Comparison is the thief of joy - The struggle to keep your eyes on your own lane...

Comparison is the thief of joy - the struggle to keep your eyes on your own lane... Six weeks ago I took an audition. That's such a big, heavy word. It's full of opportunity and pressure, validation and rejection...and in many cases it can be the difference in job "security" (is that even a thing in the music business anymore?) and having to still piece together enough gigs to pay the bills for another year...or years. I had a teacher long ago that said the worst thing you can do to yourself is have to win a job to write your next rent check. There's just too much at stake, and he was right! But it's also detrimental to put so much credit in 'winning' a job as a form of validation of your success as a musician. Easier said than done of course. For years when I first was out of school I was totally focused on winning a job...which is ironic because in school I had decided I would be perfectly happy freelancing my entire career...I