Picture this. You are on tour with your favorite band and you are traveling the world. Sounds amazing right? Living out of a suitcase, bouncing from hotel to hotel all the while filling your bank account with hard earned cash. You, my friend, are living the dream! A few years go by. You grow tired of life on the road. Finding time for your own material becomes increasingly difficult. Maintaining significant relationships is nearly impossible. You need a break. You need a change. Should you find a place to call home? What about having a family?
Let’s face it. Our definition of success changes frequently. We all have dreams and ideals. Just playing an instrument is a daily exercise in trying to achieve the illusive level of ‘perfection.’ Bigger seems better and money quite often seems to validate the level of success we think we have achieved.
In recent years, I’ve come to some realizations about success. First of all, there are no short-cuts. Have you ever heard of the 10,000-hour rule? Oh it’s real and it takes that many hours of practice, on average, to become a professional at your craft. Here’s something else. Some of my pinnacle musical performances have been for tiny audiences. But, we made a real connection, that tiny audience and I. Some of my most successful moments in life have come from being a father. There are some days when success is being able to sit down to a clean dining table in my own home, with enough quiet time to dig into a new composition. Success is a moving target.
My advice to you is the following. Stay true to yourself. If you don’t like yourself, change! If you like the way it makes you feel to teach music to little children, do it! If you want to hit the road with a band, work for it! Just don’t let the number of likes you got on your last Facebook post define how your day turns out. Find a way to be around beautiful, passionate people. If you can, find a way to pay all of your bills by doing what you love. If you don’t love all of it, remember, work is work! Sometimes, it’s hard to work at what you love but hard work will always make you stronger.
Lastly, and most importantly, never let someone else decide what success should look like for you. Be a contribution to the world. Don’t be selfish.
See you in the practice room! I’ll be there too.