Spending and Sacrifice

The recording of my upcoming album is complete. A master copy has been sent to be duplicated and pressed. All in all, the album will be done in a couple weeks. Being a solo artist, without a label and such, you endure all of the costs. I don't mind spending money. I've grown accustomed to forking over hundreds here and there to complete this album. And I'll continue forking over the green to promote it through shows, press, marketing, etc. However, TIME is much more valuable than money. While money accumulates, time does not.

The time I've spent educating myself on the music business, practicing, writing, networking, and promoting is almost unfathomable, yet so much more needs to be done. This is my sacrifice. It is a gift rather than a curse. It can be a burden that I wouldn't trade for anything. While most people my age are hitting the clubs, kicking back with their friends, spending their Sundays with the NFL, and watching the new Lost episodes, I am not. While my peers and those I pass on the sidewalks spend their nights on dates, talk on the phone to their girlfriends, and go to the beach on the weekends, I do not.

I average 6 hours of sleep a night, eliminated ice cream and cereal, my two favorite foods in the world, from my diet, go to the gym between 11 PM and 1 AM, wake up the next day at 8 AM for my day job, haven't had a single beer in more than a month, have a messy room, and never open my mail. I do this because I must. It is the only way. I can only go full tilt. I must make sacrifices. Some of the sacrifices are very difficult, like only seeing my family once or twice a year, but this is my responsibility. This is the life I've created. I may be missing out on a lot of fun times with friends, but that would not be the thing I would most regret. Having not made my dream and passion a reality would be the greatest regret. A regret far outweighing any involving social fun and memories. It would be a regret of a lifetime, of eternity.

I am a man who chooses what he wants. I feel it. I taste it. I smell it. I see it. I hear it. I want it. It goes beyond "doing whatever it takes", that's out of desperation. Its about being the greatest, most powerful and influential version of yourself. You have to sacrifice things to be that person.