#buildingconfidence

I am generally not a person who lacks confidence. (I mean, I am a trumpet player after all!) But wait..is this view of having a strong sense of confidence the view that I have of myself or the view that others have of me?

During a conversation with a few friends the other week, my friends shared that I "always seem to be confident and have life together." WOW! What a compliment. However, I quickly shared with them that I don't always feel this way, even when it seems that I do feel this way.

As I prepared for the new week..I needed some motivation. I was preparing for my first solo music therapy session, a lesson, and the many realities of adulthood. 

When I thought about all of these things, I realized that while I am confident in the various activities in my life, such as music and my faith, I'm not confident in the whole picture...I'm only confident in certain details. 

When I think about my skills as a music therapist, I was reminded that the times where I don't feel successful are the times when I'm not confident. Those times when I messed-up a song or intervention during co-leading last semester...those were because I lacked faith and didn't have confidence in myself. 

I quickly realized that this applied to the trumpet, too. If I've prepared something all semester..then I will be confident when I play it at my jury. But if I lack the confidence needed to be successful at an area of my playing, such as lip flexibility, then how can I be confident as a whole musician? Shouldn't the goal be to pick up the horn and have the confidence to play whatever is put in front of you? 

When I thought about these things, one word kept coming back: CONFIDENCE

I decided I needed a motto for the semester...so that's where #buildingconfidence comes from!

My goal for the semester is to start building confidence in the areas that I feel I am the weakest. This is one of the hardest things to do in life...I mean, who wants to confront the things they are bad at???

Here's to a successful semester and setting my self up for success! 

Catholic+Education

Going off to college was the first time in my education career that I wasn't attending a Catholic school. However, this didn't stop me from attending Mass at the Newman Center on campus. The thing was, I had grown so much in my faith during my senior year of high school. Once I came to college, that relationship was still there...but it was stagnate, it wasn't going anywhere.

Along came my sophomore year of college, and it was the same situation. But on the first Sunday of school, I got on the elevator and rode down with this girl. We proceeded to get off the elevator and head to the parking lot. We finally struck up a conversation and figured out that we were both headed to the Newman. Later we find of that we are both music majors, and that she is from the same town as my grandma. I know God had a plan when He placed us on that elevator together, because this amazing friend continues to encourage me to attend mass weekly, and to grow in my faith.

SO, here we are three weeks in to my junior year of college. How is my faith? Well, let's just say that over the past few months, my faith has continued to grow. The past eight months have taught me to trust in Him more than I ever knew was possible.

When I arrived at school this year, I knew that God had a continued plan for me. His plan for me over the past three weeks wasn't necessarily what I had planned in some ways, but the important thing is that it is His plan for ME!

One of my favorite moments is that on the one year anniversary of meeting my amazing friend, I was standing at Mass at the Newman, after taking a step out of my comfort zone, singing in the choir with this friend.

There's more! This semester, I am taking the first semester of music history. As we have began to talk about the music of the mass, it's like things are clicking. The mass makes so much more sense when you understand the history of the music, and how it got to where it is today. And I'm really excited to be doing my research paper on a topic that relates to the music of the mass during the Baroque! (More on that later in the semester!)

God has created a unique plan just for me. I mean, isn't it exciting that the guy who will love me unconditionally for my entire life has created something so amazing just for me?!?!

As you can see, I'm really excited that God is using my love of music to help me grow in my faith. So thank you, God, for creating this amazing plan for me! I am so thankful for you, and I am truly living my life for you!

~Romans 8:28~