Doesn’t matter where we’ve been… what we’ve done… it’s what we are *becoming*.  In a time and a world that seems so uncertain it’s so easy to get caught up in the downward spiral.  That’s not to denigrate anybody who truly is going through uncontrollable hardship… that’s pointed at the people who can do something about it, and don’t… and believe me, I can relate.

Nothing worse than a guy who is fortunate to sit around complaining about it but talk to most people in the entertainment industry and the sky is falling… well, in some respects, it is.

But what do we do about it?  Fall in line with most of the people out there talking about how bad it is?  How we got dealt a band hand?  Gotten a bum rap?  That’s too EASY.  EVERYBODY’S doing that… and nothing’s changed!  Look throughout history… look at the cycles… the sky has ALWAYS been falling for those looking for that.

But I have to say, the group of folks I’ve started to run with that are really changing themselves and helping to be significant in other people’s lives… wow, I get to grow up and not be that kid I was, for so long.

So not it’s REALLY getting fun… to be in an industry and watching people grabbing at the quick fix… Listen… I LOVE Los Angeles… it was a GREAT city for me but I always felt it was a breeding ground for Peter and Pietra Pan… never grow up… sure, that’s cute when you’re young but when you turn 50, like I just did, or being older with the same mentality of  “All I need is ONE great idea!  One HIT to get BACK to where I was…” or maybe even “Get there” for the first time.  You know… I’ve been down that road before too… that sounds like an addiction… “All I need is ONE MORE”.  No thank you… that guy was buried 26 years ago.

Now I see that’s a trap I don’t want to be in… it almost fosters an attitude of not really putting the effort into the fundamentals of how to exist… discipline in doing something daily, small things, to turn our lives around… mainly mentally.  Now I have to say that I even catch myself here because there are truly those creatives that have to spend every waking moment focusing, working on the idea, the creativity and then there are those true geniuses that can ONLY be creative, and everything else falls by the wayside, or, they’re building up to the BIG HIT.  The QUANTUM LEAP.  I’ve often said, “I don’t want to be that good… just give me a modicum of talent but allow me to live the rest of a life…”  No sir-ee… I’m not interested in being so great but can’t tie my shoes…

Well, and this is only my perspective… but the more I pay attention, the more I listen to the sidewalk… the opportunities have dried up so much that everything has been downsized to the point where robots are hired to do the work… and that’s why the quality has suffered…

So the point of all this is I run with a lot of creatives these days and the ideas come through… opportunities are presented but now I love the fact I need to make smart choices… I’m 50 now… my kids are growing up in front of my eyes and my first 2, (my stepkids) are in their mid 20′s.

I am now entering that place where I look at the opportunities and can honestly make the decision based on whether it’s consistent with my authenticity.  What does it mean to the big picture of what I want to do?  How I’d like to be remembered?  This is easy… the people I’ve started running with execute… immediately.  We’re done waiting… and for everybody else who’s standing in line asking for permission… going into the ghost town asking if someone will please give them a chance… and you MIGHT get a short lived opportunity where you are taken for everything you are worth, just for a shot… NO THANK YOU.

And I’m so sorry if that sounds negative, harsh or whatever but I hope that anybody who is starting out takes it as empowering.  You have NO IDEA how much opportunity and control you have at your fingertips… but guess what?  You’d better be great.  Great prevails… it really does and if anybody thinks it’s all rigged, you’re living in the dark ages.

Take my buddy Jaron… he TOTALLY beat the system… he came to Nashville, met all the local folk… and decided he didn’t need them… he did it his way… came up with a GREAT song… recorded it cheaply and went to WORK.  BUT, he’d built up the talent by working for decades… it’s not an overnight success..

Here’s the song/video…

So to end… I love the ideas… keep em coming… love the offers… I’m always available… in fact, my message is this… HOW CAN I HELP YOU? WHERE DOES IT HURT? Maybe I have something for you… I’m currently building up a new web platform to really take this message and energy to anybody interested. I have so many things and ideas to help you with… just ask.

And don’t be afraid to ask me if I’d like to get involved in any project pointed toward the big machine of the entertainment industry… I’ll consider it, deeply. But if it’s more of the same… of what everybody has been putting up with… standing in line, asking for permission from a bunch of people who aren’t really that qualified to lead us… (most of the incumbent executives in entertainment), I’m not interested… not worth it. Too much waiting… too many middle men. Not enough simple discussion of an idea and execution…

I’m not interested in moving back into that ghost town.

Have a GREAT day! And it is! Jason

I’m really getting more and more motivated to take what I’ve learned to anybody who’s interested in it.  There are so many great things going on these days… so much learning, changing… there is definitely a shift in consciousness…

I do a lot of reading and it’s amazing to see how things have been the same for so long, in the mind.  There are so many people caught up in letting outside influences effect their view on the world.  Yes, there are problems but when we forget the difference between *the* world and *our* world… it’s insidious.

The next thing you know, you’re embattled in an all out war on Facebook on a soundbite someone started throwing around causing the latest “End of the world” panic.  Guess what?  Read some books on history… you’ll be amazed at how human beings have been doing this forEVER.  I’ve often said that my feeling is when humans were able to start using a brain, (and that may not really be the right description of what I’m about to say), from day ONE, it’s been the end of the world… I really believe that… because if you go back throughout history we all hear the same thing… how things have collapsed, we’re doomed…

Well, the amazing thing, for me, is that there is SO MUCH INFORMATION out there now… so many lessons, so many good people and thoughts, tomes, ideas, that’s where I choose to point my attention… and it’s working.

I’m 50 years old now and can’t express to you how excited I am for the future… I really am… and some may call me an ostrich with my head in the sand… well, that sandpit is knowledge…

I’ve also, often times thought and said a few times, is that if I/we have ideas… they become dreams and manifest themselves… starting with spending my time with the people who nurture those ideas… who see me as bigger and better than I do, at that present time, now we’re up and running…

And if we have these big lofty dreams and ideas… what if we never get there?  I’ll tell you what… the journey of actually HAVING a beautiful picture of a future makes life a lot more worth living and isn’t that all we have?  The present moment?  I don’t know… but for me this just makes sense…

And I’m not being judgemental when I say this, this is simply what works for me… but I’m in a very studious/learning mode right now.  I didn’t finish school… didn’t understand the value and sometimes still don’t but I do understand the value of learning…

I was listening to a great webinar from a guy who was talking about writing copy… a marketing guy and he used the analogy of when we start out we’re not good… at least most of us… I started perking up because that’s what I’ve been saying to so many people starting a fitness journey… especially MACHO MEN!  The guys who get bummed because they SUCK so bad starting a fitness program… as if when we’re doing it in the privacy of our own home someone’s going to SEE how HORRIBLE we are, at first… (that is a whole other rant on worrying about what people think… don’t worry, I’ll get to that some other time).

But the guy was saying how he used to go to the gym and did what he *thought* was *maybe* good, or correct.  He’d walk a little bit on the treadmill and then, (and I love the way he was describing lifting weights!), he said he’d go to the weights and “Move things around…”  haaaaaaaa!  LOVE THAT… and ultimately wasn’t getting anywhere… so he hired a trainer… the trainer then explained to him that the professionals started out HORRIBLY, like everybody else and started a journey of LOTS of repetitions, at 70% of their maximum capability.  Not 100%… does that sound familiar?  We get in such bad shape physically, emotionally, financially, whatever, and go 1,000% trying to make it up OVERNIGHT!!!!  It doesn’t work that way…

But we need a map, or at least I do.  He goes on to say the same thing with writing… we suck at first, but we must begin… he goes on to give some *exercises*, SO smart… let the journey begin, right?

But he said something that really rang my bell… and it’s something I’ve been talking about ever since I started pouring into the books… and I said very firmly as I turned 50… I don’t want to guess anymore… I don’t have *time* for it… just POINT me in the right direction… SHOW me what to do… and at first, TELL me what to do… that’s what’s great about books, teachers, coaches, trainers, programs, they’re *designed* to get results, and MUCH faster than if left to our own devices.

What they guy said, (and I lifted it IMMEDIATELY), was he said, “If you don’t have any source of knowledge coming in, there’s nothing that’s going to help you become better.”  I started thinking of the addendum to that thinking, “Well, aren’t we supposed to *try* things… *fail* so that we can *learn* how to NOT do things wrong again?”  Well, yes and no… in the world of health and fitness, that’s so scientific that I believe it’s best, for me, to seek the professionals… there’s too much margin for error and that means injuries.

As a forward thinking person, with an entrepreneurial attitude, sure, some things aren’t written out… we must try things… but in general… the basics… writing, health, music instruction… (and this is coming from a VERY stubborn person throughout a lifetime… one who did it HIS way…), I’m here to help get results, FASTER.  And that’s not the quick fix attitude, it’s the “Seek the advice of the experts/mentors” attitude, because it works…

So my addendum to the *knowledge coming in* phrase is this… “If you don’t have any source of knowledge coming in, there’s nothing that’s going to help you become better.”  (addendum:  or, if you DO become better without the knowledge, it’s MUCH slower doing it on your own.)

So there’s my rant for the day… and I also wanted you to know there are some really cool things coming down the pike for me.  I’m working on a few different things I’ll be able to roll out within the next couple months of some training/community stuff.  And not only me but my family as well!  Tracy will be launching her amazing cooking secrets as well!  Stay tuned folks, it’s about to get REAL fun!

Jason

Manny’s?  Sam Ash?  I don’t know… I remember there’s a Sam Ash but I rarely go over to these places so I just wander.  I walk up to Sam Ash, actually I’m on the side of the road where the drum division is so I cross over into the building with all the other gear.

Walk in… have a little look around, see the room that says “Basses” so I walk in.  Walking around, checking it out, hear some young dude playing a flurry of bass licks… nothing that resembles an actual bass player, I mean, impressive yes, but he was playing it as a *lead* instrument.

Man, it reminds me of when I was young… actually, I’m caught right in the middle of the changing of the guard… I started playing when Return to Forever was out, Stanley Clarke, and then came Jaco… the Jimmy Hendrix of the bass guitar… revolutionized the instrument.

So I’m hanging out and all of a sudden this guy walks up and asks if I needed any help and I said no… just browsing… then I asked him about some basses I’m thinking about selling… so I’m asking him who I could talk to that know the value, etc. and he points me toward their *buyer*.

Now I should back up a little bit and say that I was poking around this bass section of Sam Ash and they have some GREAT instruments in there.  Not fully loaded with vintage stuff but they have a handful of great old Fenders.  I was also happy to see the value of them these days…

But there were all these other cool instruments around and some of them were in this room with a bunch of Hartke amps… I remember when the first Hartke cabinets came out in the 80′s.  I remember Will Lee starting to use them… there were signs in this room that said, “You can play this instrument but only if Larry Hartke is here.”  And I’m just naturally thinking, “Wow, Larry Hartke is bigtime… how often is that where he would be in here?

So I’m poking around and this nice dude in the bass department’s doing his best to steer me to the right people who could help me figure out what my basses I’m thinking of getting rid of would go for and I ask, “What’s your name?” thinking every time I’ve been at the Guitar Center in Nashville or L.A. the guys working there would say, “My name is Snake!” or “Mud” or something… you know, some hip edgy dudes… so I’m expecting the same thing from this guy… “My name is Machine Gun…” or “Harley” since he was wearing a Harley shirt… and he says to me, “Hi, I’m Larry Hartke!”  I just about died!

Now you have to know, this is one of the most revolutionary amp designers ever.  His aluminum cone speaker was and still is revolutionary.  So I said, “Whoa!  Hi!  I’m Jason Scheff and I play bass for Chicago!”  And that was it… we fell in love!  We spent probably a good 2 to 3 hours hanging out… I played a handful of basses through a few of his amps… he was nice enough to ask if I wanted to play his amps and I told him I’d just signed a deal with Warwick and don’t even really use an amp on stage with Chicago but I was going to play the Hellborg amps Warwick is coming out with when I play around in Nashville… the Hellborg stuff is really great.  And Larry was so cool…

So we weren’t even connecting on a business level… we just hung all afternoon and told me STORIES!  Are you ready for this?  JACO!!!!!  Right?  JACO!  Check this out… apparently Larry was making studio monitors… with the aluminum cones, right?  He was making studio monitors and Jaco came to him and said he wanted Larry to make 10″ speakers to replace in an Ampeg SVT cabinet… Larry made em, and never made studio monitors again… JACO started him into what he’s built in one of the most successful bass amp designers on the planet.  It gets even better!

Larry HAS the cabinet in the window at Sam Ash!  He takes me out to look at it… He shows me all these other super rare basses that he’s collected over the years due to his friendships… he’s got some of Stu Hamm’s original basses that Fender made for Stu… what was it, the Urge bass?

But I just have to say, I LOVED this guy!  I’m going to try my best to get back over there tomorrow just to hang a little more…

But here’s the part that really made me adore this guy… think about this… why is he working the bass department at Sam Ash?  Sure, it’s got his name all over the place… it’s kind of his baby in there… but still, a big designer like that can have people working it for him… I got it… he LOVES it.  Being around it… and when he said he loves to see the young kids put a 300 dollar Squier bass in their hands and their eyes light up… THIS is the type of person I want to be around… THIS is authentic.

He walked me out and then told me something I remembered seeing over the years… he told me how when he started marketing his stuff back in the 80′s he was in a marketing meeting and he said he wanted to put his cell phone number in the ads!  The marketing guys ask, “Can we?”  Everybody thought he was crazy… and he told me it was life changing… he took phone calls at ALL times of the day/night… he would be on the phone with someone from Sweden at 2 in the morning… driving his wife nuts… he told me it was up to some unbelievable figure like 72,000 phone calls he’s taken, and then the lightbulb went on!

I told him, “DUDE, you are going to TRIP when you hear this!  But I have something that has turned into a 2nd business for me that came out of a love for something, health and fitness… and I talk to people I associate with all the time about this… and the people who are the most successful are the ones who LOVE PEOPLE!  The ones who are the NUTS that will burn the midnight oil!  The ones that people can’t believe it’s really you answering the email, taking phone calls at times, showing up in Challenge Groups!”  And he TOTALLY got it.  Because it’s a PASSION.  You just LOVE something so much you can’t get enough of it.

I told him how this just started out with me doing something I love… sharing it with some people and then all of a sudden 4 or 5 years later you have people like Richard Neal that you’ve been a part of the story.  I’ll get into another blog post on how I was the ONLY person a couple of times at our Nolensville Fit Club a couple years ago but I did the workout anyway!  So did Pete Abbott… he did it the other day in fact!  It takes the NUTS!  The ones that say, “I”m going to do this with or without you!”  It’s not about seeing the immediate results… it’s about putting time into something.

Larry was telling me how it was a lot of effort for a long time and look at him… he’s still standing and a lot of manufacturers have come and gone, or are in trouble.  You don’t think that loyal customer base has anything to do with it?  Well, yeah, you have to be great to begin with but look at that AWESOME example of creating something NOBODY else did.  And when he told me, I GOT IT so much… IT’S BECAUSE HE LOVES IT!  It’s got to be that.

I just finished a midnight workout, because I said I would… and then I checked into the Challenge Groups and posted… BECAUSE I LOVE IT.  And people respond, and it just keeps growing.

Man, find your passion, don’t try to convince ANYBODY of your dream… it’s yours… nobody will understand so cling on to it… and when you can find that thing that you will go to the wall for it, you’re on to something… don’t have it?  Keep looking… you’ll find it.

I just couldn’t believe stumbling into a guy like this today and just got LIT by not only meeting one of the most influencial amp designers but that the reason he was so successful was because of a fundamental I’ve found.  A DEEP love for things… and I’m just grateful I’ve found it to be for people.

I feel like I’m growing in leaps and bounds.  I’ll finish with this… I read the greatest thing tonight on Facebook… it was,

“There is a huge amount of freedom that comes to you when you take nothing personally” written by Don Miguel Ruiz.

Wow… I’ve been getting bigger and bigger glimpses of that more and more recently.  I’m finding that I’m much more open.  When I have taken things personally so much in the past I’m closed… not noticing hardly anything… too busy in my own head trying to process what just happened… there’s an amazing clarity that comes with not allowing myself to make anybody else’s business, my business…

I don’t know why I went on THAT tangent at the end of my Larry Hartke story… but Larry, it was a slice of life hanging today and I’m gonna do my best to get over to see you tomorrow!  Jason

Evaluating Your Associations by Jim Rohn I’d like for us to take a look at the power of influence in our lives and how it is possible to be nudged off course a little at a time until finally, we find ourselves asking, “How did I get here?” We should ask ourselves three key questions: 1) “Who am I around?” You’ve got to evaluate everybody who is able to influence you in any way. 2) “What are these associations doing to me?” That’s a major question to ask. “What have they got me doing, listening to, reading, thinking and feeling?” You’ve got to make a serious study of how others are influencing you, both negatively and positively. 3) “Is that okay?” Maybe everyone you associate with has been a positive, energizing influence. Then again, maybe there are some bad apples in the bunch. All I’m suggesting here is that you take a close and objective look. Everything is worth a second look, especially the power of influence. Both will take you somewhere, but only one will take you in the direction you need to go.

Only then can we discuss three ways to handle associations or relationships that are holding you back.

1) Disassociate. This is not an easy decision, nor something you should take lightly, but in some cases it may be essential. You may just have to make the hard choice not to let certain negative influences affect you anymore. It could be a choice that preserves the quality of your life.

2) Limited association. Spend major time with major influences and minor time with minor influences. It is easy to do just the opposite, but don’t fall into that trap. Take a look at your priorities and your values. We have so little time at our disposal. Wouldn’t it make sense to invest it wisely?

3) Expanding your associations. This is the one I suggest you focus on the most. Find other successful people that you can spend more time with. Invite them to lunch (pick up the tab) and ask them how they have achieved so much or what makes them successful. Now, this is not just about financial success; it can be someone who you want to learn from about having a better marriage, being a better parent, having better health or a stronger spiritual life.

It is called association on purpose—getting around the right people by expanding your circle of influence. And when you do that, you will naturally limit the relationships that are holding you back. Give it a try and see for yourself.

JASON’S COMMENTS:

Alright, this showed up in my email today, and I’ve seen it a million times before but it bears notice today… as I’ve gone into my 51st year on the planet if there’s anything that really hit me profoundly the morning of my 50th birthday it’s this… I realized what a lucky guy I am… I took in all the blessings… I felt lucky I was waking up with hope rather than dread…

I heard the echoes of all the folks telling me, “It’s not that bad… 50′s the new 30…” All that stuff… I couldn’t understand what they were saying…

I wasn’t waking up with aches… with the world weighing me down… because I’ve decided to make the changes… I won’t sit here following the followers… where does that go?  I’ve already seen that…

I heard early on, when I decided to own my life rather than let everything else and those who weren’t really looking out for me own it, to find a successful person and EMULATE THEM.  Man, that sounds so daunting at first.  The first thoughts are, “Well I’m not as GOOD as that person… that isn’t for me…”

Well how about faking it until you make it… and starting with simple disciplines like maybe limiting the garbage being taken in daily… like food, substance, people, reading material, entertainment…

I mean, anybody who really knows me knows I’m not some stiff… I LOVE to have fun… but now I’m 50 I had this amazingly profound thought as I woke up at 4:30 am on April 16th… I thought, “Wow, there is not a moment to waste…”  Not in some feverish, weird way where it’s ALL about work, learning, personal development… but in a very focused view on what needs to get done… I can’t tell you how the last few years have prepared me so well for this moment… I’ve learned how to stop taking on more than I can handle… it’s not fair to anyone…

I have ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD for growing… but not a second for things that keep me stuck… there’s no time for it!

So this perspective the Jim Rohn reminded me of today is so timely.  The great questions… “What are you reading?  What are listening to?  Who are you hanging around?  What are they influencing you to think, act and do…?  And is that ok?”

What’s so awesome too is to create a plan, doesn’t have to be the perfect plan, there is none… just start one… any… get started… don’t stand there, do something, (As my Grandmother used to say to me/us).  And we course correct… but standing there like a deer in the headlights, no benefit… and believe me, even with the life I’ve lived thus far, as charmed as it has been and to the outside world would look like I’m a spoiled brat if I revealed I have my complaints… but the best part is to realize it’s ALL self inflicted!

And I guess what I’m trying to say is “I relate”.  I relate to not having control of my life… and I/we’ll never have full control over it but the things we can… and the first and one of the biggest for me, is what am I under the influence of.  Can’t tell you how much better my life gets, by the day, by eliminating the things I can do something about… where my attention goes..

One of the things Rohn points out that is SO important and takes maturity is how to back away from things/people.  As a classic Alcoholic/Addict, (me), I always want immediate relief… so when the realization that I’ve got myself into a pickle with people hits me, I used to have a big bang of “I GOTTA GET AWAY FROM THIS PERSON!!!” and maybe do something that causes even more damage… maybe it’s my responsibility to back away slowly, with not much notice so everybody gets to save face.

That’s one of the greatest lessons in this lesson of Rohn’s on influence… to *limit* the time I’ll allow with things I *must* deal with.  That’s a big one… we all need to co-exist.

He puts is so beautifully… “Spend Major time with Major influences and Minor time with Minor influences.”

“It is called association on purpose—getting around the right people by expanding your circle of influence. And when you do that, you will naturally limit the relationships that are holding you back. Give it a try and see for yourself.”

Rohn is the best… this stuff is so timely… as we have started a bunch of Challenge Groups to improve our lives… it blows my mind how a small group of 5 or 6 who have struggled to change their lives do it virtually overnight by associating with like minded individuals… and then I meet people who are dying to change and are scared because their influences are being negative to them… I get it… but when we realize how much power we’re giving to other people… wow, what a wakeup call!

Again, and I’ve been wanting to write something about turning 50 since that day… and I guess here it is!  I still laugh when people say, “It’s not that bad.”  I know if I’m not taking care of myself, it’s pretty bad, but that goes for any age… I felt pretty bad in my early 20′s as bad as I was treating myself!  I’ll take this any day!

J

As I was driving my son to school this morning we had the pop radio station on which is always a staple of our morning ritual… and sure enough the “Sleeze” section comes on, (funny how they use that… I remember in my first few years with Chicago on KIIS FM in L.A. Rick Dees had the “Dees Sleeze” segments… and one of my buddies was one of the snoops!  Here’s to you Leo!!!), but anyway, I digress, claiming a bit of my *elder statesman* status as to hearing the FIRST incarnation of the “Sleeze” thing… (boy, am I going off on a tangent… how pathetic… I’m sounding like the grumpy old surfers down at South Ocean Beach when the youngsters are cutting us off and grumbling… “I was surfing this place before you were even a gleam…etc.!!!!!”)

Ok, STICK TO THE STORY JASON!!!  NOTE TO SELF!!!  STICK TO THE STORY!  Alright, back on track here… So I’m listening to the “Sleeze” segment on the radio and they’re talking about Bobbi Kristina Brown smoking dope, doing shots in college… and I think of Whitney.  I think of how when I started with Chicago in 1985 Whitney came onto the scene.  Now when I was a kid in San Diego and was getting recognized for my music I had the big dreams.  I wanted to be a superstar.  Elton was, and still is, my idol and that’s what I wanted.  I bought, (well my mother bought them for me), a big collection of sunglasses.  I think maybe I was supposed to sell them?  Never been a great salesman… so I just wore em in our Navy Housing apartment/duplex, whatever they were.   I’ll tell you this much, they were industrial strength!  I still remember how solid the walls were of those dwellings… met a lot of great folks there too…

It was certainly a community and it was the lower income Navy Housing… the enlisted men’s housing… so that’s where I had my first real taste of being salt of the earth, and I was, and am, very comfortable there.  Never felt this gnawing at me to *escape*, go reinvent myself.  I loved those year learning  my music with my brother Darin, Lauren was born there and it was a great time.

So continuing on in music, I started playing bass at 14 and quickly climbed the ranks.  I’m not trying to brag here but it was natural.  And easy to do… but that’s one of the biggest traps I’m teaching my kids to avoid… DON’T REST ON YOUR NATURAL ABILITY.  If you put a small amount of time learning discipline and practice that will separate you from the pack.  If you DON’T have the talent but put the time and discipline into it, you will separate yourself from the pack.  Took me a LONG time to realize this, but fortunately, somehow, somebody gave me the information… as I’m passing along now.

When I got to L.A. I wasn’t the person you’d walk into the clubs I was playing in and say, “Listen to that guy’s voice… he’s going places…”  As a bass player, people would say that, (although it’s funny how I wasn’t really lighting L.A. up as a bass player… more on that in another blog post), but they certainly weren’t coming into the clubs hearing me sing and noticing a *star* in the making.  And to tell you the truth, I wasn’t even really enjoying it that much…I was just trying to pay the rent and singing was increasing the value of my *stock* so to speak.

Another thing was starting to become the *rage*.  Let’s WRITE!  What does that mean?  Let’s play some music and *make something up*.  I used to hear Michael Landau put it that way… what an EXTREMELY gifted sense of humor he has!  He’d say when talking about a song he’d written…”I made something up.”  HAAAAAAA  But that’s really what it is!

I remember because we were in L.A. and people were starting to rise the ranks by, in whatever motive was pushing them, *make something up*, *write a song*, *sit down to write a HIT* (that ALWAYS made me laugh when someone would say that… the PRESSURE!!!!  But that’s only me).

Suddenly it was getting so SERIOUS!  And so PROFESSIONAL!!!!  (a sidenote here… what I’ve learned in the last few years, I wish I would have known back then because it IS a business… and it IS professional… or should I say, if I/we only put the simple disciplines in place *while* having this *fun* the rewards are exponentially better/bigger…  that’s the classic downfall of so many artists… they’re just having fun, not paying attention and then things change and their world is upside down.  You see it ALL THE TIME these days… and especially in the reality television realm.)  Which is why the direction I’m heading and the people I’m spending the most of my time with are so under the radar… my spirit and attitude is SO headed into being invisible… that is NOT chasing after being so much in the public eye, aside for whatever Chicago has going on, which is PLENTY OF EXPOSURE.  It’s as much as I care to pursue.  It’s plenty, has been plenty and quite comfortable.

But to sum this up… when my father said that to me, “If That’s What You Want…” I think he probably saw a kid who had this look in his eye, of the pie in the sky… “I’m gonna be a STAR now Dad!”  Well, here is a guy who watched one of the biggest and what happened to him… Elvis Presley.  And I got to see him on his last leg in Vegas, in ’77 just months before he passed.  And whether Elvis really wanted that much, who knows… it probably started out innocently enough… just wanting to make his music… make his statement… but then, if it starts really rolling and becoming a steamroller that does an about face and smashes you down.  Back to Whitney… look what happened.  Look at her legacy… her daughter, which by the way, most kids are doing in college anyway but it’s just a matter of being so in our face with media… and the fact that’s what most people out there are drawn to?  The car accidents?  Hey, not to hammer anybody for enjoying that kind of *entertainment*, if that’s what it’s called… but I keep asking myself… the question TO myself… “Where’s the contribution?”  It’s like walking past a piece of paper on the ground and thinking, “It’s not mine, I don’t need to pick it up…”  Well what if that’s what EVERYBODY does and says?  Imagine what our beautiful world looks like…

This is simple stuff, for me.  One day, I’ll wake up and wonder how I’ve spent it all… my life, my gifts, my money… now does this sound like a guy ready to turn 50 years old?  To tell you the truth, I actually just started tearing up a bit when I wrote that because this is important to me, and I’m so grateful I’ve survived long enough to come to these conclusions and enlightenment.  When I see how many people are all over the place… I realize when I share my feelings, if they help one person, that’s the deal.

Thank you Dad for planting that seed… and thank you Chicago for bringing me into your family.  You gave me as much as I can handle and no more.  Had I/we been visual superstars I can GUARANTEE you I would probably be 6 feet under… it’s been just enough to enjoy scratching the itches we all have as kids… but not so much where I don’t have my own life.  And again, it’s afforded me enough anonymity to have an ongoing relationship with all my friends/fans (which each day becomes one thing more and more).

What I want, is to make music, for the right reasons, and for WHOM I want to make it for and WHEN I want to make it.  That’s my vision, I’m well into continuing to provide that opportunity for not only myself but for anybody who is interested in how I’m achieving it.  All you have to do is ask.

Have a great day… Jason

Ah, one of my favorite subjects… I came into the game when it was still rolling, a bit.  I started hearing rumblings of things starting to change back in ’85 such as “Well, there are no more real music people in publishing… they’re all just banks now…” 

I consider myself lucky having been *discovered* by Ronny Vance and Kathleen Carey because it truly was based on them *hearing* me and giving me a shot.  Sure, I had a couple *covers* that were out there but nothing that was going to make them any money, at first… they were going on their instinct which was one of those moments you need starting out… when one of the real heavy hitters *believes* in you.

So they gave me my shot… wanted to see what I’d come up with if I had a couple days in the studio… hadn’t signed me yet… they were just checking it out… and I cut “Heart Of Mine”.  A tune Bobby Caldwell and I had started, it sat, unfinished, for about a year and then Dennis Matkosky came in to help finish it.  The song was single handedly the vehicle in which they signed me.  To this day, that song will remain very special to me… no, it wasn’t a giant hit although the accolades of having the 1st single for Boz Scaggs’ comeback album… but then I was starting my first album with Chicago, Chicago 18 so the Boz cut was exciting but I was focusing on getting the Chicago record done.

So I went along during that great run of the mid 80′s into the 90′s and I REALLY saw the industry start to change.  REAL bad records were starting to dominate pop radio and I saw all the suits following suit!  They were telling us that these people were great… we should write with them… the producers were great, etc.

This is that moment… sure, you can work with these people but the day you start 2nd guessing yourself and thinking they’re not even great but good… you’re done.  You’ve officially gone down the tubes.  Hey, I’ve worked with some HEINOUS artists in my time and I’m a professional… I’d never tell them I thought that…we just did the best job we could… but I never would *buy* into it… and I saw an industry do it.  I think that’s probably one of the biggest reasons our industry went into the toilet.  And sure, some will say, “Hey man, if you were just modern and were into what’s going on, it isn’t in the toilet…”

Well, across the board, I beg to differ… and I see a culture out there… of a lot of my contemporaries who’ve had to go in different directions… there’s nothing left for them.  I’m lucky… Chicago hired me and the body of work is astounding… plain and simple… and I’m removing anything I’ve contributed to that statement so I’m not sitting here writing this from a place of ego.  The stuff they created long before me is absolutely astounding and it’s what’s kept us going.

Yes, I’m proud of what I’ve contributed and I don’t mean to minimize any of it… I know a lot of the music I’ve been a part of is some of the backdrop of people’s lives… I’m just making a point on why I think this band has lasted so long.

So I guess the real point is that we have  job… people still come to see us and it’s a blast.  But what about so many of my friends?  I listen to a classic rock station while I’m working out and it really hit me this morning.  I’m listening to Hendrix and thought, “Ah, great… so this genius artist comes up… he’s in the middle of a movement that was pretty dangerous… all the people in the background are all cheering him on… nobody was probably telling him the truth, just like with Elvis… and one day they’re gone, too early.

Other artists… I hear them left and right… INCREDIBLE art for us… and the people are either gone or many have ended up poorly… and why?  Who was looking out for them.  It’s like you have this industry that is provoking people to be outrageous, a bad boy, entertainment… but they end up being the joke.  I’m watching all the reality tv stuff with people we really looked up to… and that’s all that is left.

I see our industry so hammered because the royalties have dropped so much so I’ve come to my own decision that it’s a choice.  I can sit in an industry and keep complaining like so many do about things getting worse, or look in other areas to replace anything that’s gone.

What I’ve found is amazing… By helping people, I have replaced what has been lost in music royalties… and actually surpassed it.  And the real blessing in all of it is that I’ve become a better man.  A better husband, a better father, a better friend and making new friends left and right.

I’m on a campaign right now to take all the musicians who see little hope in an industry that isn’t growing and showing them a way to become better… in all areas… it works… we’ve been testing it.

Look forward to some events here in Nashville geared toward helping folks on many levels… music, finance, fitness, personal development.  You see, as I’ve tinkered with all this stuff I’ve come to this conclusion… as I stray from simple things to do… only taking parts of it here and there… no good.

I’ve come to a point where I realize that if I ask myself the question, “Why am I not more successful?” in any capacity… health, career, family… if I’m not working on all of those things, actively, I’m average… just like everybody else out there… if I want to compete in a world full of hungry talented people, I must work at it…

Can’t put it any more simply than that… and if that applies to ANYBODY out there, take it for what it’s worth.  I’m speaking to myself here, “If you want to be in a better place than you are, you’d better put the whole package together.  Need to work on your singing?  Begin… otherwise I’m not comfortable looking back at my life realizing I had one of the greatest chances and gifts on the planet and didn’t go all out for it.  If I’m not in phenomenal shape, I’m average… if I put those things together… then I have a chance… to separate myself from the pack.”

That’s what I’m interested in.  And I’m interested in others who are like minded.  Whether you have been working on these things and are the truly successful, I want to hear from you… to feed off of you.  If you NEED any of this stuff… just reach out.  I’m here to help you… you see it’s a 2 way street.  You’ve got to give it away to keep it.

So send me an email if you need anything… I can help.  Either private message me on Facebook, go to my website and click the “Contact” button, www.jasonscheff.com.

Let’s go… the team is growing… and growing fast.  I’m here to help… have a great day… Jason

1-Arm Chest Press: Right: 15 reps @ 40 lbs – Left: 15 reps @ 40 lbs______ Round 2: Right: 11 reps @ 45 lbs – Left: 11 reps @ 45 lbs

4 -Position Pull Up: 14 (assisted)_______ Round 2: 11 (assisted)

Push-Up Side Arm Balance: 11_________ Round 2: 6

Switch Lunge Press: Right: 7 reps @ 15 lbs – Left: 7 reps @ 15 lbs______ Round 2: Right: 6 reps @ 12.5 lbs – Left: 6 reps @ 12.5 lbs

Warrior 3 Kickback: Right: 15 reps @ 10 lbs________ Round 2: 14 reps @ 10 lbs

Warrior 3 Curl: Right: 12 reps @ 17.5 lbs________ Round 2: 10 reps @ 17.5

Boing Pushup: 7.5_______ Round 2: 3 + 7 regular pushups

Crunchy Lever Pull-Up: 10 regular pullups (assisted)________ Round 2: 10 regular pullups (assisted)

Mule Kick Burpee: 12 w no mule________ Round 2: 10 w no mule

Swimmer’s Curl Press in 1/2 Chair: Left: 6 reps @ 20 lbs________Round 2: 6 reps @ 20 lbs

Balance Kickback on Stability Ball: Right: 8 reps @ 12.5 lbs_________ Round 2: 10 reps @ 10 lbs

Rocket Launcher Preacher Curl: Right: 11 reps @ 20 lbs_________ Round 2: 12 reps @ 20 lbs

I can’t stress how much not paying attention along the way just ends up with a big pile of MESS.  Almost unrecognizable.

And at first it’s almost so overwhelming that it looks like 2 choices… to just throw everything away, or avoid it altogether.

I never went for the first option… there’s too much of my life’s history to throw away… (is that the first stage of the battle cry of a hoarder?)

But now, just going through the motions… but having a plan to begin with… “Eat that Frog” by Brian Tracy was the beginning of figuring out how to start chipping away at this mess… and boy, does the air start getting clearer.  I can actually feel a highly productive, dependable man emerging.

Enough with the Peter Pan thing… sorry, it’s not sexy… the musician who became successful young enough where he could have people do things FOR him.  Where he could just think about the music… where people would put up with lack of punctuality.  Sorry, that’s not for me.  I’ve tried it on and it’s not working any longer.

And then being halfway in and halfway out… it’s like recovering from dope and booze, (which I am now for 26 years).  If you KNOW… you hosed.  You know BETTER.  So any going against the grain eats at you…

Same thing with food and exercise… so I’ve been through that and continue to go through that.  And I try to do it my way sometimes… because I’m so SMART, right?  Because I’ve had EXPERIENCE…  What a fool I can be sometimes!

In the end, I didn’t really make any New Years Resolutions… what I did was just realize, clean up… clear out the clutter… and just commit to the few things that are the most important… family, health, business.

I continue to make sure I spend very quality time with the family, I started Challenge Groups on April 2nd, I schedule all these activities… and it’s amazing how much more smoothly my life is running right now.  I think I’ll stay… this isn’t really taking a lot of space up in my head.  Scheduling has been amazing… an alarm goes off…”Ok, it’s time to do THIS now.”  Boom… just start.

I’ll finish up by telling you that today, I did the P90X2 Recovery and Mobility workout… I started a new round of P90X2 at the beginning of the year and truth be told, I saw that this day was a Recovery day, and I blew it off… thought, “Well that’s not pounding away… that sounds like rest…”

After today, I realized, my first attempt was half baked.  Cutting corners.  Not following the nutrition guideline specifically made for P90X2… Why?  Because remember, I’m EXPERIENCED… I can do it on my own… well… no good.

But as I was going through this routine I saw how beneficial it is… lots of foam rolling and I have the roller with all the knobs in it… it’s basically deep tissue massage… and I’m thinking, “Why didn’t you at least look at this before?”  I had a better way… cutting corners.

And I just laughed… knowing it’s this simple… find the program, find the people, plug in, commit, put it in the calendar… and it’s SO easy.  I’m only speaking for myself here but when I don’t keep it that simple, less results.

And even if I don’t have the time for a full blown program… Ten Minute Trainer… our Ten Minute Trainer Challenge Group is on fire.

So there it is… these next 90 days… on fire… getting ready for the summer tour… no cutting corners… too costly, down the road.

I hope everybody is doing great… and we’re going to be launching 2 more Challenge Groups in the next couple of days.  2 groups that will start on April 30th.

Talk to you soon…  Jason

P90X2  X2 Core

• Sphinx Plank Crunch:  12 reps
• Warrior 3 Cross Crunch:  Right-8 reps, Left-9 reps
• Single Leg Walk Out to Sphinx:  Right-5 reps w 1 toe tap, Left-5 reps
• Half Angel:  Right-7 1/2 reps, Left-8 reps
• Roller Boat:  whatever they do in the video (I’ll count next time)
• 3 Speed Med Ball Push-Up:  14 reps  (Taylor version)
• One Leg Lateral Leap Squat:  14 reps
• Core Circle:  Right-10 reps, Left-10 reps
• Holmsen Screamer Lunge:  Right-15 reps, Left-15 reps
• Med Ball Dreya Roll:  10 reps w 8 lb med ball
• Plank Burpee on Stability Ball:  Right-5 reps, Left-5 reps
• Banana Ball Switch Crunch:  10 w 1 toe tap
• 3-Point Squat Press with Med Ball:  14 reps
• Slo-Mo Balance Climber (Alternating Legs)
• X2 Diver:  8 reps
• Ryan Sphinx Twist Crunch:  Right-8 reps, Left-8 reps
• One Leg Med Ball Burpee:  Right-3 reps, Left-2 w toe taps

All in all?  I’m happy with day one… I didn’t push too hard… we’re easing back into this but I got a GREAT workout!  Posting nutrition later in the day to stay accountable with the food…

<<<< nice.
being humble and aware of "being stupid" or "afraid to take a step" or doubting one's actual abilities/readiness is a big deal. as they say, knowing is half the battle.

all that aside, i really liked the ANTS marching on thing.
i recently heard an NPR thing(Radiolab podcast-LOVE IT!)
now, i am just gonna paraphrase and mash in some of my own interpretation, but to start:

there was a study on ANTS.
the one, then two, then column of a million.
all working in concert...communication/directing for the good of the whole. no brain, no smartphones, no tv and relaxing. just plowing ahead. some on "search missions" like the old discoverers, some on "relay" missions...
so, they tied this in with how HUMANS(our bodies) are made of a zillion cells.

a zillions little nerves. blood cells, skin bits, EVERYTHING.
and each bit of us....the lil piece of eyeball, the fingernail niblet, the long stray hair on your forearm...they all Dont Know What they are doing.

But, Together, They work in Concert to be capable of Anything.

They referred to a Woody Allen Movie....there is a Little Person in his head. telling everything what to do.(Robert Stevenson wrote of this lil person once) but then, who is telling that lil person what to do? does he have one too!? ha
anyways, individually, our cells..or the ants...are basically useless.
a kidney flopped on the floor, an eyelash on the sink, a nucleus or mitochondria or nerve ending floating in some water on a slide.

basically, useless, directionless.

Being but Not Doing.
amazing, eh?
we have in our possession the Most Amazing Machine in the World.
Our Bodies are more amazing than Anything we've invented...and we treat em like garbage trucks. haaaaaa
poorly maintained, terrible fuel, abused n misused.
and we complain when they dont do what we want them to when called upon. (usually our fault compounded thru the years)
so, yeah, we are like ants...we gotta realize every bit of us is separate and needs to come together for a mission to succeed.
music, fitness, family dinners, birthday parties, vacation chilling.
mind and soul and body and effort(suffering punishment as well as rewarding selfish victories) all combine...if we let them, if we control them.
Basically, Useful with Direction.
any direction is better than no direction.
otherwise you sit n stagnate...or spin in circles redoing what wasnt working.
a little direction component, regardless of how slow the speed or power can be a powerful thing.

keep on truckin
j>>>>>