STAY FOCUSED

I'm in my late twenties. I've been singing since I was a child but I've stopped in between. In fact, I remember giving up at twenty three years old because I was told by certain individuals that I needed to snap out of it and quit dreaming. And you know what I did? I listened to them...but only for a short while.

What happened was I ended up going back and forth, becoming wishy-washy. One minute I was confident, and the next I had doubts. I'd say to myself, "Maybe they're right. Maybe I should just focus on landing a steady day job and remaining committed to it." So I jumped from different part time jobs until I found a full time position with decent pay. Once I worked as a concierge for a Hotel in Manhattan, and then eventually I worked for an upscale spa. Basically, I remained in the "Customer Service" field for a couple of years. It started to feel extremely weird to me though, like I had begun forming an almost split personality because during the day I had to act "professional" on the job but at night I was dressing up like a diva and singing my heart out on stage. Who was I? I began to wonder. In juggling both lifestyles, one of them began to suffer; I had to make a choice.

Through all of my confusion, doubts and fears... I ended up leaving my day job for good to pursue my creative ventures all the way. There's more to the story that I'm leaving out, but the point of this blog entry is that although I'm pretty sure that things happen for a reason, I'm also a firm believer that we have more power than we give ourselves credit for. As people, we have to believe that our power lies within our free will to "CHOOSE." So regardless of who told me to quit and give up, it was still ultimately my choice as to whether or not I'd take their advice in the first place. Yet still, I listened to them and let their fears become mine. And all that did to me was make me steer in different directions until eventually I became so sick and tired of the merry go rounds that I just stuck with a final decision! Through the good, the bad and the ugly... I finally stayed on my creative course as a performer and freelancer!

And you know what I'm learning? That whether or not I would've remained at a day job or remained on my freelance path as an "Artist", both lifestyles have bumps on the road. Neither one of them are perfect or so called 'safe.' So in that respect, why give up on your dreams just because people tell you to be "Realistic"? And besides, who in the hell said that being a "Dreamer" was negative anyway? Should none of us have a 'Vision'? I mean, even being "realistic" gets you into trouble because as we're all slowly learning, nothing is secure these days anyway, especially when the laws are constantly changing along with social security, retirement aid, health insurance, etc. Now I'm not suggesting that life's a bitch and then you die... but I am saying that no matter what you decide to do in life, there will always be lessons to learn and some of them are not easy. So, if we're all going to encounter hardships along the way, then why not at least do something that we have a passion for?

So please, DON'T waste your early years on trying to please other people regardless of who they are to you. Don't become wishy-washy with your decisions because you feel guilty, or because you start having second thoughts about your capabilities. Just make a decision and stick with it. And don't worry... it's more about the journey than it is the destination anyway, so enjoy your life! Besides, no one else gets to live inside your skin but you! And remember, if you feel something telling you to become something in your gut, then follow your intuition above all other voices!

THE PROCESS

Patience is a virtue. This is because realistically, we can't just get what we want at the SNAP OF A FINGER. It actually takes "action" to make our dreams come true. See... I hear why certain people advise about not getting caught up in a dream that won't materialize, however, that is because if one doesn't take "action", then it will remain just a desirable vision and/or wish. But for those who understand "The Law of Attraction," we know that we will attract the right situations into our lives according to what we put out into the universe. Therefore, whatever it is that you want to become or do... just DO IT... and you will attract other individuals who are on the same frequency that you are on, hence, the right opportunities will arise.

Now, sometimes people become "over night successes" but sometimes they don't. Sometimes it just takes a little longer...Like ten or twenty years longer! But does that mean you give up? HELL NO. You have your whole life to live, so at what age are you saying that you would like to die?

Today I am working on three different songs. What I do is... I work on each for about two hours. Usually I write lyrics at night, but today I'm starting in the afternoon. I also decided to take a break and write this down because I know that there will be someone like me one day... or maybe a few... who will feel overwhelmed by external voices from other people saying, "Don't do it", "It's a waste of time", "You'll end up broke", "There's too much competition", etc, etc... And you may begin to have doubts, fears, and second thoughts about going the full distance because you don't want to look like a fool.

Well I've got news for you. PAY YOUR DUES.

You know how people go to College to become Doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc... but while they're there, they take an internship that pays nothing or just offers college credit? Well, in the beginning, many artists have to take a lot of nonpaying jobs just to get their foot into the door too; so there's not much of a significant difference between college students and struggling artists. Sometimes you might get into a magazine that doesn't pay, or be an extra on a major film set that only ends up showing a thirty second clip of your side profile that nobody even notices. The same way that interns begin by doing the basics such as making coffee for the big boss, filing and faxing, filtering all those annoying incoming calls just to say, "The Boss is in the middle of a meeting right now. So Can I please take a message?" Well, what their doing is... They're paying their dues. So go ahead... if you want to make it in show business, go out there and hustle. Record your demos, appear on music video sets, get into commercials, be a background vocalist for someone else on tour, or write those songs in the middle of the night when inspiration begins to spark.

The point is... JUST DO IT!

There is a process to becoming successful. Even people who are happy at their 9 to 5 jobs; They too understand that they must save money in order to purchase their own house so they won't have to pay rent all of their lives, but it still takes time. So don't beat yourself up if things don't happen immediately. The point is, that this is YOUR life and no one is going to be having the same thoughts that YOU will have when you're on your death bed. And believe me, you don't want to lay there and have the "should'a, could'a, would'as." Just think... Imagine if Jennifer Lopez, Hillary Swank, Barack Obama, and Leonardo DiCaprio never pursued their dreams? Imagine if Gloria Estefan never rebelled in her early twenties to become part of the "Miami Sound Machine"? Maybe that opened up a door for Jennifer Lopez as an in-demand, hot Latina in the entertainment industry... We know that the Mexican singer, Selena's role did.

Okay, so here I am... completing one song, and then I'm going to work on the second one. Hopefully by tonight I'll be on my third. However... it doesn't mean that these songs will be PERFECTED tonight. But what I am doing is, I am starting the process so when I go into the studio next week, I have ideas to work with. Then, on this coming Sunday, November 7th 2010, I will be recording a music video for "Lotus Flower."

So you see... I'm doing what I have dreamt of doing, and as I go along, my music will enhance, the videos will enhance, the money will grow, and other opportunities will arise. But the important thing is to keep going. So regardless of what people tell you, don't give up on yourself -unless of course, you're a toxic drug abuser! Those kinds of habits you quit, but not this - not what you were born to do.

AS A MATTER OF FACT.... Watch this clip below. Trust me... Would I steer you wrong?