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Resolutions πŸŽ†

Resolution:  the firm decision to do or not to do something.

Welcome to 2020!  It's been awhile since I've had the pleasure of blogging, but now that we are in second semester I finally found a brief second to type a little something.  This posting is probably less for you, the reader, and more for me; I need to speak thoughts, write them down, and continue on with my day-to-day!

For those that have missed it, I have moved back home to the lovely Bassett, Virginia and have taken a job at Franklin County High School as the Director of Bands.  Leaving Panther Creek was not an easy decision by any stretch of the imagination.  If you really want more details about why and how I left, there's a YouTube video I made somewhere that you can watch.  I value every lesson, every friendship, and every memory made there, but I was called home for many reasons, and it's never been more apparent to me than now.

To be real, my father has been in the hospital since the start of Christmas Break.  Things are looking better for him at the moment, but he has long road ahead to recovery.  I'm glad I could be so close to home to help be there for my mom, dad, and sister.  It's not been easy on any of us.

Secondly, I feel like I'm THRIVING at Franklin County.  The training wheels are off.  No safety net.  I'm THE guy.  I have succeeded and I have failed, but I have done so with a fantastic team of people helping me and supporting and amazing mentors and colleagues assisting along the way!  I'm running rehearsals, shaping phrases, MAKING MUSIC, and going home feeling the good kind of exhausted; like you've given all you can and have accomplished so much.  I love these students, and I love what I teach.  Are there hurtles and challenges?  OF COURSE.  But anything worth doing is never easy.

On to resolutions -- the title of this blog.  I began 2020 with the mindset that I would improve myself in a general sense.  The teacher, the human, the son, the brother, etc... me, would be better at everything I could be this year.  I'm now working out again, waking up earlier, reading the Bible FIRST THING when I get up every morning, loving people more honestly, letting less slide in my own life and the lives of my students, holding people more accountable (myself included), raising the bar of what's acceptable...the list goes on and on.

I thought I would hate waking up early, but I feel like I'm a better human because I take care of working out, reading my Bible, and so many other things, BEFORE I ever step out the door to take on the world (or the band room).  It's brilliant.  I never have to worry about procrastination in working out because I get it over when I'm at my most awake (I'm a morning person).  I plan to keep this up!!!

Too often (I'm preaching to me too), we don't really want success; we just kinda want success.  We don't want it badly and sometimes we don't want it more than we want to sleep.  But when we truly desire something, and want it more than a fleeting urge (like that cookie you don't need after dinner), we find a way to work our butts off to make it happen or to acquire that thing or reach that goal.  Don't ever just settle for "ok" in the things you truly desire.  It may take longer to attain, there may be hurt along the way, and sweat, and tears, and some days you don't feel like you get any closer, BUT in the long run, the end result is so much more worth it than what you would've settled for.

We are human, we are guaranteed to fail somewhere along the way.  Does that mean we accept our failure and just coast through life and fail more.  Absolutely not.  We try our best and when we fail we know that all great people that came before us failed.  It's how you handle failure that defines you and your character.

When I fail, I'm personally reminded that I'm not perfect, and Jesus died so that I could live.  Perfection took the cross so that the least of these (the unperfected) could have life forever.  That's the definition of love.  When I fail, I realize just how much I need Him and always will.  No matter how good my life might be going, it's important to remember how I am NOTHING without Jesus Christ.

Happy New Year to all.  Good luck with your resolutions and remember that when you fail, pick yourself, look to God, and keep growing!

 ...for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.
--Proverbs 23:16

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