LIVING LIFE:Taking Good Advice

The truth is that I can sing, even if most of the time, it happens in the bathroom or when I am under the influence. Anyway, what is hard about singing, pick a few lines and add some tunes to it and there you have your song? Not exactly! I wish I had a voice like one of those chaps singing their hearts out in Nairobi on Tusker Project Fame. If not for anything, just for the opportunity to win five million Kenyan shillings (About thirty eight Million Rwanda francs) and the fame that comes with appearing on television everyday. Sadly for me and you, our croaky voices would make a frog proud. But clearly, singing is all about talent, a good attitude, a good dose of confidence as we have got to learn from the young men and women that have been doing East Africa proud in the academy. Singing is not for everybody, but everyone can learn from these young singers. First of all, it helps a lot to dream big. When Project Fame was registering Rwandans who wanted to participate in the competition and while it did its auditions, many people rubbished those who took the opportunity to try their luck. Today Alpha, Nina and Christian command a free regional fan base. Their lives will change forever even if they get evicted early. They will come back home like kings or queens and a new world of opportunities in music and generally the arts will open up to them, just because they dared to dream. Meanwhile, the rest of us who shunned the opportunity will be gritting our teeth and wondering what if we had just taken the courage to try. So many people gave good ideas for their lives which can bring them fame and lots of money but are just too afraid to try. For them, making a decision to try something different is the hardest thing in their lives. They fear that people will laugh at them when they fail or that other people will disrespect them because they chose to become musicians. Human nature is such that people will discourage you from doing something they have never achieved or are too afraid of trying themselves. In there is the fear of criticizing the bridge to the unknown and sometimes out of outright jealousy. If you really want to achieve big things learn to analyze criticism carefully. If someone tells you can’t do this. Don’t be angry. Learn to settle down and think about what you are trying to do from their viewpoint with the available information they have about what you want to do. If they have never been musicians how come they know the music industry inside out and how it does not pay? If you want to take advice about something difficult you want to try ask those who have been there, done that. However close they are to you, do not take advice from people who do not know what they are talking about. You don’t have to let them know but always listen t everyone who offers advice and filter out accordingly. But most importantly, in order to make an important personal decision it is important to research, weigh down the pros and cons from a personal perspective and make a conclusive but individual decision. Otherwise, have a confident Sunday. kelviod@yahoo.com