[Note: Ok, you don't need to be a musician to benefit from this. I'm no expert - just sharing what I have learned and applied successfully. Good luck.]
This is the most loaded headline I have ever written but since it comes up from time to time whenever talking to music fans and bands, I thought I'd give my 2 cents. Sometimes people refer to me as a music critic or journalist, but really I'm just a fan of music and I want all my friends to succeed with their musical careers and with all aspects of life. A few years ago I was very unhappy with my on life and sought out guidance - luckily I found quite a bit of the soul food I needed in books and internet research. You can apply this stuff to anything including music. Below is a brief summary of everything the modern musician would need besides just knowing how to play an instrument or write a song. Many of the challenges of a career in music also are shared in other disciplines. [Note: Ok, you don't need to be a musician to benefit from this. I'm no expert - just sharing what I have learned and applied successfully. Good luck.] This seems obvious but many people don't know what the goal is and therefore go nowhere. I think I was going nowhere for about 38 years. If "going nowhere" is at all a part of your vocabulary than a simple shift in language could make a world of difference. Say what you want. This is pretty obvious. if you are not sure of the stages of your goals than go and look at #4. I don't know any professional sports coaches who tell their teams that giving 50% is enough. They demand 110%, 200%... but realistically, we can only give 100% or less. For a human being, 100% is sufficient. Anything worth doing is worth doing 100%. Often it is easier said than done but as long as it becomes part of your internal thoughts that's a good thing. When you are feeling tired and weak you can remember the commitment. Write it on your wall or put it on the bathroom mirror. How much does it take to make your dreams come true? 100%. Are your dream worth any less? This is the fun part and if none of the other things in this post are to your liking, you can at least enjoy this one. Most of the time we focus on our fears of the future, the bad things of the past... but if you can simply focus on a vision of yourself with your goals achieved and the feelings of happiness, bliss, and ecstasy that go with it you are off to a good start. It requires an imagination. But you are an artist and are certain to have one. This is how you get to Carnegie Hall according to Eric Clapton. I'm not sure he said it but it's a great story. This could be particular to me or Catholics, in general, but some people are raised with an internal sense that everything they do will only lead to failure and disappointment. I had this for most of my life. Even success was failure to me - I just couldn't really accept it. Rewrite the narrative of your own life where you are the hero. My mother used to say that everything happened for a reason. Well, all those things you failed at are actually paving a way to your goals. Accept them for what they are - life lessons and move on to the next lesson. There's a famous adage from the guy who invented the light bulb (his named has slipped my mind just like Whitney Houston's death 2.5 years ago)... Edison? Edison and his team failed 1000 times at least before creating a light bulb. Persevere. Have you noticed happy people tend to attract other happy people? Late in life I have found a value in losing my predisposition for grief, complaining and excessive cynicism. As a New Jersey native, that is quite a feat. Like that Bad Brains song: Got the PMA! Positive Mental Attitude. If you aren't sure what's not working, just ask someone: a friend, an objective outsider - don't rely solely on your gang of friends or your intimate relations - of course they will love what you are doing. Ask people a bit outside your social network. One of the vestiges of my Catholic upbringing is a value towards service and helping others. This doesn't mean you have to help everyone. Every once in a while you will meet people whose success matters to you as much as your own or sometimes more than your own. These people you will obviously help. There's more to music than that but I wanted to address some of the common challenges I have seen in musicians I have known throughout my life. Thanks for your support and I hope you enjoyed this was helpful.
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Buy the shirt, take the rideDave Crimaldi
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