We had the good fortune of connecting with Goran Rista and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Goran, let’s start with a hypothetical. What advice would you give to someone facing insurmountable odds?
I have seen many people do and achieve incredible things against all odds. I have learned a lot from others’ persistence in difficult times. I have been through tough times myself and it is those situations that have made me better, stronger, and more resilient. Here are my observations. Mediocracy is the most dangerous state for personal growth and success. It is easy to become complacent. You are not happy with where you are, but things are not bad enough to push you to do better. It is the hard times, when you get knocked down or pushed against the wall that leave you with no choice but to fight with all you’ve got, reinvent yourself and move up to heights greater than you’ve ever experienced before. Rather than desperately trying to resurrect what you may have had and waiting on the moon and the stars to align so you can go back to what it was, adapt. Look around you, then look further. Try to find hidden opportunities and take advantage of them. Flip your thinking upside down. Zoom out. It is easy to freeze when you look at your immediate situation. Try to see the big picture. Try to do the things you do, but much better than before. Offer more value. There should never be a time when you are bored because you don’t have or know what to do. There is so much knowledge out there. Seek it, absorb it. If you are currently unable to do what you normally do, this is a blessing in disguise for you to learn new skills and strengthen your weaknesses. Learn more about internet marketing and business. Learn to use technological tools at our disposal. Study psychology and how people think and operate. Learn about things that scare you the most. Look for answers to the questions and obstacles you have not been able to overcome yet. Read a book or two on negotiating. It will be tremendously helpful regardless of what you do. Try to learn from your current situation. Ask yourself why you ended in it and if there was something you could have done to prevent that. Be honest with yourself. Never pity yourself. It will do you no good. Bad things happen to good people all the time. See what you can do today for your better tomorrow. Learn from your mistakes and move on. Keep learning, changing, adapting, and never give up. It is a sum of countless baby steps, that will take you where you want to go. Don’t follow the herd.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a professional drummer producer. In addition to recording drums from my home studio for artists around the globe, I produce virtual sampled drum instruments and MIDI loops. My creations are currently in use by over 90,000 musicians around the world and that base is constantly growing. My goal is to help many others musicians and artists achieve their vision by drawing upon my talent and skills. When I was in high school, all I wanted to learn is to play drums. I didn’t even care to learn to drive (which I eventually had to). Many things have changed since. While being a drummer will always be my primary passion, the necessities and obstacles I have come across have molded me into someone much more complex and skilled. I am not the greatest drummer, the most brilliant audio engineer or the most cunning marketer out there by any stretch of the imagination. I am excellent at most things I do, but not the best. However, over the years I have developed a unique skill set that makes me uniquely capable of doing my business. In addition to obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Jazz drums and everything that comes with it, over the years I have studied and developed skills in audio production and engineering, business, marketing, video production and post-production, web design, amongst other things. When I combine it all, I can envision an entire business venture and can put everything together from beginning to end in order to get them off the ground. If I need to hire help, I know the qualities and skills to look for. I know how an entire eco-system for a business fits together. I have even had to troubleshoot very technical coding issues and come up with solutions myself. It has always been challenging, but that has never deterred me from doing it. I find that when I have no one to turn to solve a problem, I have no choice but to figure it out myself. I am THAT guy. I find that when you dare to try to figure out a solution to an issue and ask yourself “how”, a magical process unravels in your brain. I work as hard as I can and won’t give up until I achieve what I set out to accomplish. I will learn whatever I need to learn to make that possible. I am extremely dedicated and persistent while keeping on course for long stretches in time. Having said all that, I also recognize that true fulfillment and happiness in life is all about balance. I am mindful of balancing my work ambitions with my family life. I love creating in any medium. In addition to work-related creativity, I have also built furniture, drums, done major renovations at home, and built my pro recording studio.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Depending on what my visitor is interested in, I would try to show them as many things that are typical for the local way of life. I’d take them to South /Miami Beach, Brickell, Coral Gables, The Winwood, Midtown, Coconut Grove… Depending on what food they are into, I’d be treating them to food at my favorite restaurants. When you are new to a place, you don’t need some crazy, existing things to experience. Simply wandering around and exploring is always great.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There have been many people that have blown the wind under my wings and allowed me to be where I am today and do what I do. First and foremost, my parents, Vesna and Mire who dedicated their lives to doing all they could to offer me and my siblings a shot at a better future. My wife, Wilnette, for being my biggest supporter, believer, and investor. There have been several special people along the way who offered me opportunities and gave me helping hands in critical development times. I am grateful to them all.

Website: https://gorangrooves.com