CC BY-NC by WanderingtheWorld (www.ChrisFord.com)
You’re young and you have a dream, but something puts a stop to that dream or fills you with so much doubt that you leave it alone.
It may be that you’re heading towards middle age and you have been doing something you love to do and yet are disillusioned and you give up what you’re doing even though you are really good at it. You know you should persist at it, but you are tired and have had enough!
The latter is what happened to me. In fact, to a certain extent, BOTH situations are true.
When I was a teenager, my dream was to play music for a living. I wanted to be a pianist of top quality. Yes, I know that I didn’t really work hard enough to be that, but I know that I was good enough for something. All I really needed was encouragement from my teachers to achieve all I could.
What did I get?
The music teacher, as good a teacher as he was, really didn’t help. He told me one day, when I was talking about my ambition, that I should forget it because I was not good enough and never would be because he knew of those who could play things I could only dream of when they were much younger. The worst thing was he didn’t acknowledge that I was good enough for ANYTHING!
Talk about confidence bashing! I was devastated and was also criticized by another teacher in much the same way about a different subject. I wasn’t so worried about that one because I didn’t have the same passion for it, but it still had a profound effect on me as I found out just a few years ago.
I had an organ tutor who believed in me and told me I was good enough to take a difficult exam and practical test by taking ARCO (Associate of the Royal College of Organists). I was determined to achieve this and prove these doubters wrong. I AM good enough! Mr Bate said so!
I knew I had to be persistent, but did I REALLY believe it?
It was my A level year and I was embarking on taking the exams AND doing the ARCO in the same year. 18 years old and music was my passion and my life! I passed my A level music, but didn’t get the other A level I needed to go to music college. I also failed the ARCO, by just 2 marks!
I was disappointed, but thought it would be ok for me to take the A level again in evening college and retake the ARCO soon too. I had to go to work, which meant working with my father in the electrical business. I was going to college to learn that, I was playing organ in a club and in church and trying to keep my music going. I was attending college to try to retake the A level I needed to go to music college, but it was all too much for me and so I just carried on working and getting my qualifications to make a living.
I went on to play keyboards in a band, be accompanist for a light opera company and play in clubs when the band finished. I went on to perform in pubs and clubs regularly as well as do my work.
Then I started to get a little disillusioned with things and so I stopped playing the organ in church, I stopped performing. In fact, I stopped music altogether! I had no drive or ambition left! Persistence? BAH HUMBUG, as Scrooge would say about Christmas.
I decided to change this when I was asked to join the church choir that I am a proud member of now. I thought “wow, they are asking ME to join?” I joined and my music took over again. I was asked to join another choir not long after, which I did and have had a great time there too!
I have since started to play piano again. I am accompanist for a choir and love every minute of it! I’m even arranging music for the choir to sing. I have even had some vocal training and that is fantastic for me too.
I played a small organ in our sister church for a service and then was asked to play in the main church for the Mother’s Union Service. It took me less time that I could ever imagine to be able to play things I played 30 years ago. I’M BACK!
I’m ALIVE again and full of enthusiasm for anything and everything I do. I love to play music and take part in everything I can. I realize I may never be the professional I wanted to be, but I still have a purpose.
Now I have a mission to help people make a difference and have a great business. My work gives me the opportunity to be creative, but in so many more ways than just music.
I urge you to be persistent and work towards your own goals. DON’T GIVE UP! Your dreams MATTER.
I know that if I had been more persistent, I could have had so much more.
I now persist with everything UNTIL it happens. It’s NEVER too late.
CC BY by QuotesEverlasting
I have gone from being in a bad frame of mind with nothing to inspire me to great things again to being asked to play the organ in our main church – something I craved when I was young. I could have done it sooner, but I gave up. Well, not entirely, because it just took being a part of things to be acknowledged and I am delighted to be included in the thoughts of people when they need my services.
If you want to hear a little something that I did and am proud for people anywhere and everywhere to hear, go listen to this song on You Tube. It’s called Destiny.
My biggest regret now is not going back to do the ARCO exam again. I wanted to do so much, but I let the grind of work and everyday life take over. Saying I “should have done” things differently is pretty pointless, but I know that having a dream is something that needs to be pursued and you only fail if you give up. I hate IF ONLY’s (check out my video on the subject of If Only here) because it was down to me and MY choices. If you want to make a difference, KEEP GOING!
Persistence pays. Never forget it. If you persist towards your dream and constantly take action, you will achieve, even if you have to adjust things a little along the way. Whether it’s business or pleasure, do things with a purpose and persist until you get what you truly want.
YOU CAN DO IT!
To the future
Barrie Evans
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