This town is dead.

"There's nothing to do in this town."

"Northampton is shit."

"I'm going to London"

These are all things i've had said to me about the town that I live in (said by people that have made no attempt to change their situation). I have no illusion that there are other, more diverse, more lively places in the world but if you're chasing the 'best' place to be;

a) You'll never find it and (the 'best' anything is temporary and constantly evolving).

b) All the time you spend moaning would be better spent creating.

I'm a firm believer that I am in control of my life, it doesn't just happen to me. Obviously some things are uncontrollable, but certainly in terms of things to do, it's down to me. We all get bored, but it's what we do with that time that can really make the difference.

I read an article about Tyler Perry (a very successful actor, producer, director, screenwriter, playwright, author, and songwriter) about how he had achieved his goals, and one of the things he said was;

"Stop wasting time on TV, games, dumb stuff & people. If a person doesn't have a plan... move on!"

That really resonated with me. If TV and games are my goal, then obviously it's all good, but those things don't get me where I want to go. If i'm not where I want to be, then doing anything other than chasing that is wasting time. If I don't work on it I wont get it. It doesn't matter what my goal is, whether that's money, relationships or expertise it all requires work. Playing Glastonbury festival requires plenty of rehearsal, has anyone ever played Glastonbury with zero practice?

I talk about quotes a lot, I think it's because my mind constantly wonders towards 'what are you doing with your life, you should be doing better/more' territory, so the occasional kick in the butt really helps me. As soon as I think I want to sit in front of the TV or eat that massive chocolate bar I ask myself 'Is that how I get what I want?', the answer instructs me what to do next.

That helps me, maybe it can help you, it's worth a shot.

Speak to you Friday,

Josh.

image found HERE.

How to cure jealousy in one easy step.

I recently saw a friends band play Glastonbury, half of me was cheering them on and half of me was jealous, which is wrong.

I've had that reaction before, I went to see another friend play guitar in a band to 10,000 people as part of a world tour. I was so inspired and proud that he was living his dream. Although I couldn't help feeling a little jealous. It stems from the feeling that I could be doing that, but through my actions I took a different path. His position seemed more exciting, more valuable, therefore I feel I may have made the wrong decisions, which is a difficult feeling to deal with.

I think that I'm doing a good thing with my life. I am fairly confident that what I have dedicated this portion of my life to is going well, and I give it my all, but I must admit I do tend to compare myself to other people and inevitably fall short (wether that's highly successful musicians, athletes or business people). I compare myself to people further down their road than me, rather than people at my level or just getting started.

"Compare, despair"

- I heard Ari Shaffir say this although I think it originates from Alcoholics Anonymous. 

If, for example you compare yourself to Keith Richards, you'll fail. You can't be Keith Richards, because he is Keith Richards. You can be a version of you that has dedicated yourself in the same way, you can be a similarly skilled/experienced person, rather than a copy of someone else.

I think it is that simple, If I had dedicated myself to those pursuits, I would be doing similar things. I have dedicated myself to this pursuit, and hopefully I have 50+ years left to do whatever I feel. I can't be everything all the time, so I must learn to focus on what I want to do and do it, and for now, I am.

So, I need to learn to not be jealous. I need to think 'good for them for doing what they're doing'. We're not comparable, it's apples and oranges. We're on different journeys, if i'm on the wrong path, now is the time to stop and get on the right one, otherwise, keep on keeping on.

Speak to you Friday.

(Cover image found HERE.)

Standing on the shoulders of giants.

Hey, here it is. Friday 17th June's top five. It's my consolidated list of all things awesome this week. Here we go;

1) Video of the week;

The Staves  - Live at Glastonbury 2015.

I first heard of Staves when I went to watch Adam Buxton's Bug Show, he played the video to Black and White which is also excellent, worth checking out.

2) Gig of the week;

OhBoy! Lucky Shivers and Future Love at The Garibaldi.

This is a great line-up and a great venue, I'm away this weekend so I wont see you there, but I am very jealous of you. Unofficially called 'the Meg show' as she features in two of the three bands on this lineup.

p.s. don't mention me to Meg, our feud is real and long-standing.

3) Quote of the week;

If I have seen further it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants. - Isaac Newton.

This can be attributed to people as far back as the 12th century, but I first heard about it in relation to Newton. I totally agree with it, without the people that have gone before us we'd be nothing. Most of what I do is inspired by someone else, or i'm emulating them in my own way, and that's fine. There's a difference between copying something else, and re-imagining it or using it to direct you.

4) Article of the week;

Led Zeppelin Appear in Court for colourful start of Stairway trial.

5) Thing of the week;

GIGS. Live music is my thing of the week this week. Go to The Northampton Music Festival and you'll know why.

Speak to you Monday.

Josh.