Back in 8th grade, I received one of the most memorable Christmas presents of my life. It was a shiny blue, semi-used Ibanez bass guitar that my sister bought from her boyfriend at the time. This gift “rocked” my world. There was only one slight problem: I didn’t have a damn clue about how to play the bass.

Lady luck came knocking when a new neighbor moved down the street from me. He was a music teacher who had just started his own business, and was eager to sign me up at a discounted rate. I signed up for weekly lessons, practiced every day, and made my family permanently hate each and every song I learned.

It eventually came to a point where I was no longer satisfied playing with myself, and I longed for others to join me (have fun with this one.) I told my guitar teacher I wanted to join a band, and at this time he dropped a wisdom bomb that I still live by today.

“Steve: If you join a band, make sure you’re the worst one.”

This confused the hell out of me. No one likes being the Ringo Star of the band. Why would I want to put myself through that kind of misery? He then elaborated for me.

“If you’re the best player in the group, you’ll never be challenged and you won’t get any better. If you are the worst, you’ll work your ass off. And that’s how you’ll become the best you can be.”

From that point on, I made it a point to surround myself with those who are more talented, more driven, more intelligent, more compassionate, and all around “more” than me. I’m still far from perfect, and I can’t wait to keep getting better. I look to those around me to keep me grounded and continue to show me areas I need to improve.

And so I pass this wisdom on to you. If you’re the best in your band, find others better than you to jam with. If you stop learning at work, take on new challenges to keep your mind sharp (or find another job that will let you.)

Surround yourself with the best, and you will become the best you can be. 

As an added bonus, please enjoy this throwback 80’s gem:

Our city is in ruins. Sea Bright, a place I spent my childhood summers and now call my home, lies in rubble from the storm of the century known as Sandy. Homes are wrecked, businesses gutted, and access to the tiny beach community is still restricted due to gas leaks and collapsed structures.

But despite the broken buildings, Sandy was unsuccessful in breaking the spirit of our community. I’ve seen strangers come together to start repairing and rebuilding. I’ve seen an unprecedented amount of love flowing between neighbors, friends and families. I’ve seen a tragedy spark a new sense of humanity that I haven’t seen in a long time.

Sure, there are some serious dicks out there. The looters, the selfish, and the malicious exist only feed their self interests. These people will not last long past the storm, but the spirit of community will only grow stronger.

It sucks to have lost everything (my home, my car, my clothes and possessions), but at the end of the day I see it as a chance to start again with a clean slate. Let’s move forward.

The photos below were taken by a group of gentleman who stayed through the storm to document everything. They are working to set up donations for victims of the storm. I’ll post the link once its all set up.

Update: Make A Donation Here

Photos: Daniel Ekdahl