Recently, I wrote to a new track, from an artist I know and love. Only this time the challenge was really on. The track was so beautifully produced that to me, it already sounded complete. When listening to it, while being blown away by the music, I couldn’t hear a place for me. -A place for me to write a melody and lyrics. So I explained to my collaborator that I felt he should leave the track as an instrumental. But he didn’t see it that way. He strongly felt a need for me in the track, so he graciously pushed back. I remained unconvinced because I simply couldn’t hear my place in it no matter how many times I played it. -At my desk, in the car, under headphones, in the kitchen chopping arugula, I didn’t hear a thing, when normally a melody jumps out at me almost immediately. Yet again, he strongly encouraged me to write to it. He really believed it could happen and how amazing it would be, he said. And so I agreed. I would give it another chance.

I let it sit for a minute while Christmas came and went, when I finally sat down with the track again. And I did it. I wrote to the track and was really liking what I was hearing! And once I started recording the vocals, I couldn’t hear how I didn’t hear my place in it right away. It’s so obvious to me now how the melody jumps out at me. How did I not hear it before?

What had transpired was because of his encouragement. His insistence that he knew I could write to this track. HE knew what I didn’t know for myself.

Sometimes we need to step back from what we insist that we see for ourselves, and consider how someone else feels about something for us. I’m not saying don’t discount your own self impressions, don’t doubt your own ability to observe your personal limits, but maybe at times, I am. Maybe I’m saying to find that balance of when you go with how you feel, and also when you decide to give someone else’s opinion and vision for you, a try. That it shouldn’t always be one way or the other.

Because sometimes we are too close for our own good. So weigh the options. Decide, what’s there to lose if I go against my own thoughts on something? In this case, some time? Time is precious but if the time spent didn’t result in what I wanted, it would have been time well spent because writing is always a good thing. And with both scenarios, whatever the outcome, real clarity would have been achieved.

And that’s what Idid with the track. I achieved clarity on something that I thought I fully knew the answer for, when my answer would have been the wrong decision. So sometimes you have to give someone else’s vision for YOU a chance. Accept the encouragement and go for it. The end result may surprise you. It very well may sing… like a song. xx