GOT GRIT?

Mar 9

We stay hungry we devour put in the work and take whats ours! - Dwayne “the rock” Johsnon

It’s very hard to put yourself out there.

To bet on your talents, your charisma, everything you’ve learned so far… and just hope the right person sees it, loves it, and decides to take a chance on you.

It doesn’t bother me as much now as it did when I was 18. These days I’ll post what I want even if I think it’s a little cringey. Heck, what I’m writing right now is basically my inner dialogue… something very personal that I share every Monday for strangers to read.

I’ve kind of reached a point in my life where I just don’t care what people think. I’m going to be me and say what I think. And if you care to watch or read… great. I’m so happy you’re here. Truly, thank you.

But I also know I’m not everyone’s cup of tea. And that’s okay.

Still, yesterday reminded me how scary it is to put yourself out there, no matter what you’re doing.

One of my family friends, whom I’ve known my whole life, loves making jewelry. She buys $800 worth of silver, goes all the way to Alaska to mine for materials, and even collects fish bones to incorporate into her pieces.

She is incredibly talented.

But yesterday she told me she had taken down her website, her Etsy shop, and her Shopify store because nothing was selling. She was frustrated and heartbroken. She told me she has boxes full of handcrafted jewelry… pieces she stayed up all night making… that no one seems to want.

And she kept saying how hard it is to stand at boutique sales and watch people walk past your table.

My heart went out to her. Even though our passions are completely different, the feeling was so familiar.

While she spends hours finding the perfect piece of silver or the right stone for a ring, I spend hours dissecting my life : trying to turn experiences into something relatable, funny, and hopefully set to a melody that sticks.

And then we both set it out on a table, hoping someone will buy something we handcrafted… or feel drawn to stick around and follow.

Because it doesn’t really matter what you do anymore…. eventually, you have to become a salesperson and put yourself out there.

Like, I’m quite literally trying to sell myself to random people on the internet.
(Not like that, you creep.)

And honestly, she’s older. It’s okay for her to take a break from selling. If you’ve followed my journey since high school, you know how many hiatuses I’ve taken from my music account. Instagram is exhausting.

But it made me think about something.

Do you have grit?

Actually… do I have grit?

Grit enough to handle the no’s.
Grit enough to hear someone say you sing like a billy goat and keep going anyway.
Grit enough to keep losing.
Grit enough to smile while people walk past your booth.

Grit is something I’ve had to learn this past year.

Even though “Villain” is getting some recognition and the stream count is growing, I still get a lot of no’s. A lot of people are undercutting my talent.

And sometimes, to keep myself from crying or getting discouraged, I literally make myself dance to Dolly Parton and smile the whole way through. Optimism and just putting my shoulder to the work are what get me through hard things.

Because I believe grit might just be the difference.

For some reason right now, I believe that every “no” means you’re one step closer to a “yes.”

And it’s also okay to take breaks. Truly.

But the real question is this:

When you fall down, do you have what it takes to get back up, lift your chin, and say, watch me?

I don’t know.