Recording Artist Advocate: Getting What You Want May not be the Best Thing.

I listen to Podcasts when I’m not in the studio: long form interviews with successful people. Over and over one thing keeps coming up; what seemed to be a failure turned out to be - what was most important to success.

A late-night host said he was devastated when he didn’t get a certain writing job. Because of that, he took another job and stretched himself to where he could also be in front of the camera. If he had got that job, he’d likely still be a writer. Another successful artist described years of one setback after another. When things did start to come together he realized everything was getting him ready for the success he achieved. A female comedian described the uphill battle to achieving any success at all.

All the stories added up to a willingness to take those setbacks in stride and learn in every situation – and keep moving forward.

When you’re striving it’s hard to see the end goal. But that’s what separates the truly successful from the rest of the crowd. You will achieve the level of success you’re comfortable with. Once you are comfortable, you can’t help but settle in and quit trying as hard.

You may be happy playing on weekends. You may want to play bigger shows and make more money. You may not be satisfied till you play to sold-out venues all over the country. You may find your spot somewhere in the middle.

Getting “What You Want” too soon may keep you from achieving your best.

Along the way it’s good to have music to sell and send out. Rough Wood Studio can help with that.