It hasn’t been too long yet since I started my job as a radio DJ on Mellow 94.7. It’s one of those jobs that I thought could only be a dream, and no more. Fortunately for me, I never really limited myself with my own glass ceiling and instead, naively set out to conquer the world.

Now as most of you know, there are many things in life that seem extremely simple from the outside looking in. This false impression makes many Guinness world records seem easy enough for a child to accomplish, but can be unexplainably complicated when you’re doing it yourself.  Well, DJing, is not really one of those jobs. It’s pretty easy, if you don’t stress out like an autistic genius in a room full of network marketers. Well, right now, I’m that autistic dude with pyramid scheming fudgetards approaching me left and right.

I don’t know why, but I have a tendency to want everything to be perfect, and it stresses me out when it’s not. Furthermore, I like planning things out two weeks in advance. So when I’m sitting in that DJ booth, two things usually happen. One – I try to plan the perfect shpeal uhhhh….. stutter… stutter…. I mean…. spiel… the perfect spiel every time I go on air. And two – I try to plan out the next hour full of adlibs, greetings, song requests, music, ads, time checks, sponsorships and the kitchen sink! Often, this results in a cluster f*ck of craziness.

So instead, I sat myself down and remembered the last time I was in a high pressure situation. It was my junior year of college and I (for reasons I still do not comprehend) ran as president for this international business organization, and WON. I was there at the first meeting with my team discussing (what seemed to be) the 500 tasks we had to accomplish within 8 weeks. This included raising a few thousand dollars, organizing two charity events, setting up professional mixers, interviewing about 50 professionals, taking in-depth exams per week, preparing presentations every week and more! Just imagine Donald Trump’s show, “The Apprentice,” with less glamor, more work and MORE DONALDS breathing down your neck!

I almost had a nervous breakdown that night.

With ways unknown to me, I somehow made it through that first meeting. Then, I somehow made it through the first night, then the next morning, the next afternoon, the next day and so on.  Eight weeks later, I was amazingly able to accomplish all the goals set out for me and my team. What I realized, was that you have to take things one step at a time.

“The journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” – Chinese Proverb

I was stressing out when I thought of ALL the millions of things I had to do for the next eight weeks. Coz let me tell you, there was A LOT! But, if I break it down to one task at a time – one phone call, one email, one idea, one little meeting; then the big giant stress ball doesn’t seem so huge anymore.

I realized this while I was at work today.  I started to just worry about my next song, instead of the next 240 minutes. There is a lot you do need to do in radio – pick your songs, read some greetings, check messages sent over text, messages on Facebook, read the ads, make sure the right ads are playing, play sponsored songs, make sure your volume is ok, prepare the phone patch, get your background music going, give a time check, talk into the mic, get your news ready, then all back to getting the next song ready again coz the amount of time it took me to write this already caused that one song to pass….

Get it? Lots to do. But, instead of stressing on all that. I just need to take things one song at a time. It makes everything a lot simpler.

Somehow, they haven’t fired me yet from this DJing thing. So I guess I must be doing ok. One song at a time, I’m pretty good at that.

“Yard by yard, life is hard. But inch by inch, life’s a cinch!” -anonymous quote

Anyway, that’s my two cents for the day. Hope it helps you somehow. But I gotta go now…. My next song is up…

“Hey what’s up you’ve found “The G-Spot” Radio Show with me, DJ Vince G!”

“Up next is the song….”

Life Happens… One Song at a Time

Find “The G-Spot” with DJ Vince G

Saturdays 6-9am

Sundays 6-10am

Mellow 94.7

Listen Online – Mellow947.fm