Since the Hamilfilm premiered on Disney+ two weeks ago, I’ve basically been watching it on an endless loop (not unlike the turntable on stage). I’ve been crying whenever Christopher Jackson sings, noticing ever more arcane details, and developing an unhealthy obsession with Daveed Diggs. I’ll try to watch something else, but then think to myself, “I could be watching Hamilton right now. Why am I not doing that? Let me just do that.”

For those of you considering not reading any further because you’re not a Hamilfan, or you don’t care for Hamilton, or you don’t care about Hamilton, don’t despair. Well, I mean first check if you have a pulse and then definitely talk to your therapist about what’s going on there, but please keep reading.

This article is not about Hamilton per se, but about its origin story. There is much hard-won wisdom to be gleaned from the fact that this musical even exists. The fact that this eccentric and electric idea sprouted from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s brain, emerged as a nerdy concept album, and evolved into an 11 time Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical is almost unbelievable. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.

But back to mental health. Many folks come to see me because they feel stuck in their lives, like they haven’t quite made it out of first gear. When I feel like I’m just going through the motions of life, I find it mega-inspiring to learn the backstory of successful, creative individuals. For me there is no one who looms quite as large as Lin-Manuel Miranda and his masterpiece, Hamilton.

So how did Lin-Manuel turn a behemoth of a biography into a global phenomenon?

“You should be writing faster than a song a year” - director Tommy Kail nudging Lin-Manuel Miranda to pick up the pace.

In a recent interview, Lin-Manuel said it took him six months to write the opening number, over a year to write the first draft of “My Shot”, and a year to write Hamilton’s final soliloquy at the end of Act II. To finish writing Hamilton, he needed hard, external deadlines in the form of live performances or meetings with important people. During the years he was writing In The Heights, Lin-Manuel met with Tommy every Friday to hold himself accountable. He says, “If I didn’t bring in anything it was kind of a boring meeting.”

I can’t tell you how many clients seek therapy due to struggles with procrastination. Isn’t it a relief to know even prolific, creative geniuses like Lin-Manuel procrastinate? We all need help with accountability. Meeting regularly with a therapist can serve just that purpose. Your therapist can help you escape analysis paralysis and finally do the thing, whatever that thing is.

Behind every song we know and love are countless discarded drafts, abandoned ideas, moments of eureka, and moments of banging one’s head against the wall. Many songs were ultimately cut from the play because they didn’t serve the story. We think of Hamilton as an opera (no spoken dialogue), but the team actually collaborated with a playwright for a few months, until it became evident that wasn’t working. This is where humility comes in. Putting aside one’s ego, making painful decisions, and trimming the fat to elevate the project as a whole.*

*Although even with a condensed storyline, Hamilton is by all accounts super long. The lyrical density is intense and insane. Like the title character, the play is non-stop. Hamilton broke records for number of words per minute and total word count in a musical.

Look around. Who do you have in your corner? Who’s encouraging you to dream big? What if instead of the Cabinet (what Hamilfans call music director Alex Lacamoire, director Tommy Kail, and choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler), Lin-Manuel had hung around a bunch of haters and detractors? What if he paid attention to the people who told him he sucked, that In The Heights was a fluke, and that he’d never amount to anything? Can you imagine? Lin-Manuel was smart enough and prescient enough to know he needed help. You don’t write a musical featuring 40+ songs without a little help from your friends.

Likewise, most of us would benefit from the presence of a steady, positive support squad. During these Covidian times, it may be hard to connect with your usual crew. Why not seek the unwavering support of a friendly, compassionate therapist who can challenge you to be better while sticking by your side no matter what?

Lin-Manuel was just 29 years old when he performed “The Hamilton Mixtape” at the White House Poetry Jam. The audience laughed when he said he was working on a hip hop album about the life of someone he thought embodied hip hop - Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. How on earth do you keep pursuing your dream when even the Obamas initially laugh at your idea?

I don’t view self-confidence as an all-or-nothing, immutable trait. Sure, it helps if you’ve already won a Tony for your composition skills, but that could just as easily hinder you from ever writing again. I think self-confidence is fluid, and it needs to be nourished over time. You only need to believe in yourself enough to take the next step. You don’t need to aim for the sky or expect international acclaim, you just need to listen to your higher self and follow that internal guiding system onto the next right thing. Talking to a therapist can help you find your higher self and trust your intuition.

Hamilton’s backstory is a superb lesson in perseverance, courage, and the audacity to believe in yourself when conventional wisdom says you should just give up, that you’re bound to fail. So many of us stay inside the box. We cling to the narrative that flatters our ego, the narrative that pleases our real or imagined critics, or the narrative that fits within the contours of what came before.

We may not all be changing the game like Lin-Manuel, but we’re all playing the game of life. Whether we realize it or not. How do you want to play the game? What is your legacy?

I get that most of us are not revered lyricist-composers, but we all have a spark inside that drives us. If you pay attention to this spark and nurture it, you’ll find something wants to be born. Working alongside a supportive therapist can help you uncover that spark and experience more passion, creativity, and spontaneous joy.

That’s all for now friends. See you on the other side! Or more likely, in the Zoom where it happens!