By Angela Myles Beeching
This week I’m re-appreciating a great life lesson I received years ago from my good friend and colleague Michael Gaskins. We used to work together at NEC, and he now runs the Alumni Affairs office at Berklee.
Michael has a terrifically positive effect on others and always seems unflappable even when confronted by the most difficult people.
No matter how demanding or unreasonable a client might be, Michael would deal with them calmly and rationally-in a way that de-escalated the situation. More often than not, he’d completely win them over, and by the end of the exchange, the person having the flare-up would apologize.
Once when I complimented Michael on performing one of these miracles, I asked how he did it. Michael said that when he gets up in the morning, he realizes he has a choice: to either have a good day or a bad day.
He chooses to have a good day.
At the time he told me this I thought, that’s great, but I didn’t believe it would last me past the front door. What happens as soon once the day starts and we’re confronted with challenges we can’t control?
It’s only now, years later that I’m finally appreciating the full power of Michael’s approach.
What’s powerful is that it’s not just the choice made when we get up. But it’s that initial choice that can ‘prime the pump’ so that we continue making that choice throughout the day—no matter what we encounter.
Because we always have a choice of how to react or respond.
That’s the challenge: recognizing that we have a choice in every moment to see the good in any situation—the good in the person or the challenge in front of us—and to respond with our best self.
This is NOT about ignoring difficulties or denying the painful truth. It IS about choosing how we respond. We can choose to start from a place of optimism with the intention to do good work for and with others.
Being able to do good work in the world requires being able to first find the good in ourselves and in others.
Thank you for all that you inspire in others, Michael!
Author of the acclaimed “Beyond Talent: Creating a Successful Career in Music,” Angela Myles Beeching has helped thousands of musicians build successful careers. She has led workshops at the Eastman School of Music, and the Juilliard, Peabody, Colburn, and Oberlin Conservatories. She has also been a featured speaker at conferences for the National Association of Schools of Music, the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, and the Association of Performing Arts Presenters. Her articles on entrepreneurship, networking, and creating PR materials have appeared in Inside Arts, The Strad, Classical Singer, and Chamber Music magazines.
