Barbara Cochetas over at Bell Sound Studios in Hollywood recently asked me: “Got any New Year’s Resolutions?”
I had my answer prepared, because it was the same answer I gave to my barber.
“To stop being an asshole.”
“You’ve got a lot of work ahead of you,” she replied.
It was the best resolution I could come up with, but I hadn’t put much thought into it. It was just something I blurted out when getting my hair cut. But it’s actually something I want to do, and it a simple (although not easy) behavioral change I have been implementing.
Avoid sharing opinions (especially those that are negative) about unimportant subjects.
Unimportant subjects might include music, movies, how people park their cars, clothing, entertainment, grammar, pseudo-political issues, and anything else that a.) doesn’t really affect my life in any way and / or b.) I can’t / am not going to do anything about. For the musicians reading this, It’s kind of like adding a “noise gate” to my brain. Things below a certain threshold stay muted. When asked for my opinion, I try to remember that image above.
I’m going to be 40 this year, so it seems like a good time.