#ragechange

Today is the one-year anniversary of releasing my first EP, Sunlight Breaking Through the Trees!

 I can hardly believe it. It’s always a huge blessing to hear from you folks (and even your young kids) who are benefiting from my music. That’s awesome! Thank you for journeying with me and singing along!

It has come to my attention both last night and this morning that I have been putting off a great many things. Lots of little things that when done at the proper time wouldn't have been too bad and probably not super difficult. However, because they have been left unattended for so long, they've begun to get spots, go bad, and start to smell a little bit funky...like this banana.

Oy! How much better it would have been for me to both eat the fruit and do the tasks in a timely fashion?! #learningmylesson

In response, I think I need to write down as many of these little "laters" projects and start doing them--now. So that's what I'm gonna do! I'm currently making a list. Time to breathe deep, start right now, and focus on the things that count.

What can I say? My friend, Crystal Johnsen, is some kind of fantastic. Come to think of it, I think she's actually many kinds of fantastic. She's been a dear friend of my wife and mine for years and whatever she touches seems to turn a new shade of awesome. Cases in point: Etsy (making amazing things is like oxygen for her), Instagram (the world looks even kinder through her phone's lens), The lives of people such as ourselves (well, I don't exactly have a link to our lives so you'll just have to trust me and imagine...).

Yesterday morning, she surprised me at church by handing me the image above to inspire me to make every day of 2014 really count, whatever I'm doing. As a folk musician, a guy who appreciates a good laugh, and someone who is actively attempting to pursue personal awesomeness, this is perfect and deserved to be shared. A buddy of mine recently came up with the phrase during one of my concerts, leaned over to another friend and whispered, "Fritz is folkin' awesome!" causing a spontaneous outburst of laughter in an otherwise quiet moment. Once the rest of us found out why, we couldn't help laughing ourselves.

I hope this made you laugh, too, and inspires you to be all kinds of folkin' awesome.

Thank you, Crystal! (Said like it's going out of style.)

Yesterday, my wife and I tackled one of the biggest "monkeys on our backs": our terribly disorganized basement. I won't share photos here (because that might elicit a whole 'nother kind of rage from my lovely wife) but please know that this was no small undertaking, and I'm excited to say that the results were worth the effort!

Next #ragechange, Operation Get More Sleep...zzz ;)

“Breathe deep, start right now. Focus on the things that count. Sitting on my hands never made a difference. Get up, time to choose, gonna do all I can do. This is my rage against my indifference!”*

(This first post is kinda long. Now you know. *sheepish grin*)

The song Rage Against My Indifference is a passionate call for change. It’s a personal dare to look at the areas of complacency in my life and then choose to follow through and do something about them. I wrote this song as a personal challenge to myself to get up off my backside and actually start doing what I know I need to be doing. I wasn’t sure if the song would strike a strong chord with other folks, but I had a hunch that I wasn’t alone in my casual apathy. Turns out my hunch was right.

The more I sing Rage and talk with friends and acquaintances about its themes, the more I find that most if not all of us have at least one thing, one aspect of our lives that we have been avoiding. Something that we know could be better—and should be better—but we haven’t truly faced it, called it like it is, and started doing the hard work to turn our wishes into actions.

  Even though we are at year’s end, what I’m trying to convey in this song is more than just the starry-eyed new year’s resolution kind of dreaming that can quickly fade within days or weeks. This song keeps on reminding me to take up the challenge whenever and wherever I am and give whatever I’m doing my best. And after that, to give that best a run for its money as I passionately pursue a new best.

  This song brings to mind people who have embraced a holistic lifestyle change with their eating and exercise and the incredible results they’ve attained. They feel better, they look better, their confidence and overall outlook on life is soaring.

  It also leads me to think about folks who have done the hard work to go from a job they really don’t enjoy to now blazing a new trail doing the stuff that makes them fully come alive. Pursing their passion even in the face of criticism and fear, and coming out victorious in the end, showing their critics that it will take more than a handful of negative words to slow them down.

  I can also easily envision individuals who have been chasing down the dream or career they really love, but are suddenly stopped short when they realize that in doing so, something else valuable has been neglected, like their marriage, children, or friendships. These folks make some shifts in priorities to make room for both the important relationships as well as “the dream.”

  To all these groups of people and many more, I want this song to be a challenge and a wake-up call. I envision Rage Against My Indifference becoming an oft-used workout song, reminder ringtone, and life anthem for positive change. (It’s on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, and other places if you wanna use it yourself.)

  I want this video to be the spark that ignites a flame under other backsides that need to get up off the couch; for this song to become the soundtrack of your new year as you follow through to make those changes you’ve always wanted to make; and for this website to be a safe and uplifting place for connecting where we meet to share our struggles and our successes, crying together and cheering each other on.

  I’ll admit that I don’t know just what it’s going to look like or how to “make it happen” exactly, but I’m going to start anyway and I am finding that’s much better than just sitting on my hands, just wondering. Specifically, I don’t have a clear vision of how to make this blog into a community of like-minded folks who are passionate for change…but I do know how to write a song, shoot a video, and start a blog, so that’s what I’m doing.

  Whatever I’ve done in life has always been better when its been done in community. If you want to join me on the journey, linking arms together, and helping each other succeed, please follow the #ragechange blog and send me your ideas! I’d love to hear about what you’re “raging against” and be a support to you. If the best is yet to come, we’ve got to fight through all our fears. Fighting fear is easier when we don’t go it alone, so drop me a line and let’s do this together, shall we?