One of the most generous things I've ever done for myself is to be ok with whatever experience I have. Brains are weird, temperaments are real, and suffering seems to come from trying to shoehorn reality into your mind's tiny little boxes and then make it unfold the way you think it ought to. So 'having fun' or 'enjoying' something is lovely if it happens, and lovely if it doesn't. What I tend to notice and care about are whether things are *rewarding*, and at least as often as not, the reward is hard-won, maybe the harder the better. Pain, struggle, angst, joy, expansion... I want the whole soup, all the ingredients. And I want that because that's what I'm gonna get. If something is consistently and exclusively painful, then yeah, avoid it if possible. But accept that it may not be possible!
Been there too...after more than 45 years of doing music everyday in some form or shape without having a "big" success (whatever that is) I really started to think if I should quit and look for something else...but then I realized that I started this out of pure love...I also realized that I don`t have to compete with anybody and don`t have to measure "the returns" in form of money, fame or pets on my back from people that are impressed...it might sound very obvious but in a world where you get bombarded with unstopping information of all this "good looking and successful people" 24/7 it`s very easy to fall into the ego-trap...so my my conclusion is/was : if it makes me happy I´ll keep on going for it...once you get rid of the ego trap and put yourself outside of competition all of a sudden you get relief and find back to the core of why you doing it...to me that`s the key...thanks for your video Tony, looks like a lot of people are getting to this point nowadays...your thoughts are appreciated...cheers from Spain
At 36 years now, started to play guitar at 9, started writing songs at 12. I thought about quitting it all a few years back; focus on my financial future and create freedom. But what is a free life without bringing your passions along with you? I held on, knowing that songwriting was meaningful to me, even if that meant it was a passive hobby for a time. I just recently found a producer that helped me finish one song and I was finally able to complete a vision that I always wanted to create. I'm so glad I didn't give up. There are no right answers, but if it's meaningful, just keep it alive until you regain the spark. Just like those dumb memes where the digging miner finally finds diamonds. Don't get me wrong, I found a lot of gems along the way before being jaded. But now I'm mining diamonds again.
There’s plenty of others things out there to not be happy about making art should not be one of them ‼️‼️THE END‼️‼️I’m a firm believer in quitting should not really be an option…you can lose the love of something but gain it somewhere else so I’d say replacing is the best option. If something isn’t working out I always feel u should look to move on to the next best thing. Resign from something that doesn’t make you happy but never leave yourself with nothing no matter what or then you will never find happiness. ‼️‼️💯💯
It stopped being fun, when I got kicked out of music college, 19 years ago. But, I can't be "rid" of something I've done for 30 years 🤷♂️ This appeared on my feed, so thank you 👏🏼
Tony, I couldn't agree more. We end up spending a third of our lives working but the old cliche is still true: if you love what you do you'll never work a day in your life. I used to tell people that, when I was at work, my bad days were good days--and I meant it. If you can't have fun doing what you do then it's going to be a long, unhappy life.
💎💎Exactly, I say I'm quitting all the time then the next day I'm back on it.. Same as my Dad, he's a bass player and I've heard him, since I was a kid, say he's quitting then next time I saw him he told me of a new gig coming up. If music is in us foreal then it's like a second nature..something we NEED to do.
I'm just getting back into music after 30 years as a coder/entrepreneur. I've learned to produce and sing the past 5 years. Now I'm terrified to actually do anything for the public..i dunno what happened..the vibe out there is hard to find today. I don't know where to aim my energy so am going busking to see if i get paid or punched..but i keep putting that off too cuz all I can forsee is the punch! :)
To any musician thinking about quitting, I challenge you to sit with your gear and simply solve a problem… then another, and another. 5 hours later, when your bladder and your wife are screaming at you, is about the time you remember the “why”. “ODB is for the children”, F#ck getting old!
well i quit some years ago after 15 years with the commercial studio, because of a structural restauration of the building. in other words i'm not gonna re-open despite i loved the work and had great work and great artist. but the quality of the projects and artist really dropped in the last 10 years in a small city.
Does it make you happy? If not, don't waste your life. Each day ask yourself, what can I do today that will make me happy. Avoid the short dopamine spikes as your source of happiness (hard drugs, alcohol, etc) they are short lived with repercussions. Be honest with your self. Ask the hard questions. Don't drag something around that does'nt serve your right to happiness and enjoyment in life. You become a drag to family and friends if you are continuously unhappy and moping about. Its not worth it.
