When Things Don't Go Your Way: You CAN'T Give Up

I got some news today. News that I was in great anticipation to receive the whole month of January. It takes 4-5 weeks after the month of December to hear from iTunes, Amazon, etc on how sales went if you published a musical album on their sites. My initial thought about my Christmas album was, "who doesn't like Christmas music?? Sales will be great on these sites!" During the month, I braced myself for a pleasant surprise. My thoughts were not far-fetched - I wasn't thinking that I would sell hundreds of copies - especially with this being my first published album, but I was hoping to sell at lease 10 or more copies.

Today's profit was $39.68 on iTunes.

Even while writing this post I'm floored. My motivation is low, my confidence is shot and the path to my dream and goals looks real foggy right now. But in spite of how I feel - I CAN'T GIVE UP! January 23rd marked ONE year since I started to share my music with you through SoundCloud. February 16th will mark a year since becoming serious about it by establishing a Facebook page and a website. However, in spite of it all, I'm still only a year into this and I have two albums published. During times like these, when the "fruits of your labor" doesn't taste as good as you'd hope, it's important to remember how far you've come, rather than how far you may think you are from your goal.

You see, in spite of the fact that I barely made $40 on a worldwide site, the fact that I made money off of iTunes is a feat in itself. In this field, you have to spend money to make money. And I'm thankful that I made a profit from this album through CD sales, but there are a lot of artists who may not have even broke even after a year of composing music! How far have you come from last year? Two years? How much stronger are you than you were back then? That's what you focus on when things do not go your way.

My friend, a lot of people get to this point of discouragement - and instead of bouncing back, they give up. I refuse to let that be me. PLEASE DON'T LET IT BE YOU! You mustn't give up! Not just for your sake, but for ours. What you are dreaming up is not meant to be a benefit to you alone, but for the world as well. If you give up on your goals and dreams, then there's someone that will have to find another way to grow, to cope, to love, or to live.

I can't stop - you can't stop. Yes, I may be disappointed, but I'm going to keep composing music and sharing it with you. This is how the process works when you're building on your dream. Have you seen a house while it's being built? You are unable to see the marble countertop or the stainless appliances when all you see is wood, nails and drywall. If a builder rushes the project then they may jeopardize the stability and resilience of the house, But when they take their time and complete the project - you find that it's definitely worth the wait! That's the same concept concerning your dream. Build it, learn from the struggle, fight past the discouragement - and when its all said and done, it will be worth the wait.

I'm going to keep going, and mark my words - $39.68 will become $396.80 and then $3,968. If you work on your craft, stand firm on your dreams, the only way you can go is UP. That is What's In Your Hand. Stay focused friend.