I would like to share one of my favorite banjo performances with you this morning. Bela Fleck, often called the premier banjo player in the world, demonstrates the remarkable range of this delightful instrument in his performance of Bach’s Violin Partita 3. Turn up your speakers or don your headphones and sit back and enjoy:
I can’t help but think of how much more is available to each and every one of us were we to make fuller use of that which we’ve been given. You have a marvelously designed mind, body and heart. What percent of your total present capacity would you say you presently use?
You, as an instrument, likely have far more capacity than you’ve dared to utilize. Are you familiar with the edges of your performance envelope? Or do you tend to hide in your comfort zones?
What motivates you?
One of the best ways to discover yourself is to be in the business of motivating and helping others. If you pay more attention to what you can give to others, you’ll find that you naturally begin to discover parts of you, capabilities in you, that you wouldn’t have imagined possible.
You don’t need to make yourself into anything. In fact, the real you is revealed through your service to others. It is so easy to get caught up in what you want, what you don’t have, what you’d like to be, how you’d like to be seen and so on, yet centering in yourself invariably leads to shallowness, emptiness and ultimately, bitterness.
The next time you get caught up in your limitations, remember what Bela Fleck did with his banjo. No doubt many people said along the way, “you can’t do that on a banjo”, yet he persisted, he pushed himself and he overcame!
So can you.
Gregory Hake 
Sometimes I have to catch up on your fascinating posts as I do with a good article or new CD. I wait and when I have a moment I sit down with a cup of coffee and savor the moment. This was worth the wait. I thoroughly enjoyed his translation and artistry. Yes it does make me think about my ability to translate in my work and what my artistry could give to my world. Beautiful post, thank you.
LikeLike
Beautiful. Thanks for the lift.
LikeLike
I love to see things like this. He unpretentiously showed us what that particular instrument is capable of. I have put a lot of thought lately into how I can do more with what I have (time, resources, etc.), and the list I came up with boiled down into the point you just made- stop thinking about yourself. It is hard to make yourself do more when it it you you are thinking about – It is a slog. But when you have the right motivation and a purpose for changing yourself, it is effortless. When it comes to changing habits, I’ve found a saying particularly useful: if there’s any doubt, there is no doubt. If you think about whether or not you should do something, always err on the side of helping others and not yourself!
LikeLike
My heart was encapsulated and inspired through simply “Feeling” that piece this morning, such an abundant provision contained in the notes of that performance, thank-you, I can only hope that such a blessing could be provided through me to the world, and more specifically my Brothers and Sisters.
LikeLike
We love Bela Fleck. The Lights of Home was the song I walked down the isle to, marrying the man of my dreams. Randy does a pretty good job on the banjo too. Thank you for your thoughts today, they really hit home for me.
LikeLike
That was amazing – not what you’d normally hear on a banjo!
If you’ve ever helped someone or have been a teacher in any way (at work, with a child, a friend, etc.), you’d know that your words are true. The less we focus on ourselves and the more we focus on giving to others, the more we open up and talents which may have been hidden or undeveloped begin to appear. And, most often others will see them first before we even realize they are there!
LikeLike