As a musician, teacher, director, self-starter, etc., etc., I wear many hats.
While I am certainly grateful for so many opportunities to work in music, it can be challenging to juggle multiple to-do lists, lesson plans, and professional responsibilities in a given week. One of my goals for 2012 is balance: setting boundaries, giving my full attention to one thing at a time, and handling the day-to-day craziness with grace. I am still working on this (read: Have you met me? I am the QUEEN of multi-tasking!) What I’ve learned, however is that trying to manage everything all at once can be is overwhelming and leaves me feeling under-prepared and very unbalanced.
Taking things one at a time, focusing on the task before me, making effective decisions, and moving forward one step at a time (rather than getting carried away) leaves me feeling much more in control, balanced, and empowered to do great things.
On a weekly basis, I am a piano teacher, a choir director, an adjunct professor, a pianist and organist, an artistic director, and a web designer (my latest self-taught venture). This is not a 9-5 job. Each requires 100% of me – my time, my energy, my creativity, my attention. Confession: It is impossible for me to be all of these things at once.
My days are far from cookie cutter – things will always come up that distract me and vie for my attention. The key (I’m learning) is to segment my time the best I can and to make choices that prepare for and support success. Success does not mean being superwoman and doing the work of 10 men four days a week. Instead, success means achieving that equilibrium of balance, control, and accomplishment… and learning to wear one hat at a time.
