Enjoy the Scenery

"Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going fast, you also miss the sense of where you are going and why” - Eddie Cantor (performer)

I woke up this morning feeling somewhat in a slump.

I’ve been listening to Gary Vaynerchuk quite alot lately. He is an entrepreneur; he is driven; and he is a motivational speaker. He is different than every other motivational speaker I’ve seen, because he’s not pitching anything. He doesn’t have the “secret” to making millions, or the “5 tips for success”. His message is clear and passionate: there is only one thing you can do that is guaranteed to get you on your way; you have to put in the work. It is so refreshing.

In this current climate of social media and technology, this sense of immediate satisfaction is so overwhelming. “What do I need to do in order to make it?” It’s a question I hear so much in so many different industries, and it can be difficult to drown it out. And although it is not my personal mantra, I have found myself taking the bait at times. I think this morning was one of those realizations.

One of the things Gary reminds us is that there is a line you need to cross in order to maintain that work ethic—and that’s self-discovery. What is the thing you want and why do you want it? What do you find yourself doing daily, without flinching or feeling bogged down by the effort that it takes? And I’m not sure I have paid close enough attention to it. I think the challenge I have faced is that my previous career path in music altered and I lost track of the reason and purpose. I was no longer passionate for what I had been doing; and yet I continued in it, assuming it was my responsibility. I convinced myself that it was what I wanted.

I woke up this morning realizing that I’ve been impatient lately. I’ve been working for years trying to find that same purpose and unapologetic drive that I once had for something. But in doing so, I too have become enticed by the “secret” of doing what I needed to in order to “make it”. I have a very long list of wants, but I have discounted many of these because they didn’t fall in line with the goal of making it in art or music. I think it is finally time to branch out and fulfill those little dreams. And perhaps in that process, I will finally enjoy the scenery and no longer strive to just be a part of the scene.