Let me tell you a story.
Once upon a time there was a great Italian violinist by the name of Nicolo
Paganini. Some considered him the
greatest of his day. He enjoyed an
illustrious career during his ninety-eight years of living. (1742-1840)
One evening, he
was about to perform before an opera house full of eager fans. As he walked onto the stage, he suddenly
realized that he was holding a strange violin in his hands - not his own
treasured instrument made by the master violin maker Guarneri.
He was panic stricken, but realized that he
had no other choice but to continue walking
to his appointed spot on stage.
He paused, looked down for a brief moment as
if to gather his thoughts, and then raised the violin and began playing. And play he did.
He gave the performance of a lifetime, and the
audience rewarded him with a gracious and long-standing ovation.
In his dressing room after the concert, he
confided to a close friend, “Tonight I
learned the most important lesson of my entire career. Before tonight I thought
the music was in the violin. Now I learned that the music is in me."
What a great story. “The music is
in me.” I like that.
So often we can so easily place the blame or the credit for our endeavors
on anything handy. Rather, we should
look within and see what extra measure of ourselves we can add that just might
make all the difference in the world.
Our fortunes in life aren't the result of the gifts at birth, a lucky
rabbit’s foot, the alignment of the planets, or being a Gemini. The human factor is always the deciding ingredient. The attitude with which we attack any
endeavor in life is critical.
How much did we prepare?
How much did we dare to be great?
How much of ourselves did we throw into the thing at hand?
I suspect that the music is in us much more than we can imagine, and
when we discover it, we will play with a new intensity. We just might become a great one.
The music really is within.
P Michael Biggs
Offering
Hope
Encouragement
Inspiration
One
Word at a Time
No comments:
Post a Comment