By Neil Murdoch
Honestly…I’m more of a talker than a writer. And I write as if I’m speaking to you which is probably the wrong thing to do but hey, If you want some pearls of wisdom that I have picked up along the way in this so called weird little life I’m having ,then read on!
Ok so lets do a little bit of background. My name is Neil Murdoch I’m in a band called Blue Nation (have been for a while) and I live for music. It consumes my every thought, movement and being and I have to say it is because of my upbringing. One of my earliest memories is of my Dad playing me Live Aid and being transfixed by Queen and how Freddie controlled the crowd. I thought to myself, I wanted that job, I want to be that guy! Fast foward a few years and I’m living out my dream playing my own songs infront of people and they dig it! Madness, total off the scale weird out of body feeling to know people buy our music and listen to it! I mean some of you reading this (if you have got this far) are probably still thinking “Who the hell are Blue Nation?” That’s ok, that’s why we have google 😉
Anyway, while dreaming up what to blog about I thought I would tell you what has helped me over the years so here they are.
The first is from my Mom. The strongest person I know who has single handling tackled pretty much everything and come out the other side.
“Do your best, that’s all you can do, if you do your best that’s all anyone can ask of you”
Now, as a kid this took so much pressure off me at School, sports you name it. It actually gave me the room to do my best rather than crumble under whatever pressure I was facing or putting myself under. I still use it to this day and it honestly has helped me loads. Now you will get all those high performing analysts and people who think 110% is possible but your best is YOUR best! You know when you haven’t given it your all and only you can correct that. Even today when I walk on stage I think about it and if I’m nervous or feel a bit unwell I just say it to myself and It takes me through.
So onto my Dad. The thinker, the most strategic brilliant minds I have access to. If I have a problem I can’t solve then he has the answer, he thinks 7 moves ahead when I’m on move 2. It’s annoyingly brilliant!
“Trust your gut”, follow your instincts”
I didn’t learn this on many occasions until far to late in my life and have come a cropper of it with previous friends, girlfriends and decisions about my career and life. My Dad is a genius at it, very rarely does he misjudge a situation or person.
My best friend Matto. A very tall northern fella who on a dark night would scare the best of them but is a massive softie (unless he is on a football pitch)
“If it ain’t exciting, it ain’t worth it”
One of my favs this as its so so true. Apply to anything you want, a night out, your love life, the football match. When has anyone ever said “that was really boring, I loved it!” It just doesn’t happen! Think about that best time or day of your life. I guarantee excitement was involved.
Now onto Mr Chalmers who again, is one of the most intelligent people I know, its scary how his grey matter works but he isn’t an arse about it either! This one hit me like a brick wall when he told me about it.
“You have Freedom of choice, not consequences”
We live in an age when a quick funny remark that gets a laugh or being cruel to one another is deemed acceptable under banter or whatever you want to call it. We hide away emotions (dudes I’m talking to you here) and then find that we don’t have everything figured out and sometimes it hurts. So remember the choices you make in life, whatever they maybe, have consequences attached to them. I’m just as guilty as anyone but this one is keeping me a little more centred of late.
Onto the main person in my life, Mia, MeMe, the better half, the one that makes me tick, the wife.
“Live to love and you’ll love to live”
Stop and give this one a bit off space. Let is breathe and say it again to yourself. Live to Love and you’ll love to live. It is so beautifully true and poetic it hurts! To get all hippy on you for a second…Love is the answer, it is the answer to everything. I just don’t think we have worked it out as a human race yet, well I don’t think we have but hey what do I know!
That last thing I want to wobble on about isn’t a quote but my world. My world is my family, friends, loved ones better halves you name it. I’m a product of all those peoples time, energy, love and devotion and I would be nothing, and I mean this, nothing without them. I tell everyone I know that I have only got to this space and time in life thanks to my folks and my Mia. They have given me so so much and I only worked it out when I was older. The care and sheer single-mindedness of telling me to follow my dream and still to continue to today is mind blowing. I know so many times that I have had friends when I was younger that said their parents want me to be a doctor or lawyer or want me to do this. I never had that at all and it was so so alien to me to hear it. I was asked what I wanted to be and my parents always said…okay, we are with you. Unrivalled support and financial backing and not a word of complaint when I said “I’m done with this now”. For that I’m truly thankful and know how lucky I am to have parents like this.
My friends, the true friends build you up, support your success and make you want to go on. Of course I have had people who called me best friends in the past and then let me down. I’m telling you now, you do not need those people in your life. You probably don’t even see it (I didn’t) but they are holding you back from what you are and being who you should be. In music you have to be selfish which is a horrible position to be in as you miss certain events in life. Birthdays, christenings, house warmings, Christmas or just going to pub or nights out. The friends that understand me and know what I’m trying to achieve absolutely get it and support me and it is incredible that they do. They push me to keep going and they are first in line when the band or music is successful. The people (that’s what they are now) who didn’t get it often complained to me and often told me to give it up. I’m not saying I’m right to put music or this much importance on my career in music but I have always been brutally honest from the start with people and told them where I stand. I don’t ask them to accept but it was used against me in some cases to make me feel guilty. My advice, if it is important to you and its your dream, true friends understand and will help you achieve it. Search out those people and keep them so so close!
I have no idea if these ramblings have been of any help to anyone but its what I have seen by following my dream. I suppose you can apply this to your dream, it doesn’t have to be music.
Lastly, I want to give you a little tool that has helped me in the past. Imagine you are a radio station and that beautiful head of yours is the antenna and you are emitting a signal 24 hours a day! Your thoughts are the songs, the little sketches. Think positive, think of only good things. If you struggle with that, think of a time you were at your happiest and re live that moment. Remember the feelings you felt, the way you smiled anything to get you back to it.
Stay happy and free
Nx
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