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Is
2004 the year?
Is this the year that your vision of
life comes to reality?
Or is this another year of getting
too busy, losing track of time, not meeting
goals, and thinking that that you lack the
skills, resources, or abilities to make
dreams come true.
Recently,
I had a chance to see a friend living his
vision; and
it was a beautiful thing.
His
experience reminded me of how this could be
my year, to live my vision and see my dreams
come true. And it could be your year as
well.
GhalibGhallab
– Live at
Caesars
Palace
in
Las Vegas
My
first ever visit to
Las Vegas
was in December, where I took some training
courses in Executive Coaching.
The
days were busy, but during the evening, I
had a chance to spend time with an old
friend who was living his dream just across
the street.
Ghalib
Ghallab (that’s gah-leeb gah-lob) and I
attended Harlan High together on the south
side of
Chicago
. Even
though Ghalib is a few years older than me,
we’ve known each other for years and we
have a lot of friends in common.
Our neighborhood was one full of
pride and hope for the future of its young
people.
Ghalib
is a jazz musician who plays the piano and
keyboards with high energy, grace, and
imagination.
He also delivers vocals that
complement a wide range of musical styles,
including jazz, soul, blues, Latin, rock,
and classical.
Ghalib is a blues trained musician
that people often mistake for an artist who
grew up playing classical music.
His
trio, “
The
Ghalib Ghallab Experience” appears five
nights a week at the Terrazza Lounge at
Caesars
Palace
in
Las Vegas
. In
between sets, I had a chance to remind
Ghalib of something that had happened about
20 years earlier:
It was
3 a.m.
in a jazz club called
The
Bulls, which was on
Chicago
’s north side.
The
club was located in the basement of a
three flat building.
The
room had a small stage, a small bar, a
4 a.m.
liquor license, and an intimacy that
made you feel like a part of the show. Ghalib
was doing his thing, putting out some
tremendous music to an audience of no more
than 15 people.
The
way he was playing would have made you
think that it was in front of 20,000 people
at the
Chicago
Stadium.
My group had been there all night and
we were having a hard time staying with
Ghalib, given the number of drinks we’d
already had.
It was late.
Ghalib gazed out at us in between
songs and said:
“Hey, y’all better wake up and
enjoy this.
One day you’re going to be paying
big money to hear me play this same music
out in Vegas.”
We got a kick out of that comment,
since many of us had known Ghalib for a
while, and we had seen him at the Bulls, and
Dingbats, and
The
Backroom
many times before.
Vegas seemed like a long way away.
That’s not to say that we thought
he didn’t have the talent.
Ghalib was really good.
What we didn’t realize was that playing
in Vegas was Ghallib’s vision.
Ghalib
and the Vision
“I
said that?”
Ghalib chuckled as I related the
story to him.
“Boy, I must have been feeling it
that night.
But to tell you the truth Guy, it’s
been a blessing.
I always wanted the chance to play in
Las Vegas
. For
me there are only three places where I ever
wanted to live and to play music, and
that’s Chicago, the Bay Area, or Vegas.
To be here for the past 12 years, as
a musician, a father and a husband, has been
more than wonderful.”
Ghalib
went on to tell me how he had ended up in
Las Vegas
. It
was a fantastic story that involved his
honeymoon in Vegas, a chance meeting with
his old friend “Mr. T”, and a lightning
quick transition from
Chicago
. “I
always knew that I belonged in
Las Vegas
. As
an entertainer, it doesn’t get much better
than this.”
Not
only does Ghalib get to perform in a
fantastic venue like Caesar’s Palace, but
his trio includes his middle son Jihad
Ghallab.
Jihad plays drums.
The
third member of the group is Hawaiian
bassist Blaise Sison.
Ghalib knows the importance of
mentoring young people, and he noted that
this is something that our younger
generation is missing.
“Guy, when you and I were coming
up, we were part of a bigger community.
Our families knew each other, and
parents served as parents for everyone in
the neighborhood.
We were one big family.
Young people in the world today,
especially those from our community, really
have missed out on the benefits of this type
of upbringing.”
Ghalib
went on to tell me about his involvement
with 100 Black Men in
Las Vegas
, and in particular that organization’s
efforts to mentor young African Americans.
Reaching back to young people has
been and continues to be an important part
of Ghalib’s life.
The
Lessons Learned
My
time spent with Ghalib inspired me to think
about several key lessons learned that would
help me make 2004 the year of realizing my
vision.
Consider these important lessons and
how they might work for you too:
-
Focusing
on the Vision.
With all there is to do each
and every day, I find it’s easy to
forget what I really want to do in life
and who I really want to be.
Achieving my vision and mission
in life requires me to handle the
smaller day-to-day matters in ways that
support my larger mission.
Maintaining focus on the
vision is essential to achieving
the vision.
-
Being
Guided by a Higher Power.
I’m not on this journey
alone.
Sometimes it’s difficult to
listen and to hear that inner voice that
guides and advises me along the way.
I have to consciously take time
each and every day to listen to what God
has to say to me.
I also have to remember to take
time to give thanks for all the many
blessings that have already come my way.
-
Doing
it Now.
Tomorrow isn’t promised.
Now is the time to start working
on making my vision a reality.
I’ve reached an age where I
know that I’ve already lived more days
than I will live in the future.
Getting the main thing done, and
getting it done as soon as possible, is
my priority each and every day.
-
Helping
Others.
All the great things that have
happened to this point have occurred
with the help of others.
I didn’t do it alone.
Mentoring and helping others
reach their life goals is part of my
obligation to be a good steward.
This must continue to be an
important part of my vision for life.
When
Your Work is Your Vision
Ghalib’s
final set in Vegas was the bomb.
He had blacks, whites, Latinos,
Asians, Americans, Europeans, and all kinds
of people dancing in the aisles, chanting
back and forth, waving arms in the air,
nodding heads in time, and patting their
feet.
The
music was just as diverse as the audience,
and the night was full of standing ovations.
Ghalib told me that we were “the
best audience of the year.”
I
invited Roscoe, a classmate in the coaching
program, to check out a couple of shows, and
to meet Ghalib.
After seeing Ghalib, Roscoe observed:
“there’s someone that loves his job.”
It’s hard not to love work that lets you
live your dreams.
I had the feeling that most nights at
Caesar’s were good for Ghalib.
After all, he’d had a picture of
this night in his mind decades before, and
he was living the life he always wanted to
lead.
Make
2004 the year that you live the life
you’ve always dreamt of.
You know what that life looks like
– now go and make it happen!!
And
one more thing, if you’re in Vegas –
check out Ghalib Ghallab.
He’s sure to please!
The End
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