We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gary Gilleran a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Gary, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
My optimism comes from my deep faith in Jesus Christ. My favorite scripture is Romans 8:28 that says “all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” I truly love God and I know I was called according to His purpose when I was “born again “ at a gospel tent revival in Nashville,Tn. in 1973 when I was 21years old..
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I moved from Chicago to Nashville at 21 to pursue music but God was pursuing me. I traded my music pursuits for Jesus, a wife and insurance career that produced 5 kids and 16 grandkids in 52 years. Now retired from insurance I’ve “revived my passion “ for songwriting,, singing , and performing solo and with a musical duo and trio. I play guitar, harmonica and percussion instruments and get pleasure from accompaniment opportunities with my musical friends living in east Tennessee near the Smoky mountains. One trio, “At the Jukebox “ has an hour program serving senior centers with music from the’40’s, 50’s and’60’s. My solo, duo and other trio group play original and cover songs at restaurants and other venues primarily in eastern Tennessee and some in the Midwest.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three important things I’ve learned in my almost 73 years is recognize your gifts/talents/strengths and look for a career to best make use of them. Number two, trust God to open doors of opportunities rather than try to “bust them open” by using and abusing others and thinking more highly of yourself than you ought to. And number three, live for today because tomorrow is promised to no one. Live each day like it’s your last but plan as if you’ll be here forever.
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
My biggest area of growth and improvement in the past 12 months was coming to the realization that I shouldn’t “retire” but get “refired” about what lies ahead. I have made more new friends, performed more and drawn closer to God when I realized He wanted me to not “hide my talents and gifts” but to give freely and steward wisely what has been given to me in whatever time I am allowed to remain on the planet.
Contact Info:
- Website: garygilleranmusic.com
- Other: My website will direct you to Facebook, ReverbNation, YouTube
