Imposter syndrome.
If you have been in this industry for even one whole minute, you will know exactly what I am talking about.
That insane feeling that shoots so much excitement through your body. All the adrenaline running through you because you are so excited to be where you are. Then, all of a sudden, a nervous feeling. You start to feel butterflies in your stomach. You start to maybe shake a little.
You start to think.
That is where you get into dangerous territory. You start to think.
You start to think about how in the world you ended up in the room you are in. You start to think about whether or not the person you are talking to cares at all about what you are saying. You start to overthink when to contribute to the conversation. Oh gosh, did you leave a candle on at home? You probably did. You know you didn’t. But did you? That is only something that someone who does not have an ounce of their life together would do. No one in this room would ever leave a candle burning when they leave their house. Now you know everyone in that room hates you. You should not be in that room.
This is the dialogue we all hear in our heads. This is what we have to battle every day.
In any industry, a certain room can be intimidating. In the music industry, almost every room feels intimidating.
There are so many people trying to do the same exact thing as you. There are so many people who have been so much better at doing it than you. There are so many people who are about to start doing what you are trying to do a little sooner than you. There are so many people who feel the same way you do.
While all of that might be tough to hear, it is reality. In this industry, there is so much going on at any given second of any given day. There is no way at ALL anyone can keep up with it. So when you get into a room and feel like there is no way you deserve to be there, tell yourself one thing: yes I do.
It seems simple. It seems dumb. It does not seem effective. But it is.
It is effective because you do in fact deserve to be there. Just because you are a human being and cannot keep up with every single person who wants to do the same thing as you, you have your own journey. That journey that is uniquely yours has you in that very spot at that very moment. Your story may be a lot different from the person next to you in that room, but both of those stories include you both at that spot at that moment.
The music industry is scary. It is extra intimidating with all the big personalities that journey through it. It is easy to feel like you don’t belong.
The truth of the matter is that as long as you work hard, you stay true to yourself, and you set goals for yourself, these rooms are all rooms you are meant to be in. There is no need to second guess it. There is no need to question it. There is a need to embrace it. Our minds love to mess with us. That voice in our head loves to bring us down, but that room is a part of your story. No voice, no comparison, no intrusive thought can take that away from you.
You are always meant to be right where you are.
