Lady Luck

There's a weird popular belief about people who "make it" in the music industry ... and it's this: that people who "make it" are just lucky. They happen to be in the right place at the right time, and lucky them, they get to be successful or famous or have a hit or whatever.

I come up against this belief all the time. But it's no coincidence that most people who have "made it" do not hold this belief.

Sure, there are a few cases of people who happen to be playing in some obscure venue, and a "talent scout" happens to be there, and based on the one gig, magicks up an amazing record deal worth millions and presto, the person is a star practically overnight. Oh wait ... no ... I don't think there are any cases like that, actually. So where does this fairytale come from and why do so many people believe it?? Not only do they believe it, but they believe it with a passion.

When I tell people that I'm a musician, aiming to be a pop star ... or at least commercially successful in some other music-related way (like publishing), people often say, "But don't you think that that to make it in music you just have to be lucky ...?" And I reply, "I think it actually takes commitment, hard work, and talent. And possessing the required skills for the journey helps." And that really gets people very worked up!

Why is it so important to people to defend this idea that successful musicians are just "lucky"? I think it's for the same reason that people feel a need to believe that the world somehow makes sense ... that there is an order and reason to it ... that the rich are rich and the poor are poor, and there is not a heck of a lot that can be done about that, as it's all down to "luck" mainly.

People are scared to take personal responsibility for what is going on in the world, and even what is going on in their own lives. They find the idea that actually, anybody could become rich or famous just by choice (commitment and the resultant action), very frightening. In the same way that they find it very frightening to believe that any particular individual (like Mother Teresa or Gandhi) could personally have a vast and profound impact on countless human lives.

I'm not talking about control. I'm talking about personal choice and responsibility. Obviously I can't wave a wand and simply have my dream music career in full bloom instantly. But I can take responsibility for my own career, and I can put in the work required to make that happen.

Taking responsibility is not a very sexy idea in today's day and age. I find that strange as taking responsibility is such a personally empowering thing. And power is thought of as very sexy. But maybe, again, that's about control ... maybe it's a controlling power that people think of as sexy. And as I said, this is not about control. This is about personal empowerment to not blame others, and circumstances for one's own life and the state of the world.

Think about it, if I were to believe that no matter what I did, no matter how hard I worked, my career was entirely up to "luck", how disempowering would that be? How demotivating? People who believe that create a self-fulfilling prophecy as they inevitably don't do the work they need to make things happen. And they quit too early. They wait around hoping for something "lucky" which never happens.

Well, that's not me. I can't say just yet how long it's going to take, but I'm going to get my music out ... big-time ... if you want to help, you can join my facebook or twitter, and you can tell your friends about it!

My facebook: www.facebook.com/LeeSunMusic
My twitter: www.twitter.com/LeeSun

Anyway, will close this thought with a quote by Marianne Williamson (which is often incorrectly attributed to Mandela):

"Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure."

And of course, a recent pic of my darling boy to bring you joy ...