Facing disappointment in the face and WINNING!

Disappointment is par for the course in this crazy business that I have decided to pursure as a career.  I'm so thankful for every opportunity to perform no matter how small, but small bumps in the road sometimes cause an artist to question his/her sanity as to why he/she has chosen this profession.  This is one of those weeks for me.

When faced with adversity in our lives we can choose to be miserable or to look at challenges that arise with a sense of the big picture, with grace, and with perspective in life.  The rain that has been falling for the past few days in this area really has helped wash away the disappointment that I'm going through.  When taking a look at the grand scheme of life, small roadblocks like these only make us stronger and more aware of our own gifts/strengths to deal with these kinds of issues.

I am surrounded by an amazingly supportive family, friends, and colleagues that keep my feet on the ground.  My students inspire me on a daily basis as I guide others on their musical journeys.  As many friends have dealt with illness and tragedy lately, I can honestly say that what I'm going through is nothing compared to what they have/are experiencing.  I am healthy, prospering, and growing musically and vocally.  How can this be a bad thing?

The strength I have comes from the energy that others give me. I make it my own and feed off of that amazingly prominent energy.  My five strengths in life are:  positivity, strategy, communication, maximization, and the ability to win others over.  I have to keep moving forward, and if others wish to be a part of my life professionally or personally, that's not really up to me.  I am who I am, and those that accept me for that, I fully invest myself not only in those relationships, but in those projects for which I am hired.  I take my job and profession seriously, but it is not what makes me who I am.  I am fortunate to have weathered this storm (figuratively and literally), and I will emerge a better person and artist as a result.

On the fitness front:  I signed up for my first marathon over the holiday weekend.  Savannah Rock and Roll marathon is held on November 5th.  I am excited, thrilled, a little scared (not going to lie to you folks), and extremely pumped that my fitness journey will be taken to a level that not many people have achieved.  My training for this marathon began Monday, and I will continue to keep you all informed as to my progress with this amazingly awesome task before me.

One of my voice students has joined the running club of which I am a member and has begun his journey to health and fitness to improve his ability to make himself more marketable in this business of singing.  Let's face it, folks, we cannot deny that in any performing art form in recent memory that lookism abounds.  I'm so excited this amazingly talented young man has chosen this path, and that as a result of my example, he has made this a priority in his life.  Nothing brings me more joy as a teacher and mentor.

My workouts with my personal trainer are going amazingly well focusing on running specific strengthening exercises.  The amount of negative energy that I release in these intense circuit training sessions with very little rest in between sets is assisting my fitness by leaps and bounds.  Plateauing will be inevitable, but I'm enjoying this process (especially the increase in stamina and in core strength) so much and feel so much better as a result!

A 10 mile run is scheduled for in the morning....and so the ramping up of mileage slowly per week begins.  Now everyone get outside and GETCHUSOMMADAT!!!