Getting Back On The Horse

Wow! It’s almost the end of February, and this is the first time since last year that I have started writing again. Of course, every excuse I can think of has run through my head... Oh I haven’t had time... It’s been so long since I’ve written anything... No one reads these anyway... and the list goes on and on. But the simple fact of the matter is, I just didn’t do it. No matter what excuse I can think up, it doesn’t negate the fact, I just wasn’t sitting down to write. This could be true for a lot of stuff in life. Pick anything you’d like in your life, writing, drawing, practicing, going out, exercise, etc... It’s easy to make the excuse of why you aren’t doing something for yourself. So we fall into this habit of not doing it. Well, I’m telling you NO. STOP. STOP YOUR EXCUSES. There is no reason you should be holing yourself back from doing something. As that famous brand says... “Just Do It”


But seriously, take the time to do things that make you happy. Take time to do things that make you better. Do things that scare you, that push your limits, that excite you. Trying new things is a great way to expand your horizons. You can learn so much, not only about what you are spending time on, but about yourself. Last year, I had started trying my hand at video and content creation. It something that has always fascinated me. The video shooting, the production, the telling of a story or passing on of knowledge. So I went out and spent what little money I had saved up to buy some neat tools for recording. I spent time researching, studying, and examining how to create videos. Not just any videos, but really well done videos. They all had common themes of gear, lighting, sound, etc. that I couldn’t afford. And while they all stated, “We didn’t start with this gear, we worked up to it.” I couldn’t help but feel that my videos should look just as good. But after experimenting and trying to get the quality I was searching for, I always came up short. This was a hard blow for me. I always strive to do the best I can in everything I do. I spend a meticulous amount of time learning everything I can before jumping in. (Its one of my best/worst traits) With video production, I had found something that was giving me trouble, and it was frustrating. So frustrating in fact, I decided to not release any videos I had shot. I hated the way I looked, the way I addressed the camera, the way I talked, everything about it was terrible. So none of the videos have ever seen the light of day. I even ended up shooting videos for others, who were stoked about their products. But for me, I was so disappointed in myself and my performances....

But I came to a realization, that I had struggled with something like this before. Music. Playing it, recording it, mixing it, The whole process. I found myself in a similar situation when I had started my mixing journey. When I decided to start recording and mixing, I was terrible. I hated that anything I did never sounded like what I was hearing in my head. It took years of trial and error to start to get decent results that I was happy with. But it was so satisfying when I did! I absolutely loved whatever I could create well. When things started to sound like I wanted them to, I was hooked for life. But I had to struggle, to learn, to make mistakes. Its part of growing and becoming better. So many people give up on things before they never get to that turnaround. Its like running up a hill, you focus on moving one foot in front of the other, until eventually you crest the top, and the accomplishment feels amazing.

So why have I droned on and on? Its for you as much as it is for me. Keep striving to do better. Keeping trying to do new things. Or pickup old things, and keep working on them. You’ll get better the more time you spend on them. We all will reach that tipping point when all our hard work and effort finally pays off. I’ll be getting in front of a camera real soon, don’t you worry. So take the time to do the same with something you have been putting off. Again, it doesn’t matter what it is. Just don’t let you hold you back....