Something happened this week (and I won’t go into detail) that caused me to rethink my entire plan for the ‘it’s up to us…’ project as well as my goals for this year. It was unexpected, unwelcome and it took the wind out of me for a day or two.
When I was able to get the ego and the emotion out of it – I could see clearly that if I trusted the process I would be directed to a stronger position than I was before this happened. I calmed myself to a state of trust.
Once I stopped and just looked at the situation objectively I realized that I was being given an opportunity to make my work with the‘it’s up to us…’ project even more meaningful and give it the longevity it requires to outlive any music I might write.
The‘it’s up to us…’ project is meant to be a fundraising outreach program for anyone working towards a peace or sustainability objective. It now exists independently of any music I may write or release. I will still be contributing songs to the program, but these will be forever rotating and updated as I write, record and release more songs. I will also be looking to other artists/photographers/writers willing to donate their works to the ‘it’s up to us…’ outreach program – like I said, bigger and better – and I almost missed it because I was sulking.
I will be releasing more details about this program in the coming weeks. If you’re interested in getting involved, just drop me a note.
Choosing business relationships:
I wanted to talk a little bit about my process for choosing the people I wanted to do business with for ‘it’s up to us…’. A few years ago I announced that I was no longer buying merchandise that was not made in North America. I was particularly not interested in purchasing merchandise made in China.
Suddenly I find myself ‘in’ the manufacturing business and I start to do the research with regards to whom I would do business with. I was looking for small business entrepreneurs with a global mindset and a focus on ecology.
For the envirobags I found a company called Bag the Planet out of LA – they are making eco friendly products and donating a portion of their proceeds to help clean up the oceans. I really liked the company philosophy and Michael the owner was a treat to connect with. Then came the big question – ‘Michael, where are your bags made?’ – well it turns out they are made in China. I felt disappointed, I felt I needed to look elsewhere, but when I did that, I could not find a manufacturer that was not getting their bags from some oversees manufacturer. I dug in a bit deeper. Michael had picked really the best manufacturer in all of China. The work force was treated wonderfully and the company ethic was superb. I went with Michael. Not only was the service from Michael over the top superb, his connection in China did not rest until my order was perfect – in effect, both were taking a loss on the final delivery so I had what I wanted for my project.
What I realized was that if we’re to create a global mindset we need to think globally and today’s marketplace is a global marketplace. My experience in working with Michael made me realize that if we don’t reach out, we just drive the silo lines even deeper and the hope for creating a collaborative global minded human race is lost.
****
A global project: This is Michael Hölzen from Germany who contributed to the songs Into The Sublime as well as 'it's up to us...' and Great Floating World:
Thank you Michael!
We're not done yet :o)
In summary:
When I was able to get the ego and the emotion out of it – I could see clearly that if I trusted the process I would be directed to a stronger position than I was before this happened. I calmed myself to a state of trust.
Once I stopped and just looked at the situation objectively I realized that I was being given an opportunity to make my work with the‘it’s up to us…’ project even more meaningful and give it the longevity it requires to outlive any music I might write.
The‘it’s up to us…’ project is meant to be a fundraising outreach program for anyone working towards a peace or sustainability objective. It now exists independently of any music I may write or release. I will still be contributing songs to the program, but these will be forever rotating and updated as I write, record and release more songs. I will also be looking to other artists/photographers/writers willing to donate their works to the ‘it’s up to us…’ outreach program – like I said, bigger and better – and I almost missed it because I was sulking.
I will be releasing more details about this program in the coming weeks. If you’re interested in getting involved, just drop me a note.
Choosing business relationships:
I wanted to talk a little bit about my process for choosing the people I wanted to do business with for ‘it’s up to us…’. A few years ago I announced that I was no longer buying merchandise that was not made in North America. I was particularly not interested in purchasing merchandise made in China.
Suddenly I find myself ‘in’ the manufacturing business and I start to do the research with regards to whom I would do business with. I was looking for small business entrepreneurs with a global mindset and a focus on ecology.
For the envirobags I found a company called Bag the Planet out of LA – they are making eco friendly products and donating a portion of their proceeds to help clean up the oceans. I really liked the company philosophy and Michael the owner was a treat to connect with. Then came the big question – ‘Michael, where are your bags made?’ – well it turns out they are made in China. I felt disappointed, I felt I needed to look elsewhere, but when I did that, I could not find a manufacturer that was not getting their bags from some oversees manufacturer. I dug in a bit deeper. Michael had picked really the best manufacturer in all of China. The work force was treated wonderfully and the company ethic was superb. I went with Michael. Not only was the service from Michael over the top superb, his connection in China did not rest until my order was perfect – in effect, both were taking a loss on the final delivery so I had what I wanted for my project.
What I realized was that if we’re to create a global mindset we need to think globally and today’s marketplace is a global marketplace. My experience in working with Michael made me realize that if we don’t reach out, we just drive the silo lines even deeper and the hope for creating a collaborative global minded human race is lost.
****
A global project: This is Michael Hölzen from Germany who contributed to the songs Into The Sublime as well as 'it's up to us...' and Great Floating World:
Thank you Michael!
We're not done yet :o)
In summary:
- In business you need to make sure every T is crossed and every I dotted, and even with that, sometimes you’ll be dealt a blow.
- If you stop to take full advantage of the lesson, you may find yourself smiling through the tough times too.
As always,
I trust the process and trust
that life is giving me what I need to accomplish my goals.
Wishing you a fabulous week of challenges and tolerance!
Don't be afraid of life's lessons.
I trust the process and trust
that life is giving me what I need to accomplish my goals.
Wishing you a fabulous week of challenges and tolerance!
Don't be afraid of life's lessons.