Facing The Truth

In every career there are times that you have to make adjustments or reassess your strategy and goals. One of the hardest things for most of us to do as musicians and artists is face the truth about what's working and what's not. The biggest thing to realize is that you have to aggressively go after your goals and not sit idly by and wait on things to come to you. In most cases it only requires a change of location. If you really want to be successful at something you have to be willing to go where the industry is. In entertainment all roads eventually lead to California, New York, Atlanta . . .etc. Even if you build your career in a smaller market you will have to do a lot of business in these places. It's hard to face the fact that in order to have further success you have to change everything you do from where you live to who you associate with. Not many people are ready and willing to do this because you have allowed yourself to become attached to certain things that aren't really practical or beneficial. All of us play gigs in clubs and private parties and we all realize that there is a definite ceiling involved. For some people this is fine because it's about all they want to do or handle but for those that have the true talent and heart to go to the next level you have to realize that you can't become wealthy just playing gigs in any town. You have to be willing to take who and what you are to the world via concerts, festivals, business and Internet exposure. Take it from me, I grew up in a small town and everyone was always saying that I had what it took to make it but no one was coming forth with that opportunity and I had an elder musician tell me years ago that if I wanted to be a success I would have to willing to leave and go show people what I could do and he was right. My career is still growing but I've had to face the truth about what I needed to do and where I needed to focus my energy. I mean I could spend the next ten years playing gigs in my little town and that's all that will ever be, just gigs. A lot of work for little money and very little recognition or true access to greater opportunity. Now this doesn't mean that I don't love and value my home because I do, it has helped to make me who I am but I can't be so attached to a place that it becomes an albatross around my neck. Look at it this way, life is full of different kinds of people and we have to be willing to be daring pioneers so that we can pave the way for others to show them that you can't be afraid to step outside of your box or comfort zone because true achievement and success never exists in a box. So take some time and reevaluate what you are doing and your results, if you are not satisfied then don't hesitate to move on and do things differently. Facing YOUR truth can be liberating and give you the fuel you need to drive you to your success. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth

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