Today I received an email from a potential student. She is a woman in her early 40s. In her email she told me that she had always wanted to sing, but in 5th grade, she was kicked out of the church choir because she was told she was a terrible singer. I was so excited. THE SAME THING was told to me when I was in the school chorus in 5th grade!!! The other kids told me I was awful and I shouldn’t sing. I was heartbroken. I understood her pain. The difference was, I decided to keep trying, even if it was only alone in my room in front of my mirror for the next 5 years or so. She decided to give up all together(I did get her to admit she did sing in her car.) Speaking to her on the phone, it seemed to me was was a confident self motivated, and even self actualized individual. After I got off the phone, I asked myself-what was the difference between her and I? I know within myself, I occasionally cop an attitude of “OH yeah?!?” when someone tells me I can’t do something I want to do. I get even MORE motivated. I am not sure if this comes from: A. Rebelliousness B.Passion or C. Stubbornness-all places that(arrrg) come from ego. On the other hand, maybe it is just something that I know I have to do because it will make me feel good. I DO know that I like to feel good. Feeling good usually means I am doing the right thing. I have had several instances in my life where I was told I should not do something, and in hindsight, if I would have listened, I would have not accomplished many of the things I have today. My “OH yeah?!?” attitude had served me well. My biggest “Oh yeah?!?” was when I had made the decision that what I ultimately wanted to do with my life was be a musician. One can imagine the reaction from family and friends when I make it clear at the age of 19 that I wanted to be a full time musician. I was told I needed a backup plan. I did get one-but the backup plan was never as successful as music has been for me. Believe me, I’ve tried to have a “real” job. I just seem to succeed more with music. My lessons in overcoming adversity started early. Nothing has ever come easy to me…especially if I loved it. In one particular instance, I was told when I was 15 that I had arthritis that was so bad that I probably wouldn’t be able to run again. A year later, I was captain of the indoor track team. I was also told a couple of years ago when I had spinal stenosis, that that I might not be able to anything athletic for a long time, or if ever. My condition had become so bad I could barely walk. The pain medication was doing very little-it was basically just keeping me from screaming. At times, I was in awe at the level of pain I was in. It was consuming me. That my only possible option was spine surgery. However, if I did go forward with the spine surgery to alleviate the injury there was a 30% chance I would lose range in my voice. Some friends and family told me not to have the surgery at all. If I didn’t have the surgery, my option was a pain management. However, at that point, I was on so much pain medication I was nauseous all the time. I forgot what is was like to feel good. I was becoming debilitated. So, I got the surgery. Well, today I am riding horses again. I am skiing. I am the same weight I was when I was 19. I sing better than ever. Yes, I worked really hard to heal. I followed the doctors orders to the letter. It is a miracle. I am glad I didn’t listen to anyone but my doctor’s orders. I think what I have learned from these experiences is to follow my passions, regardless of what others, or for that matter, even the fears within myself are telling me. I often tell my students and business associates that we are only limited by our ability to imagine what we can do. It is so important that we listen to ourselves and our passions-as that is how we truly live. This idea is expressed so clearly by one of my favorite motivation speakers, Dr. Wayne Dyer. I often listen to his audio tapes. One fantastic one that I particularly find motivating right now is “Excuses be Gone”. It is wonderful head medicine that instills faith and motivation.
I can listen to this over and over again, and each time I listen I find some new inspiration.
Dr. Wayne Dyer Exucuses Be Gone
So, next time you hear “you can’t” or”you shouldn’t” and it is something you really want to do-either from someone around you or your inner voice…think to yourself….OH YEAH?!?
Leave a Comment
No comments yet.
Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI
