Advice I Wish Someone Would've Given Me

I'm a big fan of going after the desires of your heart—mostly because I believe God put them there, and also because of the joy I get from doing it! If you're like me at all, you know how difficult it can be to set your sails in a certain direction you'd like to go, only to find out there's no wind and the boat seems to have leaks in all the strangest places.

This is one of my most favorite quotes: "Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." —Calvin Coolidge

Here are a few things that I wish someone would've told me a while back. I think learning these early on would've made my life a bit easier...and perhaps made me see I was less crazy than I am tempted to believe I am.

1. Don't waste your time putting energy in fruitless directions. I've kept myself very busy doing things to distract me from doing what I really need to be doing.
2. Be patient—good things happen over time. Great seldom happens immediately.
3. Be bold when you feel you should be—don't let fear hold you back at all from what you desire.
4. Know your audience—be discrete and wise about who you share your desires and dreams with. Some will cheer you on, others won't. Some who care won't know how to show it. 
5. Practice more than you think you need to. As a kid, I used to want to perform my newest magic trick before I had it perfected. I never become a really great magician because of this.
6. Find your unique story. No matter how much you are looking to follow the path laid down by others, your story will never look their theirs—yours is a unique story that has never been written, and is one that not everyone will understand or applaud. But yours is the story that must be told.

As I'm working on completing the Pilgrim Man CD project, I'm realizing that the world doesn't need another record that is like everything else, just to try to "fit in." I need to make a CD that only Mark Smeby could make. I'm going to aim for being the very best at being myself, in life and in music. I hope you'll join me!

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