Ever since I started in music the pattern has been to achieve more. I only think about what I could do tomorrow and forget what just happened. I forget what’s real now.
There is an ambitious soul inside of me that wants more… Set a new record. Beat my top score and impress a bigger crowd.
That’s good and bad.
Good because I keep aiming high and trying to be the best of me, and bad because I never feel completely happy for my past achievements. That’s not only bad, that’s catastrophically horrible. From now on I promise to work on it because…
Happiness is the key component to keep growing.
When I began this journey I had many things in mind. Many surreal situations I never thought possible, but today I look back and many of them are completed. Even though they happened yesterday, they are still real now.
I just forgot about it the minute I started a new thing.
And that was the problem.
I need to appreciate a little more the things I have done. Even if these seem like minor accomplishments when compared to what others have done.
They are my successes.
It’s my journey. My process and my circumstances. My problems, my failures. My unique way to go through in order to learn. The path was given to me, not to my neighbor—and I accepted the challenge. The only thing I forgot was to enjoy the process.
My message to you, fellow musician, is to appreciate what you have, your achievements, your friends, your colleagues, your job and your family. All of the above are you. They have shaped your life and made you who you’ve become.
Enjoy, live and find your happiness. Remember that the competition is against yourself. If you are better today than yesterday, that is already a huge step, not small, HUGE. No matter at what pace your are moving, keep the motion. Never stop.
Be ambitious and aim for the stars—only don’t forget to appreciate the real world you have created for yourself. Practice your heart out and go for a walk every now and then. That way you’ll find the necessary inspiration to survive your ambitions in music.
For the empire!
CESAR AVILES