On June 12, 2016, my friend Jim and I both sat on the same stage behind the same drum kit with the same drum sticks in front of the same audience for the same length of time, one right after the other.  We played basically the same ‘notes’…we made basically the same ‘sounds,” but the result…the emotion…the feel…was completely different.

 

Jim made music.

 I made noise.

 And the difference was…

 

RHYTHM  

Jim has it.       

I don’t.

 

Rhythm is knowing when to play and when not to play…knowing when to strike and when to rest.  And this is the difference between music and noise.  The same notes…the same sounds… can either be music or noise.

And the difference is all about…

 

REST

When you do.

And when you don’t.

 

Noise – given rest at the proper time – becomes a groove…a beat…a flow…a rhythm.  It starts to sound like something.  It catches your attention.  It captures your imagination.  It takes hold of your extremities.  And before long, you’re tapping your foot in time with a really catchy tune.

 

And music

is a metaphor

for…

LIFE.

 

So many of us approach life and work the way I play drums – there’s no rhythm, no rest, no music. 

 

Sometimes we’re watching everyone else. 

Trying to keep time with them. 

But no matter what we do or how hard we try.

We’re always a half beat off.

 

And other times, we’re just…

Going, going, going…

Pounding, pounding, pounding…

Working, working, working…

 

And we’re trying to figure out…

If the beat’s sustainable…

If the beat’s appealing…

If it’s even interesting.

 

We’re tired.

We’re exhausted.

And we’re wondering,

“How long ‘til I crash?”

 

Do you know what I’m talking about? 

 

When we don’t have rhythm, our lives are less music more noise.  When we don’t know when and how to rest and when and how to work and when and how to play, we butcher the song of our lives, and it ends up sounding more like a jackhammer than a song.

 

So, the question is, “Do you want your life to be music or noise?”

 

For our lives to be music, we have to live in rhythm.  And remember: Rhythm is knowing when to play and when not to play…knowing when to strike and when to rest.

 

Most of my clients – in fact, most of the people in my life – want a beautiful, meaningful, interesting life.  Unfortunately, most of us think the way to achieve this is to…

 DO MORE.

WORK MORE.

PRODUCE MORE.

We think we have to fill our calendars with thing after thing, accomplishment after accomplishment, experience after experience, and promotion after promotion.

 

But in life as in music, for something to be beautiful and compelling – for it to be something others will sit and listen to with enthusiasm, it has to have rest.  There has to be a rhythm of…

WORK AND PLAY.

EFFORT AND RELAXATION.

OUTPOURING AND REPLENISHMENT.

Did you catch that?  Did you notice that, just like life can’t be all go, go go, it also can’t be all rest all the time?  There has to be…

BALANCE.

 

Sometimes when we’re alone dreaming about the life we want, we imagine a life of ease, a life of leisure, a life where we do nothing but vacation 24/7/365.  But as appealing as that sounds, we all know deep down that that’s a Boy Band Pop song, not a deep, soulful, masterfully played refrain that we put on ‘repeat’ for days because it moves us and stirs us at our core.

 

No, a great life is all about balance.  Balance between periods of steady, consistent effort and times of intentional, well-placed rejuvenation.

 

Nonstop rest is no more musical…it’s no more satisfying…than nonstop exertion.  If all a drummer does is sit there, no music is made.  If she spends more time with her arms crossed than she does striking a beat, it’s confusing…it’s dissonant…it’s weird.

 

So, for a life to be interesting…for it to be appealing…for us to want to sit and listen to the person living it, there has to be a…

 

RHYTHM

of

WORK

and

REST.

 

Good drummers know how to find and keep a sustainable beat.

 

Great drummers know that sometimes less is more…sometimes you have to leave something in the bag so the music can breathe…so it can come to life. 

 

And then there are the savants…the best of the best…who have the ability to reach inside themselves and find something unique and beautiful and epic…something that sends chills down your spine.  It’s a beat all their own, yet somehow, it’s accessible and available for all to experience and enjoy.

 

And the same

can be true

in life.

 

We can be good at life by finding a sustainable beat.

 

We can be great at life by figuring out what we need to say “no” to, so other areas can breathe, expand, and grow.

 

Or we can be savants who find our own unique rhythm and share it with the world.

 

But to move from good to great to epic, most of us need a little help.  We need someone to sit with us and listen to the noise of our lives.  We need someone to see us, to hear us, to know us, and then to gently and carefully help us unlock the beat buried deep inside.

 

And that’s what we all want, right? 

 

So, don’t waste another moment.  Find a mentor, a life coach, a spiritual director. Seek out a person whose life is music to your soul… someone who has the wisdom and humility to help you discover your own beat without expecting you to clap in time with theirs. 

 

Because the world doesn’t need to hear a repeat of their song. 

 

The world needs to hear…

YOUR

BEAUTIFUL

SONG.

© 2021 Hayah Consulting LLC