Hold onto your hats, ’cause I’mma feeling philosophical today.
Why did you choose to make music your career? (Or whatever it is you do.) Was it something you always knew you wanted to crush at? Did it seem like the right balance between your passions and your talents? Maybe you just fell into it, because your friends and family are all enthusiasts.
Regardless, you’re here for one, over-arching reason: To find happiness in what you do. But the funny thing is, it doesn’t actually matter what you choose to do, because all skills eventually lead to the same place.
Happiness, as I define it, is accomplished in two ways:
- Expanding your capacity to enjoy more aspects of life. For example, the skills we learn through music production enable us to appreciate little details in a song the inexperienced ear would miss.
- Increasing your resilience to unnecessary pain, or suffering. Becoming an expert in any profession isn’t easy, and the effort of doing so essentially forces a work ethic down your throat. You learn how to focus, to be consistent, and to shrug off distractions that would sap your energy and motivation.
You don’t need to find the “right” craft to do this – there is no such thing as a “calling” or “dream job” in this sense; only ones that can get you there a little faster or slower. But they ALL increase your capacity to be happy.
Make a choice. Just decide. What it’s gonna be, who you’re gonna be, how you’re gonna do it. Just decide.
Will Smith
There is an unfortunate preconception however, that you can just step into your perfect job, and your passion will override any difficulties you find along the way.
The idea is seductive, because it suggests you can get what you want without effort. Truth is, your true dream job will challenge you – and that means days when it’s really REALLY hard. In the immortal words of the man in black:
It also misses the point: Effort is what makes us stronger, better able to handle the inevitable hardships outside of our career that we can’t control and often never see coming. It enables us to bounce back and centre ourselves when all we want to do is throw a fit and give up.
In short, no effort = no happiness.
Finally, effort is what leads to mastery – mastery of the craft, but far more importantly, mastery of YOURSELF. How else can you earn the money and popularity, the fancy house and car, and all the other things the media says you should want, without becoming one of the best at what you do?
And how can you become the best at any endeavour, without mastering yourself – that is, developing the ability to control your impulses and desires, and the discipline to stick it out through all the challenges life throws your way?
Obviously, no one want to struggle and be frustrated. And yet we let the desire for ease prevent us from living life to the fullest.
The silver lining here is, although the journey to self-mastery is hard, we can choose the path we take to get there. Don’t let uncertainty about the “right” job prevent you from starting – follow what makes you happy, and if you’re persistent, you’ll arrive at where you want to be.
Credits:
‘Female Dj Playing Mixing Console’ by Thiago Miranda from Pexels
‘Gray Cat Lying on Bed’ by Pixabay from Pexels
‘Woman in Red and White Plaid Coat Standing Beside Woman in Brown Coat’ by cottonbro from Pexels