I had a thought this morning and I put it up on facebook-
"Your life is as great as you imagine it to be"
Believe it or not, that statement is true and I am living proof of that. Even if I, myself don't think my life is all that great at the moment I do have a lot to be thankful for and I'm sure there are people who do think I have a great life and wished they could be in my shoes to do what I do and have the experiences I have.
Let me explain why I'm proof of the above statement:
Growing up surrounded by musicians, my dad and uncles, that's what I knew and that's what my brother and I used to mimic even before we started playing instruments. As we got older, started to play instruments and upon leaving high school all I wanted to do is what I saw my father doing, tour the world playing music in various bands. I was in a band as a teen, a band with my brother and friends we grew up with who shared the same dream. But our band hardly did any gigs. We recorded an album and practiced together all the time until we all (by default) started doing other things to earn a living because we were out of school and had to start accepting some sort of responsibility in our respected home situations. We officially "disbanded' when the drummer decided that he no longer wanted to be a part of it and he was an integral part of our existence so it was never the same without him. We all kept the dream however, together or not, we each wanted to be successful musicians/artists.
Anyhow back to my point. I kept dreaming of touring, listened to my dads live cassettes on tour with Ziggy Marley and learned all the guitar parts, imagining myself on stage playing the set. Within a few years of leaving high school, three years to be exact, I started touring with Damaian "Jr Gong" Marley and doing recording sessions with Ziggy & Stephen Marley. Then in another couple years I started touring with one of Jamaica's most successful artists (Shaggy), and that led to me working/touring with most of of the top acts from Jamaica - Jimmy Cliff, Diana King, Monty Alexander, Morgan Heritage, Buju Banton to name a few.
I remember days when I kept saying to myself "I just want to be a touring musician", and that's all I thought about, that's all I visioned, that's what I imagined. I even remember the first time I saw Shaggy perform live and was blown away by the band and how they all performed (1996). Right there I said "I'd want to be in a band like that"...and two years later I was in Shaggy's band.
So you see, it's not about luck or any random happenings. We all choose our paths either consciously or unconsciously. If you pay attention to your reoccurring thoughts, beliefs or even the things you say aloud everyday, you'll realize that life as you know it is as a result of your own thoughts, imagination and decisions. No matter what your current situation or circumstance is, you have the power within you to change it forever. See it, say it, imagine it, pray about it and be thankful for everything leading you to where you are and where you intend to be. Whatever you want in life or for your life may not happen the exact way you want it. It may not happen the time when you expect it and it will not be without challenges. But sure enough it will be as you intend it to be.
So what am I up to today? Being thankful for the great life I have and looking forward on greater things to come.
Love
"Your life is as great as you imagine it to be"
Believe it or not, that statement is true and I am living proof of that. Even if I, myself don't think my life is all that great at the moment I do have a lot to be thankful for and I'm sure there are people who do think I have a great life and wished they could be in my shoes to do what I do and have the experiences I have.
Let me explain why I'm proof of the above statement:
Growing up surrounded by musicians, my dad and uncles, that's what I knew and that's what my brother and I used to mimic even before we started playing instruments. As we got older, started to play instruments and upon leaving high school all I wanted to do is what I saw my father doing, tour the world playing music in various bands. I was in a band as a teen, a band with my brother and friends we grew up with who shared the same dream. But our band hardly did any gigs. We recorded an album and practiced together all the time until we all (by default) started doing other things to earn a living because we were out of school and had to start accepting some sort of responsibility in our respected home situations. We officially "disbanded' when the drummer decided that he no longer wanted to be a part of it and he was an integral part of our existence so it was never the same without him. We all kept the dream however, together or not, we each wanted to be successful musicians/artists.
Anyhow back to my point. I kept dreaming of touring, listened to my dads live cassettes on tour with Ziggy Marley and learned all the guitar parts, imagining myself on stage playing the set. Within a few years of leaving high school, three years to be exact, I started touring with Damaian "Jr Gong" Marley and doing recording sessions with Ziggy & Stephen Marley. Then in another couple years I started touring with one of Jamaica's most successful artists (Shaggy), and that led to me working/touring with most of of the top acts from Jamaica - Jimmy Cliff, Diana King, Monty Alexander, Morgan Heritage, Buju Banton to name a few.
I remember days when I kept saying to myself "I just want to be a touring musician", and that's all I thought about, that's all I visioned, that's what I imagined. I even remember the first time I saw Shaggy perform live and was blown away by the band and how they all performed (1996). Right there I said "I'd want to be in a band like that"...and two years later I was in Shaggy's band.
So you see, it's not about luck or any random happenings. We all choose our paths either consciously or unconsciously. If you pay attention to your reoccurring thoughts, beliefs or even the things you say aloud everyday, you'll realize that life as you know it is as a result of your own thoughts, imagination and decisions. No matter what your current situation or circumstance is, you have the power within you to change it forever. See it, say it, imagine it, pray about it and be thankful for everything leading you to where you are and where you intend to be. Whatever you want in life or for your life may not happen the exact way you want it. It may not happen the time when you expect it and it will not be without challenges. But sure enough it will be as you intend it to be.
So what am I up to today? Being thankful for the great life I have and looking forward on greater things to come.
Love
Reading through this blog tells me the story of someone who has so far fulfilled their dreams of who they want to become and where they want to be. Starting out with youthful ambitions and maturing into a responsible adult with a drive and determination,that trust me, not everyone has. You are right in saying that some people would give a lot to be in your shoes. Remember YOU were that person once. Note I said earlier "someone who has SO FAR fulfilled their dreams" The story also tells me that there is still more to come. How do we measure success ?
ReplyDeleteI believe the same desire that got you this far, will take you as far as you want to go.
They say patience is a virtue ......until then, being thankful for the things we have is a good start. Bless