Nobody starts on top

"I'm a big believer in stepping stones. It's very rare in life that all of a sudden at the snap of a finger or the drop of a hat you are on top of the world with everything you possibly could ever imagine for your career. It's a process, and I think it's really good for young artists, or just up and coming artists, to realize that. So, as long as you're going on the trajectory that you want to see for yourself, you should consider yourself a success at all times.”

—Ranaan Meyer of Time from Three (from TEM125)

LOVE this reminder from one of the best and most successful bass players in the world, Ranaan Meyer.

This quote has extra meaning for me because Ranaan has been one of my best friends for over 20 years and it reminds me that he was "just" a really good bass player who happened to be a ridiculously nice guy when I met him.

He wasn't one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the music business. (yet)

He wasn't a household name for bass players. (yet)

He wasn't living in a huge house with an awesome wife and two beautiful children. (yet)

The fact that nobody starts on top is obvious when we focus on the people we have known for a long time who happen to be successful. We also know that the Ranaan's in our lives weren't "overnight sensations'' (whatever the hell that means.) It was a process.

I remember getting a call from Ranaan telling me about Time for Three when they had just started out. I could hear the joy in his voice. But he certainly didn't call to tell me he had formed a band a week ago and that they were already booked to headline shows in Australia! There was a very slow build to their seemingly meteoric rise.

Hell, 95% of all success stories I know in the music business sound something like Ranaan's. Supremely talented and motivated musicians who keep showing up and keep working their asses off who eventually find the right people to partner with or the right niche or get their “big break” (or insert just about anything here) and the rest is history.

Unless you are longtime friends with Ranaan or Sara Bareilles or Jacomo Bairos, you first hear about them when the rest of us do. When they've already "made it." But we always have to keep in mind that just because we weren't hip to their journey before they made it onto our radar doesn't mean it wasn't a long journey filled with lots of stepping stones.

So focus on your next stepping stone and you might be lucky enough to work your ass off until someday someone labels you an "overnight sensation."