Friday, June 20, 2025
My friend Robbie loathed when the a/c was in the “heat” mode. He played at a large church in South Louisiana, and particularly hated the heat on Christmas Eve, when people would pack the cathedral like sardines. If the heat was on, it got stuffy.
One year, Robbie put a sticky note on the thermostat that read in bold letters, “THE HEAT IS OFF.” This was his way of informing the ushers and the priests. Was the heat broken? Was the heat malfunctioning? No, the heat was simply off. It was an interesting, honest statement, and that year, no-one touched the thermostats. The message was clear. As the cathedral filled with people, their warmth energized the air.
When the heat is on, we get stage fright, we get stuffy, and our performance is lifeless. We ironically freeze and cannot move when the heat is on. When we feel we’re in the hot seat, we get cold feet. When we feel the burning lights from above, we’re dead and cold, like a lifeless body in the morgue. Are you frying yourself? THE HEAT IS OFF.
Billy Elliot described the way he felt when he was dancing, and he used the phrase “like electricity.” His love for dancing set him afire, and as he moved, he glowed and disappeared. Heat burns from within. That’s how you create the life you want, passionately. You simply move. You warmup to the notion of who you are. When the heat is on, it’s freezing and stuffy. When you’re in the hot seat, it’s the arctic and sweaty. When the heat is off, it’s electric. It’s freeing not freezing. It’s more fun to be the light than to be petrified by it. The spotlight is not on you. It is you. You’ll warm up when you move and glow up. Relax. THE HEAT IS OFF.