Life Changers: Thomas Rodriguez – Nothing from Nothing is Nothing

Thomas Rodriguez is a Certified Luthier (making and repairing guitars), Studio Musician, and Guitar Instructor. He works for Calvary Chapel Ft Lauderdale, has taught at Palm Beach State College, as well as the Ocean’s Edge School of Worship, and is pursing his personal music project, The Fetter Moment (band). He is currently teaching private/group/Skype guitar lessons, and building and fixing guitars.  In his “free time” Thomas enjoys hanging out with his family, writing music, building guitars, video games, and origami. See below to find out where you can get a copy of his latest EP “Occupation of the Elephant” for FREE!

“NOTHING FROM NOTHING IS NOTHING”

To this very day these words have impacted me in EVERY aspect of my life.

At the time I was in college, I worked for an artist that had retired as a rockstar from the 60-70’s (whom will remain nameless).  I was his private luthier (guitar fixer) hired to work on his massive guitar collection and I doubled as his art studio assistant where I stretched canvases and worked on prepping embellished giclee art pieces. 

The coolest part about my job, was having access to the stories of old, recounted from his days of youth. “Nothing from nothing is nothing,” was his mantra – the answer to most music industry questions I had, and the end to most of his stories.  

For someone that thrived as a musician and an artist (two of the hardest professions in the world to “make it” in), I would say that his advice and wisdom was something to listen to, and I did!   Both jobs having the connotation of “starving” put before the title, and he seemed to be doing just fine.  I figured so could I. 

Here are some things I’ve learned over the years on my journey that helped refine my mentor’s sage words making more immediate use for others that might be reading this.

 1) What you reap is what you sow

C’mon who wants to lie cheat and steal to the top? Classic example: Enron – the bigger you get the harder you fall. 

2) The more you put in, the more you get out

 Let’s say that you start out with 1 penny… the other guy starts out with 2 pennies

*you each invest 1 penny

You now have 2 he has 3

*you invest everything, but he invests 1 (again)

You are now tied

*you invest everything again, he invests 1 (AGAIN)

You now have 8, he has 5

Three investments in and you are already ahead… keep going with this model and it gets insane.

3) Small holes can sink big ships, but the same applies in reverse

I heard the original saying when learning how to budget.  Most never reverse the concept.

I love this model for the music industry: if you had just a 1,000 fans in the entire world that love your music to death…just a 1,000, and they are willing to spend $100 a year on product and merch that you have, you are now making 6 figures with only a 1,000 fans…that adds up quickly.

4) It is not always about playing it safe, it is about always playing it smart

If there is one thing that I learned majoring in STATS, it was: risk is involved in EVERYTHING.  Play it safe and there is less risk…. play it smart and you make the risk WORTH IT. 

I’ve seen a lot of talented brilliant people sit down on their butts and think that opportunity is going to come knocking on their door, with a sense of entitlement. Although there ARE stories where this happens, it is far and few between.  

Don’t just wait for opportunity to knock on your door.  Remember nothing from nothing is nothing.

The funny thing is… his mantra was based in biblical truth Colossians 3:23, Galatians 6:7.

Remember life is like a farm… you can have all the right tools, you can have all the land, you can have all the seeds and even investors, but unless God makes it rain you don’t have squat…

So, how can my life changing experience change your life?

CHANGE YOUR DAY

Look for a way today that you can play it smart, rather than playing it safe. Eleanor Roosevelt said: “Do one thing every day that scares you.”

CHANGE YOUR WEEK

Choose one area of your life that is especially important to you. Take this week to invest time, money, or energy in this area. Then keep your eyes open for the results. Just remember: The sowing and the harvesting happen in different seasons, so be patient.

CHANGE YOUR LIFE

Make it a daily practice to consider how you are investing your time, money, and abilities. Are you focused on sowing the types of fruit you want in return? “If you plant crab apples, don’t count on harvesting Golden Delicious.”

Remember: “Nothing from nothing is nothing.”

You can connect with Thomas Rodriguez here:

Guitar lessons

www.youtube.com/trguitarlesson

www.facebook.com/trguitarlesson

www.twitter.com/trguitarlesson

The Fetter Moment

www.facebook.com/thefettermoment

www.twitter.com/thefettermoment 

www.soundcloud.com/thefettermoment

Get your free copy of the Fetter Moment’s latest EP “Occupation of the Elephant” HERE

The Fetter Moment – Occupation of the Elephant