The Daily Wake Up Micro Podcast

Change the Melody

Twenty five years ago, the youth program I volunteered at asked that I sing the song, "The Class of 95" written by Wayne Watson. The handed me the accompaniment tape and started practicing. As the days went by, the pressure mounted because Wayne Watson's vocal range is much higher than mine. I wanted to do a great job however it was physically impossible for me to sing it like Mr. Watson. As much as I don't like to use the word, "can't," this was something I couldn't do - so I changed the melody.
After I gave my performance to a fairly large audience, one of the leaders came up and said, "Troy, you changed the song! It was different and really good. Better than the original."
Two weeks ago, my church asked me to lead a worship song in the key of B. The key of B is two to three steps higher than my vocal range. There was only one thing I could do. Since it was impossible for me to hit the same notes as the original artist, and dropping the song three steps would lose the impact of the song, I had to change the melody. Which is what I did.
Two nights ago, I felt the Lord telling me something in my dream. You see, life has been hard recently. Even with my positive outlook, I'm starting to have thoughts of, "I can't do it." The message was crystal clear when I woke up the other day: Since I can't do it, change the melody.
What are things in your life you can't do?
How can you change the melody so the essence and impact stays the same, only you can accomplish it now?
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Social Distancing in Austin?

“There are only 13 seats on the shuttle,” the shuttle driver said to the group loading into the shuttle from the South Terminal at the Austin airport. So why is he letting more people in, I thought to myself. “I’ve got three seats left” he shouted to the line outside of the shuttle. Oh, he’s filling up every seat!!!! Last night was the first time I’ve been in a closed quarter at full capacity. I was glad to see they weren’t concerned about social distancing yet alarmed to be sitting so close to strangers. How has you experience been getting close to strangers in today’s world?
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Seven Kinds of Smarts

John C Maxwell references Seven Kinds of Smarts by Thomas Armstrong in his book 3 Things Successful People Do. Which of these intelligences is your primary? Mine is Musical Intelligence - Perceiving, appreciating, and producing rhythms, rhymes, and melodies.
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Trust Your Process

The closer I get to the book launch the more I have to trust in the work I’ve put in and the partners I’ve chosen to ensure a successful launch. Last night I had a crazy dream of receiving the books and they were printed wrong. This nightmare got me thinking along the “what ifs” and I had to remind myself it was a dream not reality. When you come to the end of a massive project, trust in the process and belief in yourself. The what if thoughts are not reality.
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Seven Signs of a Great Attitude

John C. Maxwell writes in his book, 3 Things Successful People Do, the seven signs of a great attitude:
Belief in self
Willingness to see the best in others
Ability to see opportunity everywhere
Focus on solutions
Desire to give
Persistence
Responsibility for their lives
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For me it’s Reading

A couple of weeks ago, I hit a low point with my mental health. No job application has worked out, and I’m having to bring my side-hustle to my primary revenue source. Providing for my family has always been priority number one. When that doesn’t happen it impacts me emotionally. Since I don’t know what to do about the future, I fell back on what I know has worked on the past. I read four books. This week I have three books lined up. Reading last week gave me a clear mind which really helped my efforts in getting business for my side-hustle (now primary).
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The One Condition of Joy In The Journey

You’ve heard me say, “the joy is in the journey.” In my book one of the topics is titled, “It’s Happening.” Along the way (journey) to your goal you recognize where you are at and you can say to yourself and others, “it’s happening.” This can only happen if you know your destination. There is no joy in the journey if you don’t know where you are headed.
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Five Keys to Effective Listening

In his book, The Psychology of Selling, Brian Tracy shares five keys to effective listening:
Listen attentively - Seek first to understand before being understood
Pause before replying - wait three to five seconds before responding
Question to clarify - ask, "how do you mean?" to have them fill in the blanks. (Learn or Confirm).
Paraphrase it in your own words - say, "just so I understand . . . "
Use open ended questions - start your question with the words, "what, when, why, where, and how."
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It’s in the Details

The details matter. Paying attention to the little details will help keep you sharp. What have you noticed about something in your life, or activity, that needed some detail repair? Addressing the details now will save you from dealing with them later.
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Review of The Dip

Seth Godwin wrote in his little book, The Dip, “short term pain has more impact than long term benefits.” This is one of the reasons we quit pursuing greatness in what we do. He also describes in his book why we need to quit and quit often when it’s an activity outside of becoming great in what we can become great at. It was a perfectly timed book for me to read.
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