Trust yourself

When you get older, you sometimes realize that fitting in isn’t always what makes you happy. You go to a good school, get a good job, and follow the path everyone expects you to take. But after a while, you realize you’ve met that same person a thousand times.

Looking back, I sometimes wish I’d had the courage to choose the path I truly wanted.

When I was a teenager, I dreamed of going to Musicians Institute in Hollywood. But I didn’t believe in myself. I wasn’t confident enough. I was afraid of taking a different path from everyone else.

Now I’m 37, and I never imagined I’d still be so passionate about music—or that I’d become a decent bass player. If someone had told my teenage self that I’d still be playing bass, writing music, and talking to musicians from around the world, I probably wouldn’t have believed them.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is simple: believe in yourself. Don’t let fear make your decisions.

Maybe I would’ve become a completely different person if I’d gone to MI. I’ll never know. But one thing hasn’t changed—music is still my aeroplane.

And after all these years, I’m still a humble student of the bass guitar.

If there’s one thing I’d tell my younger self, it’d be this: trust yourself a little more. You never know where your passion might take you.