The devil made a garage sale. He put a desk in front of his house and placed all his nice tools there. Envy, malice, dispair, hatred and jealousy were all on sale, one by one nicely lined up. But apart from those off to the side he had his favorite tool. It looked very used and was priced above all the others. It was very, very effective and it worked better than any of the other tools. It was labelled with the sign “discouragement”.
Why would this one be so useful?
Well, no one would recognise this as a devilish tool – and it would open doors to all the other gadgets. It’s well suited to break in where doors would not open for the devil.
What sounds like a childrens’ tale obviously has some dire truth to it.
We all have been there, in a position of hopelessness, where we would sit and just be without hope, devastated and without the drive to carry on.
Discouragement is poisonous.
It blurs our vision and we tend to see things much more negative than they actually are. We tell ourselves a story about the devastating hopelessness. But in most cases, we exaggerate and see things too dark. Actually, much darker than they truly are!
Feelings of discouragement may make us believe that we are incapable.
In a discouraged state we think we are a failure, in all and every thing, all the times and in all cases. Well. That’s never true, is it?
So we actually hurt our selfworth and fall short to appreciate ourselves.
Last not least, discouragement may make us believe, it’s someone elses fault.
And yes, this might be true! But maybe that’s not the full story.
Pointing fingers is the behaviour of a coward. Lousy behaviour.
It’s understandable that sometimes our expectations don’t get met. This fact can work as an engine to move us forward faster and better! These ideas may help:
– See things more realistically.
Check the facts. It may not be as dire as you tell yourself.
– Try to learn.
What exactly happened? Where exactly did it happen? And why did it happen?
These 3 questions help a ton. They help when you practice scales as well when you sort out an argument with your in-laws. You can always win by learning!
– Smile at yourself.
Smile at yourself that you ran into drama. Smile about your exaggeration. Smile about being a human, which means a being that fails.
It’s normal that things go wrong.
You are not a machine. And a machine does not smile.
So, there is always a reason the be encouraged. Really, there is, I promise!
Much love,
Anselma
The other day I was teaching piano and a student’s mother was not pleased with the outcome. She complained that her child was not practicing enough. Her judgement was: the child is lazy. It needs more coercion. And well, I am just not the person who would coerce anybody. It’s not productive! And certainly not the best for the child.
There are two things that we can not see easily. But we can, when we get attentive enough and know a little bit more about human nature.
An old man and a boy were traveling to town with a donkey. At first, the old man was riding the donkey and the boy was walking. When they stopped by a little tavern, the innkeeper critizised the old man: “How can you let the boy walk for so long? That’s inhumane!” 
– Making mistakes is normal.
A colleague helping out in our company wrote, she wishes much success for all the upcoming new creative projects in 2026 but she does not like the word success, she means joy, recognition and a positive resonance with others.
The European basic idea that all state systems are based on is rooted in giving support. I was never aware of this fact – until the day my orchestra made a concert tour to India. As artists, we resided in luxurious hotels, with huge bedrooms and bathrooms all in marble. I had never been to more elegant und exquisite accommodations than in India. We were driving around in air-conditioned busses and had all the conveniences a person could think of.
Nikolaus Maler is principal bassoonist at the Rheinische Philharmonie Koblenz and holds a position as professor for bassoon at the Musikhochschule Nürnberg, Germany. His YouTube Channel „Fagottmusik“ is reaching a large fan community. Prof. Maler is known for his exceptionally wide repertoire, including contemporary rarities. Quite a few pieces have been dedicated to him in the past and he wholeheartedly supports young musicians and engages in educating the ambitious bassoon youth.
The other day I read about a guy, who gave his employees T-Shirts that say TGIM.
Dag Jensen is a world-famous bassoonist, a very unique soloist and recognised virtuoso. Born in Norway, he started his career early on as an orchestra player. He won the ARD competition twice and quickly established himself as a celebrated chamber musician and brilliant bassoon soloist, playing with eminent orchestras and high-ranking conductors of our time. Through his recordings he not only introduced famous works in new elegance, he also inspires his world-wide audience with new and rare repertoire. Dag Jensen shapes new standards in the bassoon world with his artistic oeuvre and holds the position of bassoon professor on the Academy of Music Oslo, Norway, and the Musikhochschule München, Germany.
