A Full-Circle Tangents Blog on Cigars, Labels and Gophers

A Full-Circle Tangents Blog on Cigars, Labels and Gophers

I love music and summer’s in Colorado mean lots of live music.

As a fill-in DJ on KBUT community radio I get to create some fun playlists and I tend to listen to music while I’m working and driving.  Music means a lot to me. Now I’m not one of those insane music-people-who-can-tell-you-all-about-why-the-1974-setlist-of-their-favorite-band-playing-in-San-Francisco-was-the-best-setlist-ever-kind-of-people.  #multiplehypensforthewin

As it has many times before music pulled me out of a tired place yesterday while I was driving home after emceeing the 3 day music festival in South Fork called Rhythms on the Rio.   In my talks and workshops I offer up quick “reset” tools to help get people into a better space and music did it for me yesterday. The festival lives up to its name as the Rio they reference is the Rio Grande River passing swiftly by right next to the venue.  Watching the river from my RV window was satisfying and the dip in the Rio after a mountain bike ride was “invigorating.”  Mountain water ain’t warm y’all even in August.

I wanted to be part of Rhythms primarily to see The Main Squeeze on stage again.  Their cover of Have a Cigar is incredible and the YouTube video does their live version justice with Max melting on the guitar solos. The video was just now playing in the background and I had to stop typing while Max curshed the solo at the end of the video. Goose bumps.

The Main Squeeze was a crowd favorite and even for the musicians backstage who get to see others performing their craft.  The crowd was pumping, dancing, hooting.  The band feels it, they give it back. Positive feedback loops. So fun! Goose bumps.

This quote from Corrine Cram says it all.

“What we do from joy expresses love; what we do from fear calls for love.”

You can read more about Corrine’s inspiring life in another blog post.

Tangent: Musicians using their expertise on stage is putting strengths and values into action in the service of others, that happy dancing crowd, and that gives musicians meaning – a sense of purpose.  Dr. Viktor Frankl would agree.  Dr. Marty Seligman would agree. Every band wanted more time and that speaks volumes to the musicians loving what they do.

The festival organizers are a rad group of people including PaulEEEE Orr who has produced the festival for 14 years now in a row all as a volunteer.   Their team was AWESOME!  Positive, fun, chill and professional all at the same time and the funds raised at the festival go back to the South Fork Music Association to give every child in the San Luis Valley free instruments and lessons.

I love positive labels.  And my niece glowingly saying “I’m finally an athlete” after being part of a swim team for the first time. Reminded me of how powerful positive labels are for us.

How about this positive labels for a child: “I’m a musician.”  Yeah, that’s a good one too! If you know my past work as a teacher and with Boys & Girls Club you know I love anything that helps youth with self-worth.  Thanks Paul and your team for your mission and your vision.

I’m also the “house emcee” for IBar Ranch’s Summer Concert Series for three years running and love being around live music. Their final show each summer is called Kids of the Gunnison Valley and the stage is opened up for youth of any age to share their skills on the instrument of their choice.  I do my best to keep the vibe light so the kids are relaxed on stage.  It’s fun night and the kids get a chance to share the stage with national acts they get to see on stage.   That’s powerful stuff!

Full-Circle:  I don’t dance a lot and when I do it looks like the gopher from Caddyshack dancing to Kenny Loggins.  I’m grooving in my own way with my #whitemanoverbite and having a great time. Getting people to gather and connect is a powerful thing. Oxytocin flows, dancing stimulates the brain.  Happiness is the result.

Again:

“What we do from joy expresses love; what we do from fear calls for love.”

Find your joy.

Ideally find joy in your work [I can help!] create joy in your gatherings [I can help!] at work and in your community [ahem. I can help!].  Finding your joy has a ripple affect.  Acting from fear does as well.

There are plenty of examples of fear and the clarion call for more love in the world right now. Senseless violence, division and disconnection are the results.  Those examples make me sad.

We need happier, fulfilled and energized people in our communities and our homes as much now as ever before. I can help.

Anthony’s on a mission to take the “work” out of “workplace.” Using a unique blend of humor with practical advice, he inspires leaders to infuse more joy into their employees to improve retention and productivity and engagement.