He’s joking around in the beginning but around a minute into it, he gets serious. If he can have this much hope and joy for life, then what excuse do most of us have?

It’s a poem with the simple message… “Don’t Quit.”

Check it out…

It’s so easy for us to sit around and focus on all the bad things that are happening. That’s just human nature.

A million good things can be happening (like the invisible molecules that make up the oxygen we breathe everyday) but when one thing goes wrong, sadly, it has the potential to take all our joy away. Or should I say, we give it the permission…

Let’s make everyday “Thanksgiving” — not just one day out of the year.

I read in a recent study that just setting aside a few minutes a day to be reminisce about all the things you’re thankful for can go a long way in keeping you healthy and less stressed. And you know what? I believe it!

In church, they put it this way: “When I think about the goodness of Jesus and all he’s done for me…”

Be thankful for…

God’s grace
Life
Health
Ability (…just “the ability to”)
Spouse
Children
Parents
Family
Friends
Career
Music & gifts
Accomplishments
Overcomings
Your testimony!

When you think about all the things that do go right, you will find that the “good” always outweighs the “bad.”

And I’m preaching to myself! After a long day of the website being up and down… up and down yesterday, I could be sitting here sad that so many people were turned away because our website just plainly DIDN’T WORK. But I’m thankful for all the many people that did join and the benefits they are going to receive. I am so “thankful” for YOU ALL!

It’s just a matter of the glass being half “full” or half “empty.” I choose to look at it being half full!

Be thankful everyday! That’s my message to you today!

Happy Thanksgiving…

I admit… I’m not a committed “runner.” I start running for a few weeks — I stop — I start again — I stop. When I “stops,” I “stops!” :-)

And his point about that little “person” telling you to give up because you’re tired and your body can’t take it anymore — that’s the same voice that tells you all the other things you supposedly can’t do. “Running,” according to Will, helps you defeat that voice. (I’ve gotta admit, I’m going to “start” back up again).

For my first motivational weekend post, listen to Will on the “keys to life”…

And one of the lines I always hear on his audio programs is…

“Repetition is the mother of skill.”

And it’s true.

If you expect to grasp something by only doing it a few times, you’re going to be sadly disappointed at the results.

This applies to your music playing, exercising, reading, hobbies, time management — just about anything you can think of.

On the other hand, however, if you commit to the thing you want to accomplish and support it with repeated action, you will succeed. The person who fails just didn’t try enough… point blank.

They say it takes at least 21 days of doing something for it to become a habit. Now, whether you agree with the specific number or not, it is undeniable that you must stick with something in order for it to become habitual. Heck, that even applies to negative habits. One who is overweight didn’t get there overnight. One who smokes oneself into lung cancer didn’t get there with one puff. So it goes both ways.

So the next time you’re tempted to give up, remember that in order for you to birth the skill and mastery that comes at the end of the tunnel, you must endure a moment of pregnancy — then, and only then, will the result emerge. No one desires a premature pregnancy.

“Repetition is the mother of skill.”

Until next time —

It applies to just about anything — your music playing, your career, your relationships, and simply your life.

My second post for this weekend’s motivational minute is simple…

Never lose sight of the finish line. Paul says it best when he writes, “Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before.”

That’s the kind of spirit we should all have.

Don’t worry about your shortcomings.

Don’t worry that you weren’t on the same playing field as others.

Don’t worry that things didn’t come as easy for you.

Don’t worry if you suffer with a handicap or disadvantages others don’t have.

It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.

And I’ll be the first to tell you that it’s all “relative.”

In other words, your “start” and “finish” are not my start and finish. So don’t get too caught up in what everyone else is doing (…that’s only if watching others tends to discourage you — if you find it empowering and it inspires action, by all means, do so).

I know it’s a cliche but we can do anything we put our mind to. We’ve sent folks to the moon. We’ve built technologies to fly us from one side of the world to the other. Who knows what we’ll be doing 50 years from now. The point is, these are creations of those who understood the power of potential.

So if you ever feel the need to make excuses and “woulda-shoulda-coulda’s,” just remember…

It’s not where you start. Heck, it doesn’t matter where you are RIGHT NOW. It doesn’t matter if you almost finished and had to start all over — as long as you get there!

Press on!

Al Pacino, in “Any Given Sunday,” gives a motivational speech that’s applicable to every part of life. Speaks for itself…

*I don’t agree with the language, of course, but listen to the message. Lighten up… just a movie :-)

Rather than weep and wallow in regret, he set out to give a lecture about “childhood dreams” and how to live as if it were your last days. What’s interesting is that there really is such a thing as the last lecture. According to Randy, it means giving a lecture as if it were your last. But sadly for him, that term was literal.

For this weekend’s motivational post, I have two videos for you. The first is actual footage from the Oprah show. He gives an abbreviated version of the speech there. And the second is the actual hour-long lecture at Carnegie Melon University.

He will undoubtedly inspire you. If you open up your heart, there’s a lot to learn from his no-bs, common sense approach. I know there’s a lot to be worried about in this day and age. The economy is in shambles.

But if Randy could thrive like this knowing that he could pass away at any moment, then most people have absolutely no excuses. I know I don’t.

Unfortunately, Dr. Pausch passed away July 25, 2008 but his last lecture will live on for years to come…

And the actual speech at Carnegie Melon University where he had tenure…

Until next time —

Here’s the last one (now this is just my home office… someone remind me to share what’s in my corporate office later) — and it’s by a hero to all… Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

It speaks for itself…

Every ceiling, when reached, becomes a floor, upon which one walks as a matter of course and prescriptive right.

What does this mean to you?

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

Regardless of what you’ve faced and even overcome in the past, and prepare to encounter in the future, none of this is greater than the powers you hold within. Take the focus off external things and focus on who you have to become because everything else is “tiny” compared to YOU.

The bible says “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.”

All the best —

So, although this post is quick, it’s very powerful.

As you know, I have 6 quotes posted in my home office. I’ve already shared four of them.

Here’s the 5th one…

“From now on, I vow I will try to act the part of a person TEN TIMES BIGGER than I now am, for by doing, I construct greater powers in my own brain which will actually build me into such a leader. I refuse to longer be confined by the shadowy walls which heretofore have cramped me into a narrow sphere. From this day forth, the word ‘limit’ is banished from my mind.”

What does this mean to you?

(Not that my hardcore music topics during the week aren’t motivating… but these weekend posts really aren’t centered around music. They are for anyone striving to do anything… pretty much.

So here goes…

I have six framed quotes in my home office (even more at the Hearandplay headquarters) but I must admit, I spend a lot more time in my home office than I do there. And out of the 6, I’ve already shared 3 of them.

Like this one…

And this one…

Today, I’m going to give you the 4th one. I would have taken a photo of it but my digital camera’s battery is out and I don’t want to wait for it to charge up. :(

With these P’s, you can’t go wrong.

What does this mean to you?

But few people know the drive and determination it took for Mr. Rogers to get his show off the ground. He didn’t have much money. He didn’t have much resources. But he had vision and that’s all it takes. When you make the first step, miraculously, all the pieces fall in line later. I’ve seen it time and time again in my own life.

Well, for this weekend’s motivational post, listen to Mr. Rogers before the U.S. Senate in 1969 asking for $20 million dollars. This 6-minute speech changed the world and birthed the children’s series that taught us about sharing, honesty, morals, and… life.

Side note: Many would focus on the “6-minutes.” Yes, it only took him 6-minutes to get approved for this $20 million request. But what we don’t see are the years of struggling, dedication, and commitment. Often times when someone rises to stardom (Tyler Perry comes to mind), we focus on their “overnight” success. When in reality, it may have taken them 10 or 20 year to get to the point that allowed them to become what we would perceive as an instant success. They call it the 10-year overnight success story.

If you’ve got a vision… an idea for something… or a dream that seems bigger than life — you can do it! People who have brought about big change were common folks with uncommon persistence, work ethics, and steadfast commitment.

I hope you enjoyed!

Until next time —

He gave me a business card that said:

OPPORTUNITYISNOWHERE

At first, I read it as…

Opportunity is nowhere.

How gloomy? Who would pass out a business card saying opportunity is nowhere? Someone’s had some tough experiences… lol.

But then, I took another look at the card and I saw something different this time.

It didn’t say, “Opportunity is nowhere.”

In fact, it said quite the opposite.

It said, “Opportunity is NOW here.”

How could I have missed that?

Well, the truth is that many people can look at the same situation and perceive two different things!

One person can see opportunity… another person can see despair.

One person can notice all the positive things about a situation, where the other person may notice all the shortcomings.

It’s called perception.

How do you see things?

Do you see the glass as half empty or half full?

Perception is everything!

I’ll leave you with a quote by Wayne Dyer…

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

Until next time —

But anyway, it goes something like this:

“You are the average of the 5 people you associate with the most.”

And whether you agree with the specificity of the quote or not, it is certainly evident that you are the average of the folks you choose to hang out with the most.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Are you uncomfortable when it comes to hanging around a group of people who are smarter than you?
• Are you always the most accomplished person in your circle of friends and associates?
• Are you always the one lifting others up but can never get someone to help “lift” you up?
• Has your “average” been brought down over the years by associating with the wrong crowd?

I remember this one preacher who came to talk to our youth group. This must have been 10 years ago.

He said:

“Young people… I don’t mind hanging with people who don’t have anything. But it’s a problem when I start hanging out with folks who don’t want to be anything.”

Big difference, indeed.

What does this all mean to you?

You’ve probably heard it before…

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God - your playing small doesn’t serve the world.”

Marianne Williamson

What does this mean to you?

“If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six sharpening my axe.”

Abraham Lincoln

What does this mean to you?

I want to share it with you…

“Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man how to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime”

I use this as my philosophy at hearandplay.com. A lot of people want me to just give them the fish. In fact, they want it fully seasoned, fried, and served on a silver platter. They want me to show them chords for this song or that song.

They want to skip the basics and fundamentals. They could care less about learning techniques that will allow them to play hundreds of songs on their own rather than me teaching them one song that will allow them to “eat for a day.”

(I probably will consider a weekly show just teaching songs without much of the theory just to satisfy this want but I will make sure that people know they are getting the fried fish already prepared and that it won’t help them to eat next week).

So I ask you…

Are you the type who just wants the fish and short term gain? Or are you interested in learning how to fish for the long run? (This isn’t just for music. This applies to virtually any skill or goal that is to be attained).

And if you are in a position to help others, do you simply give them the fish or do you offer to teach them how to fish?

I have to be honest though… I thought this was going to be another kiddy cartoon, but once again, I was wrong (…I was also wrong about the the “Bee Movie” as it had a great message, too).

I don’t want to ruin the movie for some that will get it on dvd, but I do want to point out one quote from the movie that made me take out my cell phone and note it right away (…yes, I do that kind of stuff when something memorable happens).

Here it goes…

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift.

That’s why it is called the present.”

What do you gather from this quote?

I heard someone say this several years ago and after researching it more, it looks like it was coined by the late Henry Ford:

“Whether you think you can or cannot, you’re right”

But Ford wasn’t really the first: “For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7.)

What does this quote mean to you?

What is the richest place on earth?

This place of endless riches is not in the Middle East, where there’s rich black gold buried deep beneath the Earth’s surface—nor is this place in South Africa where there is a plethora of diamond mines. The wealthiest place in the world is a cemetery. Now one would ask, “For what justifiable reason is the wealthiest place in the world a cemetery?”

Simply put, in a cemetery, you fill find that there are books that were never written. There are songs that were never sung. There are ideas that were never acted upon—dreams that were long forgotten. If one were to die today, then what ideas and what aspirations would die with him or her? And the immediate contingencies that relied on the survival of such a reverie would eventually perish with the evanescing dream.

Will your dreams and aspirations be buried with you? Will you contribute assets to the cemetery or will you leave them fulfilled here on earth?

(Note: I emphasize ‘on earth’ as I’m a believer and look forward to rewards in Heaven. But this quote deals with here on earth and what you’ll accomplish and fulfill before you leave this place.)

Can’t wait to see your comments…

JG

(For those of you who are new… on weekends I reserve this time to post inspirational quotes and thoughts that have motivated me in the past. It’s a release from some of the hardcore music topics during the week. You can go directly to the “Motivation & Inspiration” section to see all of them).

From quotes I personally have on my wall to moments that inspire action, I’ll post them on the weekends.

So here’s an ounce of inspiration for today:

“Always will I strive to be greater than I am. I must SURPASS MYSELF. In each successive act, test, encounter, thought, I will BE GREATER than in the one previous. I am what I am now; but in an hour I must be more than I am now. In everything must I exert MORE POWER TO SURPASS MYSELF.”

What does it mean to you?

Regardless of where you fall on along party lines, Barack’s story is nothing short of inspiring. Watch my thoughts on his message of “change” and not what it means in politics, but what change can mean for our own life situations!

(This isn’t political… this is motivational. This is about change in “our” own lives!)

On another note, check out Jennifer Hudson singing the National Anthem at the DNC:

What do you think about what I’ve said? I want to hear from *YOU*!

What can you change in your own life? What’s stayed the way it is for a while and MUST be changed? Are you not willing to change? Let me know below… I read every comment :).

At first, I wasn’t going to write on weekends. But then I naturally started posting motivational things and figured this could be my way of not focusing on music and related topics (like I do during the week), and give you a glimpse of another side of me… someone who thrives off inspirational and motivational readings, quotes, and axioms.

So that’s what I’m going to do. On weekends, I’ll post some of the things that have inspired me throughout the years. After all, they can very well apply to your musical growth as well as other areas in your life.

So here’s something that’s on my wall right now. It’s simple too.

(Courtesy of my wife’s iphone)

“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing”
Benjamin Franklin

Instead of expounding on what it means to me, I’d like to hear what this quote means to you?

Jermaine