True Worth

In his book "The Art of Power", Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hahn writes:

When you are filled with understanding and compassion, you have plenty of energy to serve, you are fully alive, very active, and your work, your film, your story, your novel, your poem is an expression of that mind of awakening.  And it brings you great satisfaction to know that your work contains understanding and compassion.  Even if people are not eager to buy it, you don't feel depressed at all, because you know the value of your work.

It's very easy for songwriters to be distracted by external measures of success.  This teaching reminds us that our work's true value has nothing to do with number of CDs sold or number of people in the venue--but instead with aspects of worth that are deeper, and indeed, timeless.  As Thich Nhat Hanh says, what really matters is compassion and insight...love and wisdom. 

When such elements of true worth are present in a song, the creator (songwriter) knows it, the Creator (Source of Life) knows it...and the community knows it too.

We recognize this compassion and insight in our own songs and those of others.  In fact, the distinction between songwriter and audience may even start to blur, when we allow love to guide us. 

When that happens, we find ourselves experiencing peace of mind, and deep satisfaction in our creative lives, no matter how much or how little external praise we receive.