I wrote this for my blog. It’s about pursuing your dream in general. But, I thought I’d share it here because it applies to all of us. And who knows? This piece could keep someone who’ll make history in music going for one more day. I added a bit to the end to share how it applies to our music careers. Hope you’ll enjoy and be motivated to keep moving.
This may sound incredibly obvious (because it is), but it is one of those obvious truths that we don’t consider enough. Because considering it might actually motivate us. The key to creating momentum is to keep moving. The longer you keep moving without changing direction, the bigger the momentum. And, the bigger the momentum, the more unstoppable you are. I’m not going to be vague. I’m speaking about achieving your dreams, fulfilling the vision of your heart.
All you have to do is do something. When you don’t feel like it, do something. When you don’t know what to do, do anything. But, don’t do nothing! What’s the worst that can happen? It certainly isn’t like you’re touching wires that would lead to instant death. (Unless your dream is to touch electrical wires and live to be fined $200.)
Dreams don’t come true instantly as you might be led to believe because of what you see on TV. What gets left out is usually the hard part. You achieve your dreams by achieving a series of breakthroughs. And there’s no such thing as breakthroughs without first creating momentum.
Do you know why dreams go to the graves? Because of the lack of breakthroughs. What causes lack of breakthroughs? Lack of momentum. What causes lack of momentum? Lack of movement. Here’s a sad truth: Most people sit around waiting for something to happen. Some will haphazardly do things here and there that they think could break them through. But, I wont be the first to tell you, you wont achieve your dreams that way.
No matter what you’re aiming for, you can find out how to do anything by doing a little research on the internet. There are tons of instructions, tips, and God-knows-what out there. Whatever the process, I want you to remember one phrase. This phrase is key to success. Are you ready?
Rinse and repeat.
That’s right! Rinse and repeat. I know of people who learned the how-to’s, but lacked the patience and perseverance to do the same thing over and over again until they achieve a breakthrough. Then, do it all over again until they achieve another breakthrough - and then again, until they reach the level they want to be at.
Rinse and repeat the process, no matter how mundane, no matter how tiring. You must do it. You must create momentum. You must always be in motion, in action. It’s the only way you’ll ever see your dream materialize.
For me, as someone who is pursuing a career in music, it means to keep rotating my free download every week, continue finding people and sending out emails asking them to listen to my music because they may be able to help me further promote it (even if I don’t get a response from most people), making sure I always have something to talk about (even if it’s a just a new blog post each week), staying in touch with my current fans and reaching out to get new listeners, etc…
Let’s say I breakthrough and get some recognition. I will have to rinse and repeat the process to breakthrough to a higher level. The only difference between you and I (emerging people) and someone “big” is the amount of breakthroughs they’ve made. But, I think I speak the truth when I say…the process is the same for them, just on a different scale.
I say all this to say: Don’t sit around. Don’t be depressed. Keep moving. My future kids might need your songs to get them through something difficult, to mark moments of their lives. Heck, I might need your songs. (Replace songs with innovations if you’re not a “creative” per se. Point is, you’re needed! So please, don’t quit. Continue to innovate.)
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Minh is an artist and producer/songwriter based in the DC area. His official site is www.reachminh.com.