Recently I had a gig on a Friday night, and what every musician dreads was happening…
No one was there!
My piano-playing duo partner and I were playing to a packed house of empty chairs. It looked like we were in for one long night of rehearsal.
On my break I posted a picture on Facebook about it…
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Fortunately, people eventually started showing up. One of my friends saw my post, and, realizing they lived right by the establishment, decided to come by… and bring the whole family as well – baby and all!
Before long we were playing to a packed house.
However, after the night was over, I continued to stew over the fact that, for half the gig, no one was there.
I was a being a gig-half-empty kinda guy. I could’ve been throwing a “pity release party”, but alas…
Later, as I was scrolling through Facebook, I noticed that my friend, who had come to the gig, had posted several photos from that evening…
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The story I was telling myself was that there wasn’t much of a crowd, and that the people that were there were not having a good time…
And I was stuck in that story.
This photo, though, says different.
This happens, doesn’t it?
We get so caught up in the stories that we tell ourselves. We’re so convinced that our point of view is the right one or the only one.
And, often times, those stories are not helpful. Sometimes we even make poor decisions based on them.
To get into a better place, we have to be open and willing to reframe our stories.
My friend’s photos literally reframed my perspective and helped me to see that there is more than one side to every story.
That’s our opportunity – to see the positive side of everything and to rehearse and recite the stories that give us positive energy and move us closer to our dreams.
Here’s to a week filled with great stories!