DAMTA President’s Message
Jan. 2017
Hello DAMTA!
Welcome to 2017! I hope the New Year brings you all the desires of your heart.
I think there’s a lot of good in new beginnings. When we leave the pain and disappointments of yesterday behind and try anew.
The older one gets, the easier it is to drag yesterday’s losses into today. But I think there’s great strength in optimism. In believing that tomorrow can be better than yesterday, even when there’s no apparent reason to think so. That hopeful attitude can cause you to spot an open door or opportunity that you might be blind to otherwise.
And even if the cynics turn out to be right, and things go downhill and go splat after all, at least the optimist got to feel hopeful on the way down. The pessimist just got to have a bad attitude for longer. And the optimist is the one that will rise from the ashes.
Every morning is a new beginning if you allow it to be. Just try to start the day with a thought that makes you happy. It doesn’t even have to be true, or even logical. It just has to make you smile. Then think another one. And another. Then listen to some music that makes you smile. The more pleasant you make your state of mind, the more energy and patience you will have for others. So do the selfless thing; make yourself happy!
There are always a million reasons to get upset. And the modern media makes sure we hear about every one of them every minute of every day. I took Facebook off my phone about a month ago, and I really noticed my mood has improved.
I think we should be picky about the info streams we allow to assault us. If it feels bad, turn it off. We are artists. We are here to lift the world up. We can’t do that from a state of depression. Find the things that make you smile and indulge in them. The world needs our smiles and grace. Cultivate joy in your heart so you have something to smile about!
Vince Madison
DAMTA President