Light Up, Everybody!

I've been plunking around on the Internet for about 12 years now. My girlfriend recently pointed out that if you do a Google search on "bob baker" music marketing, you come up with more than 34,000 pages of results. Wow. Even I'm amazed at what can happen when you doggedly pursue a personal passion for years on end.

In the early days, I had no idea where my efforts would lead. It was often frustrating, but somewhere inside I was aware of an inner candle flame -- a vision of the life and circumstances I wanted to create. That inner vision, combined with real-world feedback from and interaction with the marketplace, led to where I am today: a music lover who makes a living as an author and publisher.

Three questions for you:

• What inner vision do you have of yourself?
  
  
• Can you sense your own internal candle flame?
  
  
• Are you aware of its presence, or is it hidden in darkness?

To reach more tangible levels of success, you must tap into that inner drive -- especially in the early going, when your passion and persistence will be tested the most.

There's a reason that only a miniscule percentage of people reach a point where they make a comfortable living with their art. Most people simply give up too early, unable to find the personal fuel to weather the initial hurdles and apathy they encounter.

Where do you stand? How brightly does your inner candle burn? And what can you do to turn up the heat?

-Bob