CAN YA FEEEL IT?

I once heard it said, "Art isn't so much about how it looks, it's about how it makes you feel." And I'll be honest with ya, when it comes to personal growth and achievement I can't think of many feelings better than the ones that come from the art of Everyday Earnest Effort.

I say "the ones" because what I've noticed over the years (and this is purely my own experience, yours may be altogether different) is that there are essentially two clear-cut feelings or sensations that stem from 3E.

The first, although modest at best, is a feelin of accomplishment, and it comes from simply doin the little things day in and day out. Now take my word this isn't all that exciting so don't plan on gettin overly fired up and lettin out a big o' self-assured "YES!" just yet. The important thing is you did what'cha needed to do. Now just keep on doin it.

If ya listen to the experts it takes approximately 3 to 6 months to effectively change an old (or adapt a new) habit or behavior. I'd have to say it took me a while longer, just how long I'm not sure, but if there was a point when I felt I'd gotten on a roll and became moderately convinced that I had in fact established a new behavior in my daily routine it was when I started gettin pissed when I missed. Ya see when I first started drummin again in '02 I'd pretty much play whenever the urge hit me, if I was too tired oh well, if somethin better came along so be it, if I missed a string of days no big deal. But then, a couple of years into it, and after an unfortunate turn of events, I started playin virtually everyday without fail, and only then did I begin to uncover the built-in value of being brutally consistent. Don't get me wrong I'd still miss on occasion, only now, I knew exactly what I was missin.

What I'm gettin at is if nothin else, what 3E has taught me is to appreciate the process. From the outset I've touted Ingzig as a company that supports and celebrates both the benefits of and the honor in Everyday Earnest Effort, and this is what I mean by the honor in. It means dutifully and diligently doin the things that at the time seem insignificant and uninspiring. Honestly, do ya really think I get excited every time I sit down to play? Fat chance! But what I do get each and every time is a definite sense of accomplishment, knowin that at the end of the day I've done what I needed to do, and that, as uneventful as it may be, is a pretty good feeling.

The second feeling (although trust me this one is second to none) is the more magical of the two. Of course once you get to the point of feelin it you'll no doubt agree that it's anything but magical. It's somethin you've worked long and hard for, and there's nothin magical about that.

This being said, I must confess that over the years while sharpening my chops on the drum kit I've come across a few brief moments that felt nothin short of, you guessed it, magical. Tryin to sum up the feelin would be utterly unjust, but I can tell ya this, it's well worth the effort.

There's an old saying, "Life has its moments...this is one." There are also those rare and special moments we all live for...these are some of em.

Sadly, these fleeting moments are just that, but fret not, because while the magic of the moment may be short-lived, the long and ongoing discipline of daily practice is ever-present, and ultimately, it's here where you'll find that the real magic occurs.

Earlier I spoke about playin whenever the urge would hit, and that's great and all because truthfully after a 20 year hiatus it felt good just to be playin again. Yet by the same token not a whole lot was being accomplished. I certainly wasn't feelin the magic, momentary or otherwise. But then when I stumbled onto this regularity thing somethin "indescribable" took hold. Suddenly there was both purpose and progress. One determined effort spurred on another, then another, and consequently consistency became the goal, the new benchmark if you will, and yours truly was hittin it time and time again.

Needless to say I was pretty stoked. The ever-elusive powers of persistence were finally upon me and it was truly a beautiful thing. Where it'll all lead I really have no idea, but for the first time in a long time I can feel somethin brewin, and that, is a damn good feeling. Let me hear ya say "YES!" See ya next time. Till then, keeep it up.