Jon Batiste took home a fistful of Grammys a couple of weeks ago, including the highly coveted Album of the Year award for We Are.

In that moment, it would’ve been very easy for him to thump his chest. Instead he opened his heart.

So classy, so gracious, so humble… and he spoke the truth. We don’t find music so much as music finds us… when we need it the most.

I loved his parting words: “Be you!”

We each have our own path, our own craft. Work at it every day. You may not make the Grammy stage, but you come out a winner in the game of life.

I listened to Jon Batiste on the Broken Record podcast a few weeks ago and was really blown away by his heart, and his wisdom, and his love. Check it out at the bottom of this post- it’s mandatory listening.

In the interview, Jon Batiste makes it clear that he didn’t get to where he is on his own. He talked about his mentors. Their role is crucial.

One of Jon Batiste’s mentors was his father, who urged him to “tell the truth.”

Another was his cousin Alvin Batiste, a legendary New Orleans jazz musician. Alvin pushed Jon out of his comfort zone, and it made him better at his craft:

Your ability, your talent, the innate thing that you have within you… can be applied to anything. It doesn’t just have to fit the thing that you know you’re capable of doing today…. that’s why I don’t believe in limitations of genre or limitations of creativity in any way.

Jon Batiste

Sometimes the highest hurdles are the limits we impose on ourselves. Congrats to Jon Batiste on his Grammy success. And congrats to YOU on your continued success in whatever path you choose.

Here’s Jon Batiste’s full interview on the Broken Record podcast: