Remembered for...?

We probably have a thing we'd like to be remembered for in our group(s) when we leave.  But we also have things we probably don't want to be remembered for, either.

It's almost impossible to have everyone as your friend, to have only positive things that people think about you.  But the question this time is: will you be remembered for the positive or the negative?

Rub enough people the wrong way, and even though you might have the best hands out there, your skill isn't what people are talking about.  Keep a positive attitude for years, and even though you might struggle in a lot of songs, people remember your energy instead of your mistakes.

Maybe I have a lot of skill sets that I might be remembered for, but I also know I was difficult to work with for many years.  While I'm still stubborn and will press a point I care about, I've taken a lot of steps to be more helpful, more peripheral, and more of a role model.  I want to be remembered for a number of positive contributions and skills, not for when I pissed people off or was difficult to deal with.  Admittedly, the longer I play, the easier it is to justify (in my head) any sort of off-putting behavior.  I see this sort of thing in a lot of places, not just in taiko, not just the arts.  It's something I have to continually monitor!

We can't really control what people think of us overall, but if you're aware of the critical things people might think about you (which takes honesty and inner dialogue), you can take steps to turning things around and leave a positive impression as your legacy!