Bravery can be explained in many ways. It can be the “no fear” attitude that drives firemen into a burning building to rescue a trapped child; the sense of preparedness an explorer might bring with them when venturing out into the wild; the strength to stand up to someone who has treated you wrong; the mental ability to face your fears without hesitance. Everyone regards bravery as one of the best traits a person can have. How many times have you heard the phrase “you’re so brave” uttered in movies or seen it written in books? There is only one problem with bravery: knowing how to tap into it when it isn’t one of you own, personal, default characteristics.
To some, bravery comes naturally. For others it isn’t always that easy to muster up. Take me, for example. If I had tapped into my brave side years ago, a lot more people out there may have heard my music by now. I would probably have a band, and maybe even a contract with a local independent record label. I’d be playing shows on a regular basis, and I would most likely be having more fun more often. But my problem is fear. I can’t quite figure out, however, what exactly I’m afraid of. Is it a fear of failure; that my music, which I’ve put all of my heart and soul into, won’t be enjoyed by anyone other than me, my family and my close friends? Or maybe I fear success. That I’m afraid of how overwhelming it would be to have my dreams come true. My belief is that it involves a little bit of both of those fears. Now, the real trick is to figure out how to rectify my predicament…
I’m learning. On one side, the more I let people listen to my demos, the more I have begun to really believe in myself as a songwriter. I typically haven’t gotten many “you suck” or “it’s just alright” kinds of comments after people have listened to some of my songs. And on the other side, putting myself out there for more people to hear is slightly opening myself up for success. At least, the more accessible my music is, the greater the chance of someone hearing it will be. And I do have plans for more ways to promote my music that I will hopefully get in motion soon.
It’s been a long journey for me since I began writing my own songs. But I’ve realized that I still have a long way to go. As I’ve said before, “the time is now”. So, since I currently can’t do much, other than writing and preparing songs to be recorded in real demo form, I will direct you to two locations where you can listen to some of my music, if you wish. The first is:
http://twt.fm/77828
The second is a very small collection of some solo, acoustic songs. You can listen to them at:
http://www.myspace.com/rockwellhitec
Please, if you listen, leave comments or send me an email and tell me your thoughts. The only thing I ask is that you be completely honest. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, so I want to hear yours. Later this week I’ll upload some pre-production, non-vocal demos that I’ve been working on. Or at least maybe some clips of said demos. I’ll post links as soon as they’re up. As for now, I’ll leave you with this:
Bravery is not unattainable. It belongs to everyone. It is in us all, infused, deep within our souls. For some, like me, we need to not bury this gift, but to let it give us the strength to reach for our goals and dreams. Life shouldn’t be feared, or even simply accepted. It should be lived and enjoyed. So the next time you’re afraid to do something you’ve always wanted to do, take charge of it. Scream in its face, tell it you aren’t going to let it frighten you anymore, and then do it. It may be scary at first, but once you accomplish your goal you’ll feel amazing, and you’ll wonder why it took you so long to do it. At least, I know that’s what I’ll be wondering when I finally get out there.
Soon.
I will now try to work on some music, even though I have a headache, simply to feel more productive. Even if I only mess around on my guitar for a little while, at least that’s something. So, with one final line to wish you good fortune in your own endeavors:
“Good luck exploring the infinite abyss.”
To some, bravery comes naturally. For others it isn’t always that easy to muster up. Take me, for example. If I had tapped into my brave side years ago, a lot more people out there may have heard my music by now. I would probably have a band, and maybe even a contract with a local independent record label. I’d be playing shows on a regular basis, and I would most likely be having more fun more often. But my problem is fear. I can’t quite figure out, however, what exactly I’m afraid of. Is it a fear of failure; that my music, which I’ve put all of my heart and soul into, won’t be enjoyed by anyone other than me, my family and my close friends? Or maybe I fear success. That I’m afraid of how overwhelming it would be to have my dreams come true. My belief is that it involves a little bit of both of those fears. Now, the real trick is to figure out how to rectify my predicament…
I’m learning. On one side, the more I let people listen to my demos, the more I have begun to really believe in myself as a songwriter. I typically haven’t gotten many “you suck” or “it’s just alright” kinds of comments after people have listened to some of my songs. And on the other side, putting myself out there for more people to hear is slightly opening myself up for success. At least, the more accessible my music is, the greater the chance of someone hearing it will be. And I do have plans for more ways to promote my music that I will hopefully get in motion soon.
It’s been a long journey for me since I began writing my own songs. But I’ve realized that I still have a long way to go. As I’ve said before, “the time is now”. So, since I currently can’t do much, other than writing and preparing songs to be recorded in real demo form, I will direct you to two locations where you can listen to some of my music, if you wish. The first is:
http://twt.fm/77828
The second is a very small collection of some solo, acoustic songs. You can listen to them at:
http://www.myspace.com/rockwellhitec
Please, if you listen, leave comments or send me an email and tell me your thoughts. The only thing I ask is that you be completely honest. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, so I want to hear yours. Later this week I’ll upload some pre-production, non-vocal demos that I’ve been working on. Or at least maybe some clips of said demos. I’ll post links as soon as they’re up. As for now, I’ll leave you with this:
Bravery is not unattainable. It belongs to everyone. It is in us all, infused, deep within our souls. For some, like me, we need to not bury this gift, but to let it give us the strength to reach for our goals and dreams. Life shouldn’t be feared, or even simply accepted. It should be lived and enjoyed. So the next time you’re afraid to do something you’ve always wanted to do, take charge of it. Scream in its face, tell it you aren’t going to let it frighten you anymore, and then do it. It may be scary at first, but once you accomplish your goal you’ll feel amazing, and you’ll wonder why it took you so long to do it. At least, I know that’s what I’ll be wondering when I finally get out there.
Soon.
I will now try to work on some music, even though I have a headache, simply to feel more productive. Even if I only mess around on my guitar for a little while, at least that’s something. So, with one final line to wish you good fortune in your own endeavors:
“Good luck exploring the infinite abyss.”
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my favorite little note about bravery
ReplyDeleteSometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life. Well, valuable, but small. And sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around? I don’t really want an answer. I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So goodnight, dear void.