The Best Accesory

       "Your attitude, not your aptitude, determines your altitude"a wise man once said. Basically, this quote means that it is a person's attitude that determines how far they go and how much they acheive in life not how smart or talented they are. This is not to say that aptitude and knowledge and skill are any less relevant, these things are very important and they are actually what put you on the right path in the journey of life but attitude is what helps one to progress from one stage to the next.
        Keeping a good attitude is imperative in moving forward and experiencung growth in life. Without a good attitude, life would easily become miserable and unbearable. There are a couple of thngs to keep in mind in the struggle to maintain a good attitude, some of which are:

(1) DWELL ON THE GOOD AND LET IT DRIVE YOU TO DO MORE
        Nowadays, there are so many things working against you and there is an overdose of negativity in the atmosphere, that it makes it that much more difficult to se the silver lining. Therefore, we as individuals need to condition our mindsets in such a way that we do not belittle or ignore the good. A society makes it very easy for people to become comfortable with the bad that they are surprised by the good and before they get a chance to acknowledge it, it becomes too late. Therefore, if we are going to maintain good attitudes then we have to make a conscious effort to appreciate and savour the good moments, let them signify hope and motivate you to want more and reach for great heights.

(2) NEVER SEE FAILURE AS AN OBSTACLE BUT AS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE, NEVER GIVE UP!
        The only difference between a success and a failure is one's attitude. Failure is never an obstacle, it is always a chance to learn and grow, a chance to grow and mature. Never give up, as long as you are doing what you love and what you are passionate about. At this point, I think it is important to state that all this is definitely easier said than done, therefore surrounding one's self with people who have an equal devotion to keeping a good atitude will prove instrumental in each of the individual journeys. This way, you can form a support system and each person is less likely to fail.

(3) DO NOT LET BITTERNESS BE BOTTLED UP!
         A good attitude and the benefits associated with it can be hindered by bitterness. Bitterness forms an efficient channel for negativity to enter into one's life. Letting anger and bitterness go unresolved always ends poorly, it is definitely easy to ignore in the beginning, but when it piles up, it explodes and affects every area of your life. Letting go of bitterness is very important but knowing how best to let go is also very important. For some people, it is a mentor or a friend or a parent, however some people do not feel comfortable talking to people, in which case, a diary or a journal or a blog or a vlog could prove extremely helpful. Your outlet should be whatever you feel comfortable with , it is not so much the outlet but what is to be gained from using the outlet.

(4) SMILE! ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE IT!
       It is very easy to smile when things a going great because it is the natural thing to do. Therefore, it will take a lot more effort to smile when things are not going the way we want them to, which makes it that much more significant. Smilimg is a method of controling one's mindset and aligning your mind to think positive no matter the circumstance. To stay two steps ahead, one has to be prepared to the unnatural. Smiling in bad circumstances would require a certain level of confidence because on the outside it will look crazy and people will be judgemental and it will make it that much more difficult to pull off. However one has to be willing to ignore the general perception of themsleves in order to create the person they want to become.

(5) HAPPINESS IS A DO-IT-YOURSELF AFFAIR!
      Do not wait for anyone, or a perfect time or a perfect place because truth is, it is never going to come. Make a conscious effort to make every moment and place perfect and be the person you are waiting for. Do not wait for anyone to make you happy, no one other than you should be entitled to that kind of power and authority. There is strength and confidence is knowing that you have great people around you but also knowing that if they were not there, you would still be happy and content and at peace with yourself.

(6) EVERY EXPERIENCE IS SIGNIFICANT!
      Every experience we as individuals go through is very important because they all are parts of the jigsaw puzzle that is your life, take one out and the jigsaw and hence the journey becomes incomplete. Maintaining a positive attitude, through any and every experience will make the journey of life more bearable, maybe even more enjoyable. Every experience has value and signifance and lessons that when learned will contribute to the quality of the overall outcome.

      Having a good attitude can prove to be very difficult but to get and maintain but so is the best accesory out there. It is easier to take a step at a time and recognise that everyone has their own unique path and perspective of the journey. Abraham Lincoln once said "we can complain because we know rose bushes have thorns or we can rejoice that thorn bushes have roses"

Fear and courage are brothers...

       The comprehension of this fundamental concept forms an essential part of a person's knowledge of the two as individual concepts. It is vital because once a person comes to this realization, he or she also realizes that they need both to live an effective existence.  For the most part, having fear is seen as a sign of weakness, but what we fail to realize is that fear in itself is the real weakness, possessing a level can very well be a strength. 

        Edward Weeks once said "to live with fear and not be afraid is the final test of maturity. This seems impossible and conflicting but if we look more closely, we would understand that it is very accurate. An ounce of fear is an important weapon that the greatest and most successful possess. It is one of, if not the most crucial tool in the journey to success. This is because, a certain level of fear allows people to stay humble and make an extra effort in whatever they do.A doctor for example needs a little fear to do his job effectively and efficiently. Now this is likely to come as surprise to many, because I can't think of a field that needs more courage than medicine. It takes a certain level of courage to know and be comfortable with the fact that a little mistake can cost another person their life. So a doctor needs a little fear, fear of making a mistake, fear of losing a patient, fear of not being able to help a patient. Because of this, a doctor is motivated to go above and beyond their job description. This fear has probably saved more lives than the orthodox and routine procedures taught in medical school. This fear will cause them to double-check dosage and in surgery, it will cause them to double-check that they have the same number of tools at the end as they did at the beginning of the surgery. Medicine is a perfect example of how fear and courage cannot be separated. A high level of courage and a lower level of fear form the perfect recipe for success and relevance in the medical field. 

      Although, being a musician is on the other side of the spectrum, mastering the skill of the co-existence of fear and courage is equally as relevant. For a musician, it may not be a live-or-die situation but that does not make it any less important. A musician definitely needs a little fear, fear of competition and fear of not living up to the expectations of his fans. This way, musicians put a little more thought into the message they send through their music, the live performances and the general image of the act not just as a musician but as a performer and a brand. Because this fear does not only affect their music but the way they dress and carry themselves in public and the products they endorse. It is however also very important not to forget the substantial level of courage it takes to get on a stage and take basic instruments an make sense of another person's world. Being bold enough to be honest and vulnerable and undiluted and controversial and authentic and believable in sharing very personal experiences with the world in the simple hopes of identifying and connecting with one person in a crowd of ten thousand is not encouraged in the music industry, it is required.

     FEAR is comprised of the four most important tools needed to be courageous. The 'F'in F.E.A.R stands for failure; which is a lack of success. This is very important in becoming courageous because many people do not live their lives to full potential due to the fear of failure when it is just as important as achieving any level of success. This is because, the lessons learned from failure are much more valuable than those learned from success.  Therefore, the ratio of failure to success is so large because people do not learn from their failures and make the same mistakes over and over again and they only gain success when they realize what they are doing wrong and make it right. A wise man once said "the shame is not in the failure, it is not turning it into a massive success"

    The 'E'in F.E.A.R stands for empathy, which is the feeling that you understand and share another person's experiences and emotions: the ability to share someone's feelings. It is imperative skill for any and every motivational speaker. Being a motivational speaker requires a person to stand on a stage in front of a large crowd of strangers and share his or her story honestly and passionately like a musician with the hopes of being believable and vulnerable enough to connect with one person. It takes an incredibly level of courage to not let the fear of being judged, misunderstood or just even being offensive overcome the courage it takes to feel the joy of connecting with the audience. If a person is empathetic, they are better equipped to chose their words wisely. For example, if a woman is chosen to talk to other women who are victims of domestic violence, she is only allowed to say things like ''I know how you feel" if she has personal experience with domestic violence, in which case she actually knows how they feel. Also a person who is speaking at a  high school graduation should not focus on the hardships of being an adult, but on the positive aspects because the negative aspects are obvious, but the good can easily be overshadowed by the bad and the ugly and as such people needed to reminded of them. 

    The 'A'in F.E.A.R stands for attitude, which is one of the most important tools required to be courageous. Attitude is key in becoming successful and learning to deal with one's fears. The only difference between a success and a failure is attitude. Some people see failure as an obstacle, others see it as a learning experience. Being or becoming successful is a daunting journey and it greatly depends on attitude and attitude is also dependent on other external factors such as values, relationships and perspective on life in general. If a person surrounds themselves with people that have no values or negative people, they are likely to become those people. therefore, it is important to surround yourself with people you want to be. Fear enables people to be comfortable with mediocrity while courage helps people to soar.

     The 'R' in F.E.A.R stands for resilience which can be defined as the ability to become strong, healthy or successful again after something bad happens or the ability of something to return to its original shape after it has been pulled, stretched, pressed or bent. This is key because to succeed one has to be able to deal with failure . Not giving up is a very popular value amongst the great people most aspire to become. 

      Fear and courage are brothers, they are totally opposite and thy can barely be present in the same place but that definitely does not change the fact that they function best with each other and they cannot work to their full potential without one another!