Why do you think some musicians totally ruin their career? Is it because they didn’t go to any good music colleges? Is it because they don’t practice enough? Is it because they don’t know the right people? Surprisingly, the biggest problem is actually their fear.
Musicians have many different fears. These fears turn to doubts. And when you doubt yourself, you will never achieve anything… Let’s take a look at some of the things most musicians fear, and how this is actually making them ruin their musical career.
- Not Making Enough Money
If you’re in the music business solely for the money, you’re in the wrong line of business. Only the very few make it to the top, where money flows faster than water. But you can make a decent income out of music if you know what you’re doing, in the same way as you would with any other job. So don’t let the fear of money stand in your way.
- Not Being Successful
You have to firstly ask yourself how you would define success. Do you want to be as big as The Beatles? Then you probably won’t be successful, because they are one in a million, if not one in a billion. But what if you defined success as doing something you love and are good at, enabling you to live a life in which you may even have the opportunity to positively influence other people? If that is a good definition of success, then you have nothing to worry about.
- Being Successful
Yes, there are musicians who become afraid of being successful. And for good reason. If you do break through, will you be able to handle the fame? Will your friends still really be your friends? Will you cope with not having a private life anymore? If you do break through, you will be counselled on all of that. And remember, your fame doesn’t define who you are – you do that.
- Fear of Unfair Treatment
We constantly hear of famous musicians having problems with their record labels, music companies and more. Sony is always in the picture about disgruntled musicians trying unsuccessfully to get out of a contract. But do you think that only happens in the music industry? This is life! There isn’t a worker on this planet who believes the company they work for, their manager, their colleagues, the shareholders, the investors and so on are all absolutely great people.
It is possible that you have many other fears. But embarking on any kind of career is always worrisome. You don’t know what is going to happen, you don’t know if you’ll make it, you don’t know if you’ll like it. But the reality is also that you will never know unless you try. You must trust in yourself, in your own abilities as a musician, and in your own passion and dreams. If you allow your life to be guided by fear, you will never do anything meaningful.