As a musician I believe that music is a great teacher. The lessons that musicians are able to learn through music, if they’re willing to learn them, go far beyond the mechanics of playing any particular instrument. In this, one of my favorite TED Talks, Israeli conductor, Itay Talgam, studies the conducting styles of several […]
Life Lessons
Learning joy
I recently attended a conference and found myself sitting next to someone. We instantly hit it off. During our time together he made a comment about how he had learned to find and experience joy. At first glance joy seems like something that we don’t have to learn. It seems like something that just washes […]
Living questions
Questions, not answers, are the key to uncovering life’s truest meanings and purposes. We need to learn how to ask great questions. We need to become comfortable living with not-yet-answered questions. We need to reframe the idea for any given question there is necessarily “an answer.” How to ask great questions. Great questions bubble up within […]
To slide or not to slide
It was a warm and sunny day. The type of day we have been waiting for. The door at the end of the hallway opened and a group of kindergarteners went outside to enjoy the beautiful weather. There were 20 minutes left in the school day. Why should kindergarteners have all the fun? I decided […]
Clarity
Clarity! The idea that we might see things for what they actually are. Clarity! The idea that we might know what any given situation demands of us. Clarity! The idea that complex problems can actually be solved. Clarity! The idea that life’s grand design might simply manifest itself. Clarity! The idea that we might actually […]
What we focus on grows
All of us, no matter our age, no matter our profession, no matter what, are living in a complicated world. Finding clarity, knowing what to do, making our way– it can be tough. Recently I’ve noticed a theme in my life: what we focus on grows. It’s pretty obvious I suppose, but it’s true. What […]