Take a second attempt

Hello readers,

I drive my kids nuts when I use my favorite expression “everything is the same”.but it’s the approach  that is the same I am really speaking about.

Its funny to me now my Dad use to always use soccer in any teaching he did with me(sometimes he would sub the Battle of Bannockburn or the Alamo) and I would get pissed off and think Robert the Bruce had fuck all to do with my bad grades! He was correct though and I was just a kid who had bad grades. I have never been in battle against the heavy horses of proud Edward’s army let alone angry Mexicans surrounding and old mission, but I have had to go against the odds…and won(unlike the poor men of the Alamo).

If you have an obstacle to tackle and here you sub in anything you like smoking,weight loss,rival soccer team(thanks Dad),bullies, bosses,homework,meetings…no matter they are all the same. You need to have your plan. I use the same approach to everything with my weary time tested plan of action. It still works for me every time as long as I remember the most important part of my plan is before I quit,surrender,lose,..you get the idea “all the same” I stop check all of my data I can get my hands on and then I take a second attempt or a second shot at the goals (Dad’s voice is always with me).

My latest example( and yet another chance to share my Facebook music page)is the song Scarborough Fair. If you have seen the film The Graduate, then you know the song very well. As  a kid I loved this song and as a guitar player it just frustrated me. I had nothing to go on for the longest time and then I saw Paul Simon on TV playing it and I made a note (pun) of what he was doing. I t was just a clue but I wrote it down. This allowed me to ignore any sheet music that did not have it written from what I saw Mr. Simon playing, my plan of action had begun.

 

I will spare you all the details of capos and key changes the main thing is the fingerpicking  pattern, master that and the song is yours.Well I saw that clip on TV when I was 16 or so and it has bothered me every since. Now we have guitar tabs, instruction videos everywhere and its really up to how bad you want to learn a song. Well I tried with all the proper sheet music,tabs,and video and my finger picking style is very weak.

Add to the mix for a perfect storm I severed the tendons on my index finger of my right (picking)hand. So I chose (always about choice!) to try one more time. This time I caught a mistake I had made years ago, I mean right when I had had enough a breakthrough.

 

This I find happens a lot to me, I still get frustrated on projects, but I can’t remember the last time I gave up. I look at the wall that is stopping me now as a challenge,any problem that comes up and I feel like stopping, I now think I’m just that much closer to getting the job done.

So in short before you throw in the towel on whatever it is you want or need to do, give it another shot. My finger is a mess,but I do have a thumb and three other fingers it was very tough for me and the crippled finger tends to burn every now and then, but I figured it out.

I dedicate this post to my Dad,unknown to me at the time but he gave me my favorite philosophy..you see it just like soccer!

Peace and Love