How much would you pay to play basketball like Michael Jordan, to sing like Luciano Pavarotti, to hit a baseball like Babe Ruth, to play chess like Bobby Fisher, to compose like J.S. Bach, to act like Audrey Hepburn, or to swim like Michael Phelps? Talent is something that cannot be purchased or stolen. It is organically grown, and it cannot be given to someone or taken away. Through toiling away endless hours, one acquires something much more precious than a sum of money in exchange for their labor. They have something that is beyond price and of extreme value. I vaguely remember a quote from a speech I heard at a conference that went something like this, "How lucky we are to live in a time of such great technological advancement. The richest pharaohs in Egypt would have traded all the riches of their kingdoms to spend even twenty minutes in an airplane, soaring above the clouds." As we refine, treasure, develop, and polish talent, it can only grow in its effectiveness and beauty. We are able to soar to the greatest heights of human emotion. We are richer than the pharaohs. We become the envy we once sought. The owner of the most refined talent is indispensable, irreplaceable. Rich and poor seek out the talented and ask them to impart even a tiny portion of their gift. Others imitate the most talented, while the most talented imitate no one. They are free, completely unrestricted. They forge new paths, explore unchartered territory, and find places that few people in history have ever seen.
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I love the scripture found in the third chapter of Malachi, verse two, from the New Testament which states, "But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap". Whether you are religious or not, I think there are some great lessons presented with this verse. It has always been easy for me to see the correlation of everyday living to the refiner's fire. In movies we can often see blacksmiths beating metal, thrusting it into the fire until it's white hot, beating it some more, thrusting it back into the fire, and so forth. But what about fuller's soap? After a bit of digging, I found that a fuller was the individual who would take the raw, filthy wool from sheep and purify it using a variety of techniques, including an extremely harsh soap that would ultimately help to make it clean. It was an undesirable job. It was dirty work. It took a great deal of effort to make it white. Trials in our lives require us to use fuller's soap. Fuller's soap can be an apology. It can be healing from a physical affliction. It can be mending a broken relationship. It can mean paying whatever price needs to be paid to make something right. Sometimes, we carry fuller's soap with us daily, continually. Its abrasiveness is painful, horrible, tough, and gut-wrenching. It is also desirable, stimulating, empowering, and necessary. Don't be afraid to use fuller's soap, for in it you will find healing. About a year ago, my family took a trip to McCall, Idaho, a charming little town situated around a lake. My wife and I drove up with my cousin, Cole, and his wife, Timbrel. We had great discussions about many things in life. Much of the drive was extremely gorgeous and picturesque, but the highlight was when the sun started setting and the sky turned neon pink. Cole looked out the window and said, "I love magic hour." I'd never heard that term before, but I've thought a lot about it ever since. Yesterday I was teaching one of my adult piano students, Steve. We've had a great four years of lessons together thus far, and he's overcome a great deal of technical and musical hurdles during our time together. Because of some personal and family hardships, he has to take a few months off from lessons. He asked if we could reflect on the things we'd accomplished together and the things he'd improved on over the last four years. He told me it was very beneficial to focus on these things at such a trying time in his life. In many ways, this was my and Steve's "magic hour". So often we get wrapped up in so many tasks, some mundane and some meaningful. It's a good idea to take some time to reflect each day. Seasons in life have darkness and brightness, but there's always a magic hour. We create the magic hour. We can stay inside and miss it. Or, we can seek it out, study it, review it. Not every magic hour is filled with happiness and joy. Some magic hours are filled with pain, some with regret. But, every one of them means something. Every one of them is beautiful. I have contemplated throughout my life the role and impact of gratitude in everyday living. It is my humble opinion that the key to unlocking happiness is gratitude. Many people use comparisons to create a false sense of happiness, but this is a temporary fix that has no lasting impact to actually change a person. Only when one becomes completely aware of their current situation, truly present, can one begin to witness the marvels and multitude of blessings that are present, even in the most dire and humble circumstances. Welcome to my Weebly blog. For those of you who would like to read my old blog posts (from 2 years ago) - here's a link: www.joshwrightpiano.blogspot.com Today I was listening to a podcast by Tim Ferriss where he was interviewing marketing genius Seth Godin. In the three podcasts I've listened to where Seth Godin has been interviewed, I've been incredibly impressed, motivated, and changed. He seems to see the world through pure eyes, untainted with greed and self-aggrandizement. He is all about creating his form of art, and strives to not let outside sources sway him from that goal. He suggested that everyone write a blog as a daily, meditative practice. I've always been a fan of meditation as it has helped me tremendously in my career as a concert pianist, with all of the stress and high-pressure situations it can bring (insert shameless plug for my and Lindsey's "Meditation" album HERE :) ). I see writing a blog as a way of being able to craft and sculpt oneself, publicly, with all of the vulnerabilities and self-consciousness brought to the forefront of your writing. I hope, even in a small way, that my writings may help even a few people, as it serves to help me solidify gems of knowledge that I may stumble across throughout the day. I don't intend for the blog posts to be lengthy, as I felt an unnecessary need with my old blog to try to basically write an essay for each new blog post. The motivation here is that it will be a practice, a medium through which I can preserve some of the more valuable lessons I observe in this wonderfully unpredictable career of being a concert pianist and teacher, as well as life in general. So, here's today's takeaway: who's dream are you living? What is the influence you would like to have on the world, on the people you come across each day, on one individual you meet? Are there outside influences pulling you away from achieving that which is of most worth? Are you saying "yes" to things that will pull you away from your purpose and mission (and possibly being a pawn in someone else's dream fulfillment), or are you decluttering your life to focus on a few precious endeavors that will bring your art to others? Be proud of your art, and share it with others. Don't be afraid of using the title of James Altucher's book, "The Power of No", as a mantra to help you say "yes" to the things that will actually bring about change. |
About the BlogThe musings of a (crazy) concert pianist Remember to download Josh's free piano technique training here, showing his #1 tip to fix tricky spots in your pieces!
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