1 - Mike MacIver on Bagpiping, Space, History, The 90’s, Shifting From Student To Teacher & More

“That was my problem, I was so afraid that if I took a single day off, I would lose some part of my ability.” - Mike MacIver Welcome to episode 1 of the Dean Douglas Show. This is a special episode not only because it is the first in what I hope will be many episodes to come but also because of who my guest is. My good friend Mike MacIver. I've had the pleasure of knowing Mike for only a short amount of time but in that timeframe, we've had many interesting conversations and this one was no exception. At the time of the recording, Mike is a Pipe Major for the Winnipeg Police Pipe Band. With over 25 years of experience, he's played the Bag Pipes all over the world including three continents (Canada, Australia, and Northern Ireland). He trained more than 3,200 hours in just 3 years leading up to when he played in Grade 1 for the Cullybackey Northern Ireland Pipe Band. Mike and I explore many topics in this episode including: Deep focus and how too much of anything can be a bad thing Pros and cons of being a perfectionist How much time and dedication it takes to achieve a high level of success…and then what to do when the fun goes away from your passion Hunting Running and the benefits of losing weight What it’s like to make the shift from being a student to a teacher in bagpiping How getting comfortable with our inabilities can be beneficial Space History The 90’s Mike shares some of his self-talk that helps put things into perspective, “At the end of the day, we’re quite literally just a rock flying around a gigantic nuclear reactor at 20,000 miles/hr...does it matter THAT much if you missed a single grace note in your march Mike?” Fun Fact: The actual speed of the earth flying around the sun is 67,000 mi/hr and you'll have to listen towards the end of the episode to gain context into what the heck we're talking about. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and leave a review. Website: www.deandouglasshow.com Instagram: @deandouglasshow Youtube: The Dean Douglas Show