I Survived FAWM

February is over and I managed to reach the FAWM goal of writing 14 songs in 28 days. Woo hoo! I wasn’t sure I wasn’t going to make it. I pushed myself so hard I exhausted myself and had such pain in my neck for a few days, I could barely move.

Four years ago I enrolled in my first songwriting class with Berklee College of Music just to see what my agent meant when she said, “Your writing has a poetic, almost lyrical rhythm to it.” Was I a songwriter? I wasn’t sure I could write one song, let alone 14 in 28 days. So, that’s quite a personal accomplishment for me.

In celebration, I finally joined TAXI.com and was inspired by these words of fellow “passenger” Sherry Marcus Milano:

If you could wave a magic wand, what wisdom would you impart upon all musicians who have dreamed of a career in the music industry, but deep, down inside, thought it was an impossible goal?

I’ll share the wisdom my Dad passed to me: “The dream the burns within you could not be there if the fulfillment of that dream were not built in with it.” We all come with a purpose, and it usually sits in the center of that dream. When there’s something you love to do that brings you pleasure and satisfaction, something you can do almost effortlessly but you always want to learn more and get better at doing, and it’s something you do without thinking about getting paid for it, PAY ATTENTION. If it brings thoughts like “If I didn’t need to make money, this is what I’d do all day,” that’s your purpose, your calling, your place! Find ways to get paid to do it in some form, even if it requires study, training, or having side jobs while you build. The voice that says it’s impossible is just fear, something I call False Evidence Appearing Real. The voice of the heart only knows love, so love yourself enough to go after what calls to you, and you’ll be surprised how doors will open. The most important relationship you’ll ever have in this life is the one you have with yourself.

Now I just need to figure out if I’ll be ready to attend the Road Rally in Los Angeles this November or wait a year and go to SoCal for my birthday instead. Which would be the better gift?