Are there any opportunities you wish you took but never did?

Brenna M,

There will always be regret in life. We will not always make the best decisions. I wish I had taken my position at the airport more seriously. I regret not taking my time to learn more things that were beneficial to me. I regret not volunteering as much as I could have. The list goes on. But what I don't regret is realizing this was my life story and I had to go through these chapters in order for me be me. I dont want to sound like a parent but I will come off as what I am...an adult, do not put all your eggs in one basket that will certainly lead to more regret. I suggest you find other interests while making music your top priority. For example it would not hurt to learn marketing that way you could digitally market your music to the right extensions cutting out manager or talent agent fees. My point is makesure your pieces connect to your puzzle I wish you the best on your journey.

My answer is that it depended on where I was in my life. I grew up being a very cautious person, afraid of new things. It was during college that I learned to trust myself and my instincts to lead me to the right answer. Most of the time that included a plan. There are two important things that you mentioned in your question, Brenna, which were that you love music and that you have an opportunity now. Don't underestimate the passion and dedication that can flow from your love of music and lead to success. My advice would be to make a plan. If you take the opportunity, give yourself a timeline to reach a measurable milestone. If you don't reach that milestone within the time, you can move on to something else knowing that you gave it a good shot.

I took the opportunity to work in the music industry and am glad I did. I followed others though that did it in a smart way. The musicians I worked for, some now very famous, all were 100% dedicated to music and their music careers, but they made sure to get their degrees and take life outside of music seriously. They had fun, had many late nights in bars, clubs, frat houses, etc...but they made sure to go to school or their jobs when they had to. It's possible to treat music like a business and still feel fulfilled and creative. You might not have the material possessions that your friends have when they start to get their first corporate jobs, but trust me..they will envy you and what you are doing. Will it take more than 10 years? Sure..for some it has, but how many people start their lives after 28-30yo these days..a lot! If music doesn't work, at least you will have your degree and a lot of life experience to know what you might want or might not want to do.

Brenna,

I am a "Plan B" sort of person. "What if. . . ?" But I read somewhere, forgot who said it, that truly successful people don't have a Plan B. This was because having a plan B means you are expecting to fail. I can't say that I totally agree with that, but, it has some merit.

You know that it is hard to "make it" in the arts. You are being realistic. You haven't explained this "opportunity." If someone has recognized you because of your talent and is offering you the chance of a lifetime, I would jump on it. That is, if I had a home to come back to if things did not work out. If I was totally on my own . . . well, me? I'd play that one conservatively. But, risk takers are the ones who make it big.

To answer your question: yes. I was invited to take a class that was by invitation only. The professor had recognized my potential. However, I did not consider myself to be "smart," and I had zero self-confidence. He was a really great professor. The class? Moot court. You spend all semester preparing for trial, but you don't know which side you are on until the end, when they do the coin toss! (at least that was how it was back then.) Exciting and scary, all wrapped up in one. Regrets? Yes. I had no idea I was "law school material." I got my Bachelors, became a cop, and did not come back to law until 25 years later. I found that I was no longer able to learn and apply theory. I tried and tried, thinking I could become a paralegal, but, it was too late!

YOLO!!

Kim

Studying abroad. That is one thing I regret not doing when I was in University. Because of this regret I took a leap and moved to another country to work for 2 years. I highly recommend working, studying, or living abroad, even for a short period of time. You gain a lot of perspective about the world, it opens up doors to opportunities you wouldn't otherwise have access to, and learn a lot about yourself!