Success

I originally wrote this for a friend having issues finding work. But it can be applied to many things in life.

           5 Key Things That Will Push You To The Top
                   inspired by: Zig Ziglar


 
 1) Failure is an event. Not a person. Don't beat yourself up over it.

 2) Know thyself.  I'm not going shakespearean, Neo from the Matrix here.  But knowing who you are, solidly, being cool with who that is, and extending that confidence opens many a door.

 3) Dress for success.  We all judge, judging is bad, but we all judge. I work at a clothing store, and what a man (or woman) wears impacts first impression like you wouldn't believe.

  4) Night is darkest just before the dawn.  Honestly, and I'm experiencing financial hardship myself, nothing bad lasts forever.  There is always hope, you just need to sell yourself on it.

  5)  Persistance.  In the words of a wise blue fish, "just keep swimmin"
 
This may seem like simple stuff, and we often think "well, I do all that stuff." But we may not be doing so in the extent we think.  It's crazy how standing back and just taking a look at the mirror, can give us a perspective, and even unlock the door we need to go through.

The keys to success are yours for the taking, you just have to reach out and grab them

Musical Tastes

Music is very much about taste.  To declare one genre greater than another is foolish.  Genres vary, and some genres are a result of preceding genres.  We would not have Metal today, if it were not for the Rock and Roll movement before, and the Blues/Jazz movement.  And those genres wouldn't exist if it wasn't for classical composers such as Beethoven and Bach the "rock stars" of their day.

This is something that always gets me going when I hear a comment like "(INSERT GENRE)sucks" or, I hate "(INSERT ARTIST)".  They don't enjoy the style of the artist, or the genre, and thus deem it to be musically unworthy of consideration.  I'm not a fan of Ke$ha, or Lady Gaga, or any of those artists, it's not a genre I'm in to, or artists I'm a fan of.  I won't discredit them, they obviously know what they're doing with sold out shows and high Record Sales.

One artist in particular has been up for discussion in my circle of friends lately, (please keep in mind we're all twenty something musicians), Justin Beiber.  Ever since JBeibs entered the music scene he's been the brunt of jokes and criticism as well as critical acclaim.  His music? Not really my taste.  He was discovered because of his voice, I personally as a musician can not discredit him for that.  It was talent that got him where he is, regardless of what pop culture has done with his abilities (unfortunate really).

This brings me to what I think is my final point; Different Strokes, for Different Folks.  You may not like Country (a lot of my friends don't), You may love Hip Hop (I don't).  I have a lot of Metal Head friends (I'm not one), You may not like Hard Rock (It's my favourite).  We all like different music, and as a musician I see it a lot.