Ever since we went to the premiere of Justin Bieber’s “Never Say Never” the movie, we have become big fans!

Here are some Bieber wisdom for you:

“All families – even the ones that seem perfect on the outside – have their issues to some degree. What counts is how you handle it.”

(His parents broke up when he was very little and he was brought up single-handedly by his mom with the help of his maternal grandparents.)

“Kids have to be allowed to do things they’re no good at. How else are they supposed to learn?” 

(So let your kids try out ice-skating, or skate-boarding or free-running!)

“If we do only the stuff that we are good at, we never learn anything new.”

(So peel your kids away from the TV – no matter how good they are at TV-viewing – and let them learn how to cook! Because there is no such thing as “I can’t cook!”)

“Get out of your comfort zone and go for it. You never know unless you try.”

(Go ahead and take a diploma course on cake decoration – never try, never know!)

Arian with Justin and Jason

Justin was given a set of toy drums as a toddler, and he made a great deal of noise with it. But his mom did not complain. Neither did his grandparents. In fact, he got to be so good at it that his family friends got him a real drum set soon after, by pulling together a little benefit event at a local bar, where they played music and collected donations for the set. With that, his drumming skills soared further, fueled by opportunities to play with the pros at such an early age.

Now, if Justin Bieber were to grow up in Malaysia, he would have been severely reprimanded for wasting his precious time on a wasteful activity like drumming. Instead of being encouraged to follow his interest, he would most likely be asked to focus on his studies and spend more time on his homework. And parents here have very low tolerance for noise – especially those emitted from drums!

On learning to play the piano, Justin says:

“When I was six, I was figuring things out on the piano. I couldn’t read music (I was just beginning to read books), and Mom couldn’t afford lessons for me, but I knew what I wanted the music to sound like. I just kept poking and experimenting until it fit the way I wanted it to.”

If Justin Bieber were to learn the piano in Malaysia, he would be taught to play the classical way and be enrolled to take an exam every year, practising only exam pieces and practically nothing else. How else will he learn to play correctly and exactly the way the examiners want it to get a distinction?

Justin also figured out the guitar pretty much on his own too.

“As soon as I was big enough to get my arms around a guitar, I started figuring that out, too. You have to build up strength in your hands, and, until you build calluses on your fingertips, it feels like razor blades. That probably discourages a lot of people. They start out thinking, ‘Hey, playing guitar would be fun. And it looks pretty easy.’ After thirty minutes or so, they’re like, ‘Ow! This really hurts.’ And they forget about how much fun it was supposed to be and give up.”

“The thing is, if you keep on it, you get used to it pretty fast and then you just keep plugging away at it while you’re watching TV or waiting for supper. Or sitting in your room…I played the guitar because it was fun, and, by the time I was eight or nine, I was alright.”

If Justin Bieber were to have Malaysian parents, he probably would have his guitar thrown out the window! And the world would never be able to savour the magic that is Justin Bieber today!

So yeah, there must be joy in learning even though it can be difficult and painful. Getting through the pain and difficulty is what makes us tougher and wiser, no matter how young or old we are. That is the lesson we can learn from Justin.

Lastly, here’s a song for your, our son, Arian – be inspired by Justin! ENJOY!