Over the past four days, I have attended three different musical events. This is an atypical action-packed few days for me. One of the many areas of change I have noticed about getting a bit older is I have to push myself harder to get up and out of the house to attend events. Since retirement, I have a reenergized focus on a dormant hobby of music. I am listening to and enjoying music more now than I have in decades. I have also started playing the guitar again after a 15-year layoff.

Back in the day, I went to many concerts. From Led Zeppelin to the Rolling Stones to Bruce Springsteen, I saw most of the top rock bands from the 1970’s live and in concert. These days, attending a large crowded concert has limited appeal.  As mentioned earlier, I recently attended three shows in a short period of time.

First on the agenda was a free bluegrass concert at a community center near our home. I love bluegrass, the music is exciting, and the musicians are usually top notch. The bands played many bluegrass classics, and I left the event thinking, maybe I can start appreciating live music performances again.

Next on the schedule was attending a concert by the Houston Choral. I have been to their concerts before during the Holiday season. This was my first show away from the Christmas season. The theme of the show was music from the movies. I love music from movies, particularly from the glory days of Hollywood musicals. The concert was terrific; I found myself lost in the music and moved in ways I haven’t felt in years. They even sang “Over the Rainbow” which is one of my all-time favorite songs.

The final event of my immersion into live music was a trip to the Houston Rodeo to see the Zac Brown Band. The Zac Brown Band is known for such hits as “Chicken Fried” and “Colder Weather.” This band is known to have a country slant to their music. The band members are excellent musicians, and I was looking forward to their performance. They started out offering up several of their top hits but then amazed me by covering some surprising songs. They covered the Eagles “Take it To the Limit” which didn’t surprise me too much. Next, they covered “Tied to the “Whipping Post” by the Allman Brothers. I have never heard this difficult song covered by another band; Zac Brown did a great job. Finally, they dove into “Enter Sandman” by Metallica. This song is way out of character for The Zac Brown band but, they did a fantastic job. I felt very fulfilled after listening to a top band in top form.

There is a grumpy old man inside of me who didn’t want to go to these three events. Somehow, I was able to suppress this uninspiring person and enjoy myself immensely. Stepping out of our routine can be difficult. Routine can be so comfortable and non-threatening. The key message for this musing is to break up your routine, get out there, try something different, reignite an old passion. Here are some examples of “getting out more.”

  • Work

It is common to fall into a routine at work doing the same thing with the same people. It is important for your career and your company’s success to spend time out of the office with customers, suppliers, and partners. Your perspective will become refreshed, and you always learn something new. Also, you can never have enough industry contacts.

  • Home

Do you find yourself doing the same things day after day? Are you hesitant to try new things? I challenge you to take that trip, go to that concert, or attend that party. If you are like me, sometimes it takes a push, either by myself or my loving wife, to try new things. I have never regretted stepping out of my comfort zone to try new things.

Life is a short-term engagement, get out there and enjoy the music.

Make the most of this day!