This month's feature story is about a former student of mine who was very inspirational to her peers as well as her teachers. It was a pleasure to work with her. For a high school student she was very balanced and a drive that pushed her to success. My name is Bridget Rickard and I am a college-bound eighteen-year-old from sunny South Florida. While still very young, I feel that I have “found” myself in the arts – particularly in instrumental music- and have learned many of life’s great lessons through my experiences in music. I am a big believer in the power of the arts and its effect on one’s innermost humanity. I have been very blessed to have had wonderful parents and mentors in my life and I accredit my growth as an individual to them. From each mentor, I have learned invaluable life lessons and become one step closer to reaching my full human potential. In first grade, at the age of six, I began piano lessons. I was blessed with a wonderful teacher who, for eight years, encouraged me to think far past the notes on a musical staff, instilling in me a limitless creativity. While she shared many pearls of wisdom, I carry two particular pearls very close to my heart. My piano teacher believed that there is more to music than, “black notes on a white canvas,” and encouraged me to think in color. She also used her philosophy as a simile for life: “like music, there is more to life than black and white, but it is up to you to see the gray.” This philosophy has helped me to not only accept, but also appreciate the nuances of life. Often times in a lesson I would play a bad note and immediately apologize. One day she turned to me and said, “There is no such thing as bad notes, only notes played without conviction.” She then told me to look at each day as a musical note and said, “We can use almost any experience as an opportunity to grow in hope or hopeless. We get to choose.” So, thanks to my piano teacher, I often remind myself that attitude is everything, so I better pick a good one! Soon after picking up the piano, I wanted to join band. My grade school did not have enough funding for a full-fledged Fine Arts program, so band was after school once a week for half an hour. When I told my music teacher I wanted to play the flute in band she scoffed at me and said that I wasn’t capable of playing an instrument. It was at that moment that I realized I loved a challenge and set out to prove my music teacher wrong. While my music teacher was not a mentor, she did teach me a very important lesson early on: not everyone wants you to succeed. The more success I experience, the more this becomes apparent. So, each day, in addition to reminding myself to pick a good attitude, I tell myself that within each human interaction is an opportunity to build someone up. In eighth grade, I moved to a more Fine Arts focused school. As the consummate band geek, with three music classes a day, it was if I died and went to heaven. Little did I know at the time that being in band and the relationships that would stem from it would have such a profound effect on me as a human being. In eighth grade I took a piano lab class, a scheduled fifty-five minute practice period. Ironically, the teacher did not know how to play the piano, but she did know the power of compassion. At the time, she was battling cancer, often too weak to walk. However, she always greeted her students with an infectious smile and I almost never left without a hug. Her perseverance taught me that genuine toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles. Whether it was by leaving a little note in your piano binder or giving you your favorite candy bar, she made each student feel special. So, in the same spirit, I try to make those around me feel special; everyone deserves to know the power of compassion. In that same year, I met three of the most pivotal mentors in my life. Without their guidance and support I would not have grown into who I am. In their own way, each mentor has taught me many priceless lessons, some of which I am still “chewing” on. The first of the aforementioned three, I met halfway through my eighth grade year. Throughout the years she has become more like a second mother and in that vein has taught me much more about life than music: 1.) Openness is just as important as honesty. 2.) Change is what you make of it. 3.) Live in the moment because in the end, we only regret the chances we did not take, the relationship we were afraid to have, and the decisions we waited to long to make. The second of the aforementioned three mentors I met in the later half of my eighth grade year. Through his actions he has taught me that leadership is a lifestyle. By living this lifestyle of leadership he has taught me: 1.) People, especially those who you lead, do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. 2.) It is lonely at the top. If you want to be the crème of the crop, get used to it. 3.) Next time you’re tempted to say you ‘can’t,’ remember that what you’re really saying is, ‘I don’t want to. 4.) You are not supposed to accomplish all of your goals. In fact, failure is often the biggest springboard for growth. 5.) Goals are dreams with deadlines. The third mentor in the aforementioned group of three, I met my freshmen year of high school. Albeit complete opposites, I could not imagine my life today without his guidance and support – he has become and always will be like family. On the day of my graduation he left me with one last homework assignment – do not be afraid. He told me to not be afraid to get back up– to try again, to live again, to love again, and to dream again. He said not to let hard lessons harden my heart. He warned me that life’s best lesson are often learned at the worst times and from the worst mistakes. However, he quickly reassured me that when everything seems to be going wrong, when you feel like you will be stuck in a rut forever, or when you just feel like quitting, sometimes things have to go wrong before they can be right. Of all the lessons he taught me, one in particular has stood out for me: take time to live life. As I have watched people dear to me become engulfed by their jobs at the expense of their families and their relationship with others, I have come to understand why it is crucial to take time to live life. As I enter into the next stage of my life, I take with me a blueprint, drafted by all of my mentors throughout the years, for less turbulent passage in the waters to come. It is my hope that some day I may be able to positively affect the lives of others in the fashion that my mentors have affected me.
0 Comments
|
AuthorFrank Taylor is founder and CEO of Building Leaders for Success, Inc. A musician of 25 years, educator of 15 years and a motivational speaker of 16 years, Mr. Taylor brings a wealth of knowledge that will promote success and fundamentals of leadership. Archives
April 2017
Categories
All
|