Execution to the power of elation

July 08, 2015 1:35 PM

If it’s not interesting, the audience won’t be interested.

That’s how boring art works. It never goes anywhere. It just sits there and laps up time and money and attention, traveling in a circle, never arriving at its destination, never quite succeeding, never quite failing.

That’s why my number one rule of songwriting is, I have to surprise and delight myself. With every new tune I write, the goal is to create a mood, compose a melody, construct a rhythm, write a lyric or communicate a story, that I’ve never tried before.

That’s my gauge of a meaningful song. It’s not about good or bad, it’s not about right or wrong, it’s about feeling proud because I charmed myself, albeit on a small scale.

I’m reminded of a fascinating piece of jazz trivia. Coltrane once said that his band would to play the same songs in the second set as they played in the first, just to find something interesting in the music that they didn’t find earlier in the evening. That’s the definition of artistry.

Yoga actually works in the same way. When you practice on a regular basis, the goal isn’t to achieve perfect posture and absolute stillness and full expression in every single asana. The goal is to sweat your way into something interesting. The goal is uncover a new understanding about your body, your breath and your brain.

That’s why our teachers call it yoga practice, not yoga perfect. When you fall out of posture, that’s a good thing. Your muscles are learning something. Besides, this isn’t a competition. This isn’t about winning and losing. Yoga is a filter you superimpose over the world to figure out who the heck you really are.

But if it’s not interesting, you won’t be interested.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What did you discover about yourself during your last yoga class? LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For a copy of the list called, “19 Telltale Signs of the Perfect Job,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

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Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com