Music has been such a huge part of my life. If you go back and read my first few blog posts, it is obvious that I eat, sleep, and breathe music. It is clear that I've had to give up A LOT to be able to be a musician. Most serious musicians have a similar story to tell...one that speaks of extreme passion for music, that totally justifies the many sacrifices they have had to make. We sacrifice our time, money, social life, and much more, so that we can let this "music monster" consume us. It is a love/hate relationship. We know what we've had to give up to be a serious musician. People remind us everyday by their words, actions, and lifestyle. However, musicians know what they've gained by becoming a serious musician. It isn't anything that a non-musician would understand. We try to explain it to them and we either get the glazed over eyes or the whole "music isn't a practical career choice" speech. Newsflash...there really isn't a "safe" and "practical" career choice these days. The safest job is the one that you have the SKILL and DESIRE for. Why? Because no matter how many times someone shuts the door in your face, you will not give up. You will continue to pursue your career AND do an amazing job without cutting corners. You will perform your career with excellence. You will find a job and you will work because you love it. People give up so easily when they don't really care about their career. They collect their paycheck, complain about their job constantly, and when things get tough...they jump ship and move onto the next thing they get hired for and the process usually starts all over again. Most people are afraid to pursue the career that they truly love for various reasons...but if you are in a career solely for the money and hate the job, I'm willing to bet that you don't perform well and you only do the bare minimum required to keep that job. I'm also willing to bet that you hate going to work. Consider the amount of time that you spend at a job you hate. I think that this is a pathetic waste of a life. Life is too short to be miserable and all of the excuses that you keep making to justify your poor career choices will not stop the misery. When you choose to accept a career that you don't love, you are saying "yes" to a miserable life. Why do I care about these people that choose a miserable existence? Two reasons: #1 They're the ones that try to talk us happy people out of pursuing our "not so practical career choice" so that we might trade in our happiness and sanity for a larger paycheck and society's approval #2 They are negative people that constantly pull everyone down because they hate their lives...but hey...they have a large paycheck and make society proud! The tax man is grateful for their contribution. I understand that kids, mortgages, cars, healthcare, etc. makes life more complicated when it comes to finances...but let's consider how many people must take some sort of anti-depressant to be able to survive their miserable life. I personally feel that there is more to life than just surviving and paying bills. You CAN make money in a career that you love, but you must be brave and willing to sacrifice a lot for your happiness. I believe that happiness is worth fighting for. The "safe road" of a practical career is not safe when you consider the stress, anxiety, medications, and poor attitude that are a direct result. It stuns me to see how little people are willing to sacrifice for their own health and happiness...but we sure are quick to dump money into various medical expenses so we can keep going to the same miserable job. It is ridiculous. We have become so good at masking symptoms instead of actually fixing the real problem.
I think that we all have specific talents/interests for a reason. I think that if we'd all start listening to ourselves instead of society, we'd pursue careers that we love, feel great about our lives, be much healthier, and produce everything with quality in mind. There's something wonderful about working hard on things you enjoy and the sense of pride/accomplishment that comes from creating with quality in mind. People used to take pride in having their name on excellent work. Now, people take pride in surviving another week, collecting their paycheck after completing mediocre work, and being able to pay for their medications and/or booze that helps them to briefly forget their miserable existence. People would rather sacrifice their mental & physical health (which in turn leads to poor social life, lack of energy, huge medical bills, unhappy families, death, etc) than sacrifice some of their time, energy, money, social life, etc. on a career that would have a huge payout in terms of quality of life. People are great at making excuses. There are many that claim to want to be a professional musician, basketball player, ballerina, author, small business owner, or whatever their dream job is...but they let society's fears take control of their lives. They believe that you CAN'T be a successful __________ (fill in blank with dream job of your choice), based solely on the lies that society has placed in most people's heads. Why on earth do people assume that just because one person didn't succeed, that they will also fail? Why do people think that if someone says they can't achieve something, that it must be true? Why do people discount the fact that hard work, talent, and drive CAN actually get you someplace? Why do people believe that each person is the same as others and CAN'T succeed? It is completely ridiculous that we buy into all of this nonsense. Wake up and believe that you CAN achieve whatever you truly WANT. Quit letting someone else decide your fate. Don't let people make you feel like a failure. They're just angry and bitter because they chose to sell out on their dreams & bought into society's lies.
There is an underlying issue to achieving your dreams. There is a group of people that have bought into society's lies in a twisted way. The idea that hard work, talent, and drive will NOT allow you to succeed...has been taken to heart by a small group that has decided to pursue their dreams regardless...BUT... they feel entitled. They look for the quick and easy route. In music, these are the people that think they don't need to practice. They act like they are doing everyone a favor by just stepping onto the same stage as you. They make very defensive excuses for their flaws. In short, they are very defensive because they know that they don't have the skills that they claim and they don't have the drive to actually obtain them. I believe that these people truly want to achieve their dream, but people have made them feel like it is ridiculous. Reality shows have made the music industry look like winning the lottery...try your luck with minimal effort compared to the real world and you get a recording contract. Seeing the "luck" of others has made this career look like a breeze. People don't realize the amount of effort required to be a great musician. Practicing isn't an option...it is a necessity! There's more to music than memorizing and matching pitch. Musicians that think that they can just step into a band and ride on the backs of the band members that are busting their butts, should not be given the encouragement to do so. Being a successful musician or any other career, involves extensive practice/skill (excellent work ethic/natural talent), responsibility (show up prepared & on time), drive (passion to succeed), respect (value the time of others and be grateful), and a good personality (no one likes to work with an ass). Unfortunately, this "entitled" breed of musician is making the rest of us irritable/hostile. As a musician, I have very little time and patience for entitled musicians that choose to waste my time with their excuses as to why they aren't prepared or why they can't practice. Since the age of 14, I've sacrificed outings with friends, relationships, job offers, money (gear, music school, lessons, are expensive), etc. to be able to be a good musician. I'm not complaining at all! I'm proud of the hard work that I've put in and CONTINUE to put in. I believe that I can always learn something new and work to improve my skills for the rest of my life. I love what I get to do. The sacrifices are worth it! Even as a teenager, I realized the sacrifices I was making (going to practice instead of hanging with my friends), and yet I was okay with it! I know I'm in the right field because I'm not focused on the money, the sacrifices are worth it, and I love my work! If you don't feel that way...I think you're in the wrong field. As a musician, you have to give up a lot if you're going to work your way up the ladder. If that sounds terrible to you, then being a pro, is probably not the best choice for you. Play music on the side, for enjoyment. Find the career that you love! You'll know what it is, when the sacrifices for that particular job are worth it! Be brave! Do what you love!
Check out my band! Waking Myth on Reverbnation and Waking Myth on Facebook
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