In every artist there is a touch of audacity without which no talent is conceivable. ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)

Success is the child of audacity. ~Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881)

Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: You don’t give up.    ~Anne Lamott

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The last couple posts were both dense and long, so the next two will be light and short.

Do you imagine that the odds of reaching your musical goals are great? I know I often do. How do you keep yourself going? Inspiration can be found anywhere, sometimes in things that have nothing to do with music. I just found some inspiration I’d like to share.

Imagine if, in 1974, your goal was to walk on a tightrope between the World Trade Centers in New York. Does that give your own goals any perspective? Philippe Petit did it. I just watched the movie Man on Wire (available for instant viewing on Netflix) and was filled with inspiration by a story that contains audacity, imagination, close friendship, danger, and a tinge of tragedy at its conclusion. It’s a fantastic documentary, and a wonderful example of the power of motivation. (It also sort of explains the cover of an album I loved in 1985, Steps Ahead’s Magnetic.)

Petit’s walk was also a background event in one of the best books I’ve read in years, winner of the 2009 National Book Award: Colum McCann’s Let the Great World Spin. Both the movie and the book are highly recommended.  Hope you enjoy the trailer for the film. The next post will be on Guerilla Practice. Stay tuned, have fun, and good luck with your practice!

Want to learn more about the best ways to practice? Get an e-mail with a discount code when The Practice of Practice is published (June, 2014). To learn more about the book, check out a sample from The Practice of Practice.