Tonight I had the pleasure of seeing the Hot Club of San Francisco at the Napa Valley Opera House. It was a last minute decision and I didn’t really know what to expect… they were amazing.
Sitting there listening to their gypsy jazz holiday music, I couldn’t help but thinking that I wished I could play the guitar like they could. Then I realized there was a time that I wished I could just play anything on a guitar.
About four years ago, I changed that wish into action and actually picked up a guitar and started playing around with it. While I don’t expect to headline any shows in the near future, I can play through a few songs.
Around the same time I picked up that guitar I was at a pretty low point in my life; the bottom of a trench. I was unemployed, barely had a positive balance in my bank account and had no idea what I was going to do. In fact, in a very real way I thought it was time for my life to be over.
Fortunately, instead of laying down in the trench and calling it quits, I managed to take some action and start my journey out… a supreme effort.
I am surprised at how many people have the misconception they can achieve success with little effort. People who complain about where they are in life but aren’t willing to do what it takes to change things.
I’ve been asked how I went from a point of such despair to making a living building on the web. I get to wake up when I want, work from where I want, set my own hours and take Lola for a walk any time of the day. But make no mistake, I worked hard to be where I’m at and I probably work harder now than I have at any point in my life… there’s no plan b.
Life is farming, we reap what we sow and what we do comes back to us.
Too many people think that life will – rather should – be handed to them, as though they can expect to receive without giving.
If you want to be successful, whether it’s playing guitar or making money, do it the old-fashioned way. Roll up your sleeves, get your hands dirty and earn it!
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