Do What Makes You Happy!

I’m a big supporter of people who do things that make them happy. Find something you’re good at, and follow it, and don’t stop. Even if you only get a little bit of time a week to do the one thing that you love, don’t second guess yourself, and go do it.

I’m very lucky in that I’ve had a great amount of support from my friends and family who want me to do the things that make me happy. I don’t know where I would be without them, and for one year, they’ve supported me on one of my sillier/exciting/fun projects.

I launched I Got You A Song one year ago. For a period of time, I was starting to get upset that I didn’t have the chance to write music anymore, in particular silly songs for my friends. Writing silly songs was something I had done for years, whether it was bugging my college roommate or having sing-a-longs on high school band trips. I loved making up lyrics and singing them at the top of my lungs. With so much going on in my life, I would go months without picking up my guitar. So, I got an idea, I found a way to put that guitar back in my hand, and I built a website around it (with great help from Nick at CENdigital, if you need a website, get in contact with him now).

Now, one year later, I’ve composed, filmed, edited, and recorded 89 complete songs for not just friends, but people all over the country. It was no small feat, but to say that for one year, along with everything else I do, I was able to find a way to do something that makes me happy, is the best feeling ever.

I sit back and think about how I was able to pull it off, and I truly have no idea. I bought an external microphone and taught myself about compression and techniques for audio editing (which I’ve gotten much better at doing over time). I created dozens of templates and logos (some that have never seen the light of day). I composed 89 songs, from scratch, with just my guitar (sometimes a keyboard), a pen, and some paper.

I didn’t have to do all this. When I got home from work I could have just sat back, watched some TV, and thought about playing my guitar. But that’s not the person that I am, and that’s not the person I want to be. I love writing these songs, whether they’re good or bad (sometimes really bad). It makes me happy, and hopefully the songs make other people happy too. I’ve found something that I love to do, and I hope it continues for a long time.

Am I making huge amounts of money? No.

Am I spending extra time on these songs, away from my normal job and all the other random responsibilities that go on with being an adult? Yes.

Have I found something that was missing from my life? Have I found a way to integrate it back into my life, turn it into a positive, and make myself happy? Yes and yes, I have, and that far outweighs any negatives I can think of.

Find something that makes you happy, and go do it.
Life is too short to spend countless hours each day unhappy.

Here are just a few of my favorite songs over the last year: