February 12, 2017
I have always considered myself a "hard worker" I have achieved some success at whatever I turned my hand to, until I didn't. Sometimes I worked hard because it felt like my only decision. Sometimes I just stepped away from something that was no longer serving me.
Sometimes though, I think I just gave up.. or in.
I couldn't find that motivation, that last bit of drive, the final push to get through another round of failure to reach the next level. Whatever it was I needed, I didn't have it, or maybe, didn't even look to see if I could find it.
My son suggested today I write about hard work.
Hard work, drudgery, back breaking, the long haul, tough grind, the uphill battle.
Yes, I have been looking up the dictionary again, actually moved into the thesaurus today.
I am realizing nothing I do in my life can be described in those terms, not really.
I am persistent, I try to do what I say I will do. Could I work harder?
Absolutely.
What I could do is embrace the work.
What I could do though, is be thankful that I can do the work, at all.
What I can really do is stop focussing on the mountain of things to be done and just start climbing the mountain.
Getting up, going to work, (and I love my day gig), overcoming some challenges, and there are some, requires effort.
Backbreaking effort, I think not.
There are the things we do to pay the bills, put food on the table, keep the wolf from the door.
For me the extra things, the writing of music, the making of melodies, the finding the right word, that's not about work.
It's about space, and breathing space into my life, and hopefully, someone else's as well.
We're in the final stages of finishing a new album.
Now comes the "hard work"
Now comes the planning, the photoshoots, the art and visual concepts, the layout, the marketing, the disappointment and the joy of having people you know and don't know pass judgement on your work, the making of posters, the requests to be heard, the selling of tickets, the worry about making money on a project you've gently rolled uphill for over two years, the work after the work after the work. ( let's be serious, breaking even is often the goal).
I'm redefining hard work for myself.
I am going to work and apply myself to everything I direct my attention towards, things that will serve me.
When I finish, I am going to take one more step and then one more towards a future I know is there.
I am not going to forget where I am right now.
I'm not going to forget the impact, good or bad, that I have on others.
I am going to wrench every last piece of gratitude I can that I can do the work, that I can improve, that I can make a difference, that I can_______, (fill in the blank)
Love,
M