My parents never encouraged me to make my dream come true of being a rock star. Instead, they did everything they could to discourage me by saying, “ It’s a tough business, don’t get involved.” Little did they know, this “advice” became the fuel I needed to propel my 14-year-old rebellious self into pursuing my dreams.
Years later, as a full-time independent artist, I’ve come to realize that my parents may have been correct. The music industry is tough. However, I’ve learned a more important lesson – life is tough. You never know where the obstacle course will lead you and you can’t always map out your success.
There is a Yiddish expression my grandparents told me when I was young – Mentsch tracht, Gott lacht – Man plans and G-d Laughs. And as a self-admitted perfectionist, I plan. I plan all the time. And when I’m done planning, I plan some more. But in my life’s to-do list, not once did I ever jot down that I would become known around the world as “Matzah Girl,” that my songs stemming from some of the darkest moments of life would be sung as inspirational songs in synagogues around the country, or that I would be scoring a Broadway musical.
In life, we will all face closed doors, disappointments and bumps in the road. This is a guaranteed inevitability that is beyond our control. But what we can control is what we do with these moments. Do we treat them as ends of the road? Or are they opportunities to take a new direction? Our dreams are here to guide us but we should leave space for those dreams to expand, for what’s in store for us, may be greater than anything imagined.
Michelle Citrin is a songwriter who is currently scoring the Broadway production of “Sleepless in Seattle.” www.michellecitrin.com
