wasn’t prepared in the slightest, but I gave it my all. And guess what? I became Juliet. This is what trying sometimes gets us. Not all the time, but if we don’t put ourselves out there, we’ll never know.

If, in your own life, you left the magic behind somewhere in your past, know that it’s waiting for you to come back and claim it.

Magic is something that still happens. It’s yours if you reach for it.

Who are the people who have nurtured you? Those you’ve seen clearly, and those you’ve allowed to see you? Who have you nurtured in turn?

When we are determined to be happy despite what life offers, despite today’s circumstances, by any means possible, it’s absolutely seismic. We become a force to be reckoned with.

seemed to be opening doors and portals for me, passageways I could hardly imagine for myself. The more I leaned into vulnerability and receptiveness, the more goodness came to pass. Openness is what expands your life, your center.

But listen: If you allow the experiences that come to you to keep revealing the different pages of who you are, if you refuse to let the negative words stick, if you stay open and growing, if you refuse to shrink inside yourself, your path will keep revealing itself. You just have to take the next step.

I want you to go and fully do that thing you’re good at. Don’t wait for the reward. The life you’re living and the life that is waiting for you are the rewards.

Is there someone in your life you can make a pact with, to care for, to be kind to, to support? Life is hard enough as it is. Commit to helping another person, and let that person commit to helping you.

the last 10K of a marathon, it’s all in the bank. You’ve done the hard work. Now feel your expansive, tender heart pulling you forward, carrying you over the finish line. One foot in front of the other. That’s all it takes.

effort. That’s okay. Keep going. Keep running. Take the next step.

Samuel Beckett. “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

want them there at all. I realized two things from that experience. One, that people will often blame you when you’re simply standing your ground, and that if they do, they are not your people. It’s best to move as far away from them as possible.

I realized two things from that experience. One, that people will often blame you when you’re simply standing your ground, and that if they do, they are not your people. It’s best to move as far away from them as possible.

when you think you have passed the final test, another one may be around the next corner. Mountaineers experience this all the time, reaching false summits before the final peak. Don’t give up. Don’t be surprised, just buckle down. You’ve got this. 41 Allow What You Can’t Fathom Wicked became a thing and Mattel wanted to make a Barbie with my face on it.

when you think you have passed the final test, another one may be around the next corner. Mountaineers experience this all the time, reaching false summits before the final peak. Don’t give up. Don’t be surprised, just buckle down. You’ve got this. 41 Allow What You Can’t Fathom

as you wonder if the things you’re desiring will ever come your way, remember that whatever is for you will find you. If it does not, it was not supposed to come in the first place. Either way, we are good enough. We are doing the work to prepare ourselves for what might be coming. We are becoming authentically ourselves. And that, dear ones, is our primary job, the work of this lifetime.

I’ll journal to reconnect with my innermost self. This is a chance to make sure I’m being loyal to myself and deeply loving to myself. Then finally, sleep.

As you go to bed tonight, assess where and how deeply you’re caring for yourself. Honor yourself with a ritual, whether time-tested or brand new. Being simply more is not easy work. We are called to be our most authentic and true selves hour after hour, day after day. And while it’s the most rewarding way to live, it can also take a toll. So we need to remember to be good to ourselves. Let’s review the day. We ran a good race. We gave it our all. And we will get a whole new chance to have a go at it again tomorrow. Well done. These are the moments that make up a life, and when we choose them consciously, we build the lives we want.