Over the last 20 years in Nashville I've spent a lot of time wondering if I was literally crazy for wanting to make a career out of writing, recording and performing my music. Have you ever felt crazy for dreaming something that other people didn't think was reasonable? These are some of my thought—perhaps they will encourage you on your journey... (Please visit my "20 Years in Nashville" landing page!)Success in Nashville can seem like stories I hear about people trying to climb Mount Everest. As the highest peak in the world, it’s a dangerous trek for climbers at any skill level, but stands as one of the greatest feats to conquer. The enormous difference between Everest and Nashville is that there is a clear-cut way to get to the summit of Everest. There’s no such path in Nashville. Sometimes it’s impossible to see where it is that you’re wanting to go, even though you know it is “up there.”
That’s what makes it so easy to compare my path to someone else who has already “made it” and wish mine looked more like theirs.
“You’ve got to make your own way,” I’ve been told.
“But I want my life to look just like _________ (fill in the blank with the artist du jour),” I whine. “That’s the kind of success I want.”
“Then you’ll always be frustrated when it doesn’t look like that. Write your own story, not someone else’s.”
This intense wondering if I’m actually crazy or not has been a hugely powerful force in my journey. I’ve got to prove myself not crazy—even if everyone else thinks I am. Hold onto an audacious dream long enough and people will think you’re crazy. Enough people think you’re crazy; you start to wonder if you are.
