Douglas Bell shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Douglas , it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
Myself. I am not sure that people see the transformation that I’m going through right now. I am gradually becoming who I am supposed to be, but it has taken me nearly 60 years, alot of therapy and meditation.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Douglas Bell. I am an author, owner of a book publishing company called Bumbershoot Press, and host of YouTube channel called Ringing the Bell.
Regarding my brand. My brand centers Black male voices from Houston, TX, while using meditation and Buddhist wisdom to reveal my character’s best selves. I’ve written three novels and I’ve started the fourth.
I host a YouTube channel. I manage four playlists: The Craft and the Calling, Stillness Speaks, The World of Douglas Bell, and On Record.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
The parts that I had to hide. For the first time in my life, I honestly don’t feel like I need to hide my true self anymore. That feels good. How I dress. How I honestly about myself. What I think. I don’t have to hide anymore.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
Being honest was my biggest fear. I was taught if I was honest then bad things would happen. I learned to hide.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
At one time, no. I believe today that I am more of myself than any other time in my life. I think meditation has giving me the space and strength to investigate who I really want to be. The quietness gave me the courage to seek out the help to answer that in the most loving, sustainable way.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
The power of patience. Patience takes courage and faith. Patience requires stillness. Over the years, I’ve learned to sit with myself and resist the need to control things or get rid of the uncertainty in my life. As a young man, I hated uncertainty and made so many things worse because I did not know how to sit with uncertainty or pain. My meditation practice which has supported the Buddhist teachings that I follow, has giving me a way or method to sit with life. I still don’t like uncertainty, but I am better able to smile and sit in the chaos while life works itself out or naturally unfolds. When we show patience, then we let life naturally occur. Some people say, Let Go. Let God. Showing patience keeps me from contriving my life’s plan and its outcomes. There is this balance between action and contemplation that must occur and hopefully we get better over time with finding that balance.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.douglasbellbooks.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/douglasbellauthor/
- Twitter: https://x.com/DBellblog
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552631680940
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DouglasBellauthor
