Balancing Against the Grain

I don't sound like anyone else on trombone. And I got some great advice once: I don't need to try to sound original; I sound that way without trying. So when I make an effort, the result can sound exaggerated.

In the other direction, my natural social tendency is to introvert. If I don't make an effort to be animated, I come off as sullen - even though I'm not. I need to aim a few notches above my natural inclination, and that takes effort.

It's really helpful to figure out where one needs to push and where one shouldn't push at all. The trick is to take stock of where one's imbalances lie.

There's a natural human compulsion to hyperextend our active sorts of imbalances (natural athletes spend hours in the gym, hyper people drink loads of coffee, the mentally ill hate taking meds because it makes life feel boring, etc.) and to cede to our passive ones (ennui, introversion, depression, etc.).

We exaggerate our exaggerations, and we resign to our inclination to resign. That, of course, is completely backwards.