Getting your "break" in the music profession comes from #1 knowing where you are going, and #2 persisting and "paying your dues" until you get it. My favorite definition of a "break", or "luck" is: "where preparation and opportunity meet". There are more opportunities in a day than you could possibly take advantage of in a lifetime, but you have to be prepared for them. Knowing where you are going and being prepared will enable you to see these opportunities and act upon them when they present themselves.

Approximately 2% of the people, the "Super Successful", take control of their destinies. Just as an expert sailor harnesses the wind and directs his ship through storms and many adverse circumstances to take him to his desired destination, we too must take what life has given us and use it with the best of our abilities to reach our "samadhi" musical destination. "Super Successful" musicians know and live the philosophy of the ten most powerful two letter words: "If it is to be, it is up to me".

Once you know where you are going, you are half-way there. You are focused. All of the distractions on the "side-lines" of your vision are almost entirely irrelevant. You see the desired result and anything that gets in your way can and will be handled, period. The hardest part is making up your mind about what to do and then focusing on that musical ideal until it comes to fruition.

But what if you don't know where we want to go in life, like 98% of the people? Or what if you just aren't sure? How do you figure out what you should be doing? Where you should be going?

Here is a technique for finding out what you should be doing with your life:

If possible, close your eyes and have someone else read this to you so you can: "Imagine if you will, that you just won or inherited fifty million dollars. That's $50,000,000. After you cruise around the world a few times, have all of the cocktail parties you could handle, buy all of the adult "toys" that money affords, Ferrari's, airplanes, homes on every corner of the world, etc., after about three years of partying your but off, if that's your style, or having the time of your life, sooner of later you will get bored. Believe me you will! At that point in time, knowing that you never ever had to work another day in your life, what would you do with your time for the rest of your life?"

Stop to ponder this. The answer to this question is what you should be doing NOW! Not "someday." Someday never comes. THERE IS NO TOMORROW! There is only NOW! The past is dust. It's set in concrete and can not change. The future is uncertain and out of our control. But our future is based largely on our present performance. Our power to manifest a desired goal exists only in the NOW because that's all there IS.

Knowing and doing what you should be doing is the key for determining where you are headed. If you feel it's impossible to begin doing what you should be doing now, (I thought "all things are possible to him that believeth") then at least you have a target. You know where you are going.

What you may be doing today may not seem to be directly related to your destination, but it's where you are right now. And it's probably a necessary step you needed to take to advance you toward your ultimate destination in life. You may have found out what you shouldn't be doing, for example. Or you hopefully learned a different aspect about life that will ultimately help you somewhere down the line in your musical career.

Being true to your heart by doing what you really love to do and know you should be doing, whether you make millions of dollars doing it or not, is what you owe yourself.

If you are doing what you know you should be doing in life, great! That alone puts you in the top 5% of the world. If you know where you are going and you persist, you will succeed. If you don't know what you should be doing, find out what it is and go for it! You'll make yourself and everyone in and out of the music business a lot happier in the long run.

Copyright 1989, by David Humes.  All rights reserved.  

Please note:  the author of this article may not be certified as a licensed psychotherapist -- please consult professional assistance as your situation dictates.