Passion Party #542 - Would You Let Your Music Go Unheard?

Many years ago, violinist Itzhak Perlman gave a performance in New York. During the concert one of the strings on his violin suddenly broke. The crowd gasped at the sound, which could be heard throughout the entire auditorium, and the music abruptly came to a stop. 

 

The crowd waited patiently for Mr. Perlman to replace the string. However, much to everyone’s surprise, Perlman didn’t rush to find a new string. He took a moment to gather himself before he motioned for the conductor to begin playing again where the orchestra had left off! For the remainder of the concert, Perlman played the music that should have been played on four strings on only three.

As Itzhak finished playing, for a moment, time slowed and silence filled the air then the audience rose to its feet to offer a standing ovation for this incredible feat. Perlman smiled and humbly raised his bow. “You know,” he told them, “sometimes it is the artist’s task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left.”

In life, when something breaks, does the loss stop us or do we continue making music with what we have?

With creativity and persistence!

 

-George Kahn

Passion Party #541 - Patience

"Rivers know this: there is no hurry.  We shall get there some day." - A. A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

 

Patience is a lost art.

To stop and wait while life swirls around you

trusting that  something hidden here will be revealed,

this is the gift that patience brings.

 

Patience is like water:

It takes the shape that you give it

and in the end, if set free, it will always go where it wants to go

and nothing can stop it.

In time, it can find a way around most any obstacle.

In time, it can create something as incredible as the Grand Canyon.

 

I think back to the summer of 1972, when my friend Rick and I rented a cabin on the

Wyalusing River, where for four weeks we did nothing much

but watch the river flow by.

Always there, but in every moment

always different.

 

Like putting a bird feeder in your back yard - 

you put it up, and put the food in,

and then you can do nothing but wait.

Patience brings the gift of the birds

Patience is the gift.

Passion Party #540 - Persistence

“Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more com- mon than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” - Calvin Coolidge 

It seems like such a simple idea:
Pick one thing, and keep doing it
whether it is exercise, or practice, or study.
It is the obstinate and continuous course of action that in the end creates results.

There should be an easier way
but in the end the task does not get easier,
what gets easier is our ability to perform it.

Pick one thing, and keep doing it.
There are days that I just don't feel like it
I am not motivated, or inspired.
But motivation does not produce results.
It is the action, the persistence,
the morning ritual that you do because,
well, because you do it every day.

Persistence has made it a habit.
And now it is easy to see that
the answer is not out there,
but in here.

PASSION PARTY #539 - Money and Energy

It takes energy to make money.

 

They say that money doesn't grow on trees, but if you plant an orchard and work at the harvest, money can grow on trees.

 

The relationship between time, money and energy:

Money does not equal energy.

If it did, day laborers would be rich.

Knowledge does not equal money

If it did, librarians would be wealthy.

But knowledge, combined with time, energy and action, can create money.

 

I think of money as congealed energy.

Each day I exchange my life force energy, which is formless

for money, which is solid and tangible.

And in our society, money is also an accurate measurement for the amount of value

I am bringing to the marketplace.

 

So the secret of making more money is not

to spend more time

or to  exert more energy

it is to give more value to more people

and build systems and teams to expand my capacity to receive the fruits of my labor.

Then the money takes care of itself.

Passion Party #538 - You Are Not Pefect

You are not perfect.

 

If you were perfect, you would not need to read this.

Do not judge yourself based on what you cannot do.

Feel the enjoyment of your accomplishments

your expression

your talent

you have a gift

and people deserve to hear it, to see it, to live it with you.

 

Being judged by others is bad enough

you do not need to join the panel of experts who want to tell you what to do.

Remember, they are just people too,

with good days and bad days

and their own dirty dishes to come home to.

Bring your humanity to the party

come prepared

and then - let go.

Passion Party #537 - Getting Started

I have my 2015 date book
I have my Passion Planner
I have my business plan workbook
I have my daily to do list
I have my smart phone
I have my Google alarms
I have my Outlook calendar

So why do I feel so disorganized?

Passion Party #536 - Danger and Courage

There is danger everywhere

and there is danger nowhere.

It takes a lot to be courageous

and all it takes is getting out of bed in the morning.

 

Danger and courage are not for someone else,

someone more courageous,

a big risk-taker with medals on her lapels.

Danger and courage is given to all of us

Life is full of danger

and living life to the fullest is a courageous act.

 

The fight-or-flight instinct,

the reptilian mind may want you to hide under a rock

or become invisible because it feels easy and safe.

It feels easy to play small, just punch the clock, just do the least to get by.

 

But if we must face danger

(and we must, every day)

it feels better to play by one's wits,

to play with courage and an open heart -

the courage to lead

the courage to accept my responsibility

the courage to choose my next action.