markmathis

Recently I have come to accept that I do not have to be nice to people. I am a southern gentleman by nature and as kind and considerate as a lemon wedge in a glass of iced Luzianne – however, things are changing. This summer I was on the road for 7 weeks with 300 people doing music and came to a stunning realization. You cannot be nice to 300 people for 7 weeks. Sometimes we are relieved of burdens that we are carrying by a gentle voice and sometimes an inescapable landslide wipes us on our face and carries it away. My experience was the latter.
I had to ignore people. I had to run from people. I had to stop monologues that would not stop themselves. Thank God for text messages. Not only this, but I had to be confrontational with some. I had to track people down. I had to say some unpopular and hard things to kids and adults that needed to hear them. In short, I had to be a leader.
Coming home, I had to come out of a passive/aggressive style of leadership and into a genuine one. I have learned to avoid responsibility that is not mine. i have learned to say, ‘no’, and in saying it have found excellence in my real duties. I guess 27 is old enough to start learning this stuff, right? So what am i trying to say? i am not popular – or nice – i feel great.