It won’t be news to my friends here that I’ve become particularly interested in ‘matters of the self’ and why us humans do the things we do (Every album I’ve made alludes to the struggle).   I’ve recently been reading the hell out of everything from Eckhart Tolle to Friedrich Nietzsche and chewing the ears off friends with wiser minds than mine, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I managed to get through more than half of my life ill equipped to deal with its ups and downs. 




It’s like setting out across the oceans in a rubber dinghy and a plastic paddle without a chart.  In calm waters you’ll convince yourself you are on course and making good progress but as soon as the first storm hits, you wonder why you are upside down and drowning.  But I also know I’m not unique here…and I’ve been pretty wreckless at times in setting out on some big seas without a care for a life jacket…The consequences are also much more profound when you drag others on the same journey, like your partner, friends or family…

I recently read something pretty profound that I think just about everybody misses..   ‘Happiness requires struggle”….It sounds totally counterintuitive doesn’t it? But the more I think about it, the more it makes sense.  We can all dream of getting a great job, starting your own business or being a successful musician, but the real question is what pain and struggle are you willing to accept to make that happen?  For most of us the answer is that we want the reward but most of us aren’t willing to accept the struggle to get to it.  

The winners therefore, are those that are willing to endure the pain, struggle, stress and uncertainty of whatever path they choose…People that enjoy long weeks in the office, meetings and the pressure of deadlines will ultimately rise up the corporate ladder…A fitness fanatic that actively enjoys running marathons or being in the gym will be the fittest, and the artist that learns to accept the financial uncertainty and stress of their work in exchange for their creative freedom, will find the most success.