"When I make it........I'm gonna give back to my community....."
"When I make it......I'm gonna give you backstage passes......."
"When I make it......I'm gonna buy me a big house out in the country........"
"When I make it......I'm gonna buy my parents the house of their dreams....."
"When I make it......I'm gonna travel the world....."
"When I make it.......I'm gonna have a special room with all my accolades...."
These are just a few of the lines that Nashville dream chasers often say when they come strolling into town with a guitar and an old car full of dreams. Most newbies associate "making it" with money, shiny awards, billboard hits and notoriety. They often believe it's the day when their song is finally heard by millions, the day they give that speech in front of the world or the day they get that gigantic royalty check in the mail......but guess what? Success doesn't always mean big money and big money doesn't always mean success. A few hard hits, rejections and lack of finances often quickly derail those who have built their foundation on recognition and money rather than passion and purpose.
Maybe "making it" is paying the rent by the skin of your teeth and having a blast in the process, because you're in the city you love, doing what you love, with the people you love. Maybe "making it" means living around those who understand you, and waking up in a town that appreciates your creative mind. Maybe it's going from your day job of parking cars, pushing paper or waiting tables to the red carpet event that night, which you sooooo wouldn't get to attend had you stayed in your small town 800 miles away. Maybe it's changing your clothes in random bathroom stalls because you're privileged enough to go from 9 to 5'er to sitting with the stars all in one day. Maybe it's wearing that dress you just bought from the Goodwill with the little money you had to the latest awards show while you sit beside Carrie Underwood....and maybe it's smiling when one of your favorite singers just happen to compliment you on that second hand find. Maybe it's celebrating another year in town when your bank account was in the red just last year. Maybe it's putting that sold sign in the yard of your first home and bidding goodbye to that one bedroom apartment which witnessed far too many breakups, late nights and disappointments. Maybe it's getting to start a new chapter that is just a little better than the last one. Maybe making it is surviving trials and then telling your story to inspire others.
While getting wrapped up in "making it," has it ever occurred to you that maybe you've already made it? Yes, you. This doesn't mean you should rest on your laurels, retire and call it a career, but maybe making it isn't so much about the destination. Perhaps "making it" is more about the journey, more about what you learn along the way, the people you meet, the people who change your life and the lives you change in return. Maybe "making it" is getting up one more time and believing in yourself when no one else does. Maybe "making it" is celebrating another year in the town where you've had every reason to give up. Maybe it's refusing to let the dream die even when everyone else thinks it's crazy. Maybe "making it" is knowing that at least one person in that smoke-filled bar wants to hear you sing, knowing that a few people read your articles, knowing that you're able to sell a few books, knowing that people call on you to do their hair and makeup or simply knowing that people actually pay you ANY amount of money to be creative and to do what you love. Maybe we actually "make it" during the "lost years".....the years where we have no clue what we're doing or where we're going. Maybe the "lost years" are actually the days we will one day refer to as the "good ole' days," because sometimes "the hopeful unknown" can be a pretty exciting place to be. I've grown to believe that "making it" is abandoning your own will for God's, making every single day count and being content no matter the circumstances. I'm not at all telling you to settle for mediocrity.....in fact, I believe "making it" is a process, not a day or one single event. We shouldn't stay stuck on past success, but we shouldn't forget about it either. "Making it" is persistence and the definition of tenacity. I'm telling you to look at how far you've come instead of how far you have to go, and I'm telling you to enjoy today.....and then I urge you to press on and to continue....the best you know how.
Maybe it's not about "making it" one day......maybe you've already made it......and maybe instead of "making it," you just need to work towards appreciating, bettering and capitalizing on what you've already made.
"When I make it......I'm gonna give you backstage passes......."
"When I make it......I'm gonna buy me a big house out in the country........"
"When I make it......I'm gonna buy my parents the house of their dreams....."
"When I make it......I'm gonna travel the world....."
"When I make it.......I'm gonna have a special room with all my accolades...."
These are just a few of the lines that Nashville dream chasers often say when they come strolling into town with a guitar and an old car full of dreams. Most newbies associate "making it" with money, shiny awards, billboard hits and notoriety. They often believe it's the day when their song is finally heard by millions, the day they give that speech in front of the world or the day they get that gigantic royalty check in the mail......but guess what? Success doesn't always mean big money and big money doesn't always mean success. A few hard hits, rejections and lack of finances often quickly derail those who have built their foundation on recognition and money rather than passion and purpose.
Maybe "making it" is paying the rent by the skin of your teeth and having a blast in the process, because you're in the city you love, doing what you love, with the people you love. Maybe "making it" means living around those who understand you, and waking up in a town that appreciates your creative mind. Maybe it's going from your day job of parking cars, pushing paper or waiting tables to the red carpet event that night, which you sooooo wouldn't get to attend had you stayed in your small town 800 miles away. Maybe it's changing your clothes in random bathroom stalls because you're privileged enough to go from 9 to 5'er to sitting with the stars all in one day. Maybe it's wearing that dress you just bought from the Goodwill with the little money you had to the latest awards show while you sit beside Carrie Underwood....and maybe it's smiling when one of your favorite singers just happen to compliment you on that second hand find. Maybe it's celebrating another year in town when your bank account was in the red just last year. Maybe it's putting that sold sign in the yard of your first home and bidding goodbye to that one bedroom apartment which witnessed far too many breakups, late nights and disappointments. Maybe it's getting to start a new chapter that is just a little better than the last one. Maybe making it is surviving trials and then telling your story to inspire others.
While getting wrapped up in "making it," has it ever occurred to you that maybe you've already made it? Yes, you. This doesn't mean you should rest on your laurels, retire and call it a career, but maybe making it isn't so much about the destination. Perhaps "making it" is more about the journey, more about what you learn along the way, the people you meet, the people who change your life and the lives you change in return. Maybe "making it" is getting up one more time and believing in yourself when no one else does. Maybe "making it" is celebrating another year in the town where you've had every reason to give up. Maybe it's refusing to let the dream die even when everyone else thinks it's crazy. Maybe "making it" is knowing that at least one person in that smoke-filled bar wants to hear you sing, knowing that a few people read your articles, knowing that you're able to sell a few books, knowing that people call on you to do their hair and makeup or simply knowing that people actually pay you ANY amount of money to be creative and to do what you love. Maybe we actually "make it" during the "lost years".....the years where we have no clue what we're doing or where we're going. Maybe the "lost years" are actually the days we will one day refer to as the "good ole' days," because sometimes "the hopeful unknown" can be a pretty exciting place to be. I've grown to believe that "making it" is abandoning your own will for God's, making every single day count and being content no matter the circumstances. I'm not at all telling you to settle for mediocrity.....in fact, I believe "making it" is a process, not a day or one single event. We shouldn't stay stuck on past success, but we shouldn't forget about it either. "Making it" is persistence and the definition of tenacity. I'm telling you to look at how far you've come instead of how far you have to go, and I'm telling you to enjoy today.....and then I urge you to press on and to continue....the best you know how.
Maybe it's not about "making it" one day......maybe you've already made it......and maybe instead of "making it," you just need to work towards appreciating, bettering and capitalizing on what you've already made.