I am at a point in my life where I feel that I am doing exactly what I am supposed to do, and I have never been happier or more fulfilled. Here’s the short version of how I got here. I am a preacher's kid. We can be the worst, and as for my part, I have not been a saint. I have never thought of myself as a preachy person, but this lesson from my father, probably more than any other, has changed my life, and in the most profound and positive way. Why am I a musician? Why did I start Boxleys? Why did I start a jazz festival? Why did I start a blues festival? How did I get to the point? Lesson #10 is the answer. Thanks Dad! Read more…
Category: Thoughts
My dad didn’t start out a Jazz fan at all. He found it confusing. He was not a musician, and he didn’t think of himself as having musical talent. Growing up, I rarely heard him sing, I sometimes heard him hum a tune, and sometimes he would clap his deformed hands. As a burn victim, he couldn’t really flatten his hands to make much of a sound, but he tried nonetheless. He was always quiet when it came to music, so I have no idea really if my dad could carry a tune in a bucket.
Lesson #8- It’s okay to change your opinions, don’t be too proud of them. Change them all the time - from Lessons from My Father. I have learned that I do often need to examine my opinions, and be willing to change them; and in my opinion, everyone should do the same. Especially when it comes to the relationships in our lives. To everyone you meet, who you may end up calling a friend, be willing to listen to them. And before you end a relationship over an opinion, you should ask yourself if it’s really worth that cost.
If you don’t know where to start, start by listening to them. - from Lessons from My Father ”It’s not about you.” I don’t know who said that first, but it’s a pretty common saying. I find myself repeating it often. But in our world today, so much pressure we hear is that it is about us. Whether it’s the ads on our social media feed that talk about success, career, buying a new car, a new home, living longer, luxury purchases, or luxury vacations - the messaging is about finding happiness. Or the messaging is about lack of health, depression, sleepless nights; also medicating your way to happiness.
This month I have been consuming two books, one on audio and the other on my Kindle. I have admittedly shared before on my blog that I am a worrier, and for me it is dibilitating at times. I am also a procrastinator. Furthermore, I worry about being a procrastinator. Next, my mind is very good at judging me, and while sometimes that helps me do things that accomplish goals, often those judgements just beat me up and wear me down. Yeah, I intellectually get that my circumstance is not unique. Bottom line, I can’t seem to successfully live by the rules my mind makes up for me. It’s tiring, and often even depressing.
Danny Kolke 