The Work You Get to Do
I made the leap to become a full-time professional musician shortly after my first son was born and right after a brush with a significant health scare. Music was my passion, and I didn't want to look back on my life at the age I am now and wonder “Could I have ‘done something’ with my musical ambitions.”
We lived in Charleston, South Carolina at the time. It was a great place to launch a music career. There were plenty of places to perform and a vast well of talented musicians to play with. I formed musical partnerships quickly and picked up gigs easily. Fortune shone upon me. I was "making it!"
Most of my musical partnerships were with players who were ten or twenty years my senior. I was struck by how often I heard these veterans griping. They complained about indifferent audiences, crappy gigs, lack of recognition, low pay, and how undeserving local talent like Edwin McCain and Hootie and the Blowfish were getting signed while they were getting passed over.
Me? I was thrilled simply to be doing what I loved and getting by. I was living the dream. I vowed I’d never become one of "those guys."
Years passed, and my career continued. From time to time, I picked up gigs at well-known venues and festivals. I even did shows with famous acts. But mostly, I was a local favorite, a hometown hero.
Shortly after our second son was born, we moved to southwestern Virginia, and I augmented the income lost due to my less frequent gig schedule by giving guitar lessons. It turns out I love to teach even more than gigging, and I really enjoyed being home more and on the road less.
About twenty-five years into my musical endeavors, I caught myself having a conversation about not getting the breaks I "deserved." I recognized the symptoms right away. It was happening. I was becoming one of "those guys."
And in that moment, I changed my mind. I reframed my situation and reminded myself, "This isn't the work I have to do. This is the work I get to do."
This realization was more or less a rewording of my favorite quote from Marcus Aurelius' Meditations, "Love the humble art you have learned and take rest in it."
The "art" Marcus is referring to is the art of living. Marcus believed that to live well meant to remain humble and accept what fate delivers, even as you strive to excel and serve others. It's strong medicine, and it saved me at that moment where hubris and selfishness were creeping into my consciousness.
Ever since that day, I make a daily practice of thankfulness with a 1-minute gratitude exercise. It helps me cultivate a sense of sufficiency for who I am and how things are even as I strive to better myself and my situation.
Scientific studies reveal that the simple act of counting your blessings and a posture of gratitude stave off stress and cultivate wellbeing even during the toughest times.
So, why not give gratitude a chance? What are you grateful for today?
Let's keep flying higher together!
Scott
