Are the things you love holding you back?

I love live music. I mean I reeeally love live music. In 2015, I was in the crowd for about 100 concerts! Yeah, man. Dedication.

But during that entire year (and up until today) do you know what I’ve loved even more? The dream of being on stage performing and backstage running the show -- and not just another blurry face in the crowd. I’m ambitious. And I know you are, too.

I have an acoustic guitar, a synth, and beginner’s-level recording gear. All of it has been sitting in my apartment for several years now. Where's my album?! Likewise, I've dreamed of designing sets and lighting for bands for years. Why am I not on a tour yet?

It took quite some time for me to recognize this, and I’m here to make sure it doesn’t take you nearly as long.

It’s important not to lose sight of the forest for the trees.

What I mean by that is, don't get so obsessed with life at present (the small picture) that you fail to see your future potential (the big picture).

I love concerts and everything about them: the sights, the sounds, the smells, even the drinks that are priced so high nowadays, Ja Rule is like, “I, TOO, HAVE BEEN BAMBOOZLED.”

But take a step back… and think about this:

I love concerts so much because it’s my goal to be active in them, not a passive bystander.

So, I keep looking for any warning signs in other areas of my life that tell my brain the thing I love might be holding me back. I encourage you to do the same.

What was my warning sign? A constant buzz in my brain during shows this past year thinking, “wow, this concert could be so much better,” or “their last tour was so much more exciting,” or even just telling myself, “dude, I most definitely don’t feel like getting dressed and standing in a crowd for five hours.”

I’m one of those spirits with a “go big or go home” mentality, so when all of this hit me it was a shock to the system: live music is a thing I love… but just being in the crowd is holding me back.

I’ve started taking all the time I used to spend planning concert trips, saving presale dates, STANDING IN LINE WAITING FOR THE DAMN DOORS TO OPEN -- and instead, I’m using that precious time to learn my instruments, write music, compose melodies, watch hours of lighting tutorials on YouTube, talk to mentors... and put ideas into action.

Yeah sure, it’s easy to take this question of “Are the things you love holding you back?” and kick it around your love life, your social circle, your job, perhaps even your family.

But I am not the dude to provide deep introspective takes on this topic -- at least not yet. That's why I have a therapist. ;)

So maybe you binge-watch baking shows but dream of being a pastry chef. Do you stay up late clicking on dance videos on YouTube but would do anything to get on the dance floor? Or are you the next J.K. Rowling or Stephen King, a total book worm who talks to friends about great ideas for a novel?

Don’t mistake the small things you love now for even bigger things that will propel you even further in the life you are destined to seize. Don’t let the present hold back your future. And don’t let the things you love hold you back.

Let’s do this.