"Bear in mind that you are not making music for your own pleasure, but for the pleasure of your audience". This is a quote from the German composer Richard Strauss which depicts the humbleness we should strive for. But what if no matter our efforts, some trolls inside our audience keep attacking us? This is an everyday dilemma just because we are hardwired by evolution to give disproportional weight to criticism. We wonder why, if we aren't hurting anyone, if we're minding our own business and focused on doing it well... there's always one jerk, one hater, or at least one ... [keep reading...]

Why are anti-heroes so fascinating? I think the answer is clear: When they decide to achieve something, they become OBSESSED with it to the point of being borderline (and sometimes expressly) criminal. They give a sense of certainty. You know they WILL get what they set their sights on. In that sense, an anti-hero is the most trustable person possible - even if you don't approve their methods, lack of ethics, or flat-out recklessness. But you can TRUST in them and they determination. Even if it goes against common sense, you feel safe with that certainty. via GIPHY Make no mistake, ... [keep reading...]

Values are extremely important. If you don't define your own values, you'll aim at living with the wrong ones. Worse: Hanging out with people with totally different values not aligned with yours, can derail you big time. Example: It's OK to crave Wealth and Power. Somebody has to do the big things, right? But maybe you were raised with the concept that those are not values, but sins. So you end up hanging out with people whose values have 'high status' in society's mind. For example: Spirituality. Not that Spirituality (or Power) are 'bad' or 'good' values. People can be wealthy ... [keep reading...]

Everyone deserves a chance to show what they're capable of. But we often overestimate the preparation we need to get the job done. Joseph Kosinski's crazy directorial debut is a great way to illustrate this: Remember the movie "Tron: Legacy"? It was one of the most anticipated sequels in movie history. It was meant to spark more movies, an animated series and tons of merchandise. It had a budget of 170 million. And it was directed by a guy with ZERO filmmaking experience. Let me make this absolutely clear: Joseph Kosinski, the films' director, the one in charge of that pile ... [keep reading...]

When life's curve balls hit us right in the liver, it's normal (but useless) to complain about our bad fortune. Christopher Reeve was understandably depressed right after his accident... until he had a singular visit: On May 27, 1995, Reeve was thrown from his horse during an equestrian jumping event, landing on his head. When he woke up four days later, he was paralyzed from the neck down, with a 50 percent chance of surviving. "Way too fucked up" pretty much sums it up. His situation struck fast and hard. He began to feel depressed and uncertain of his future. Not ... [keep reading...]