It's time to make the lifelong dream come true!

Views: 865
Added: Mon. Oct 12, 2009 8:49am
Posted in: Music

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I have been a musician for over 40 years, and started playing professionally when I was 14, a few years before Woodstock. I began taking organ lessons when I was about 11 years old. I remember my teacher wanting me to perform at the yearly recital before about 1000 people, after I had only had three lessons. I would not do it, even as she tried to coax me up to the stage at the event. I slumped down in my chair and refused to go up, as I just didn't feel that I was good enough, and was embarrassed that she asked me during the event. At the same time, I did realize and felt proud as she told the audience that in all her years of teaching, she had not found a pupil who used expression in music as I did. I should have just done it, even if for her, but hey, I was only twelve years old...what did I know?

I have had that same basic "fear of risk" all of my life. I have been both a full and part time musician throughout these 40+ years, but always felt that I needed to have a "normal" 40 hour per week, day job to be a good husband, father and provider. This always kept me from following my musical dreams and really, my best abilities. In other words, what I did for success was not my best talents and therefore, prevented me from my best chance of success as well as best chance of inner happiness.

It has taken me these past 40+ years to find the courage and ultimate realization that I have now been given another chance to stop my mind from looking at the reasons to not pursue a dream, and to only look for other ways to achieve my dream when I hit any obstacles. I now choose to stay on course and find other routes around obstacles rather than just turn around and go back because I think the path is too difficult.

After losing my day job of over 22 years, I am choosing a new course of making music "what I do". I am currently writing music for relaxation and emotional connection, creating a trio of long time musician friends to perform tasteful music of The Beatles and other favorites, to perform in small venues, and I am investigating starting a small music store business, which is also a long time dream of mine.

Music and singing is a much of “who I am”, and I intend on making this what I do for the remaining time I have on this planet, as I know that true success and happiness comes when you love what you do and in turn provide happiness to others while you do it.