...is some terrible advice.  I think looking back is a necessary and powerful tool..  Especially for musicians.  You need to measure progress.  You need to see IF you have progressed.  You need to see if your efforts are furthering your career.  This life of music is an inch by inch 24/7 crawl towards a dream.  It's not easy to set goals, let alone achieve them.  Because your music dream is YOUR music dream.  There's no final test.  There's no final measure.  For some it's obvious, chart topping hits and world-wide arena tours.  But once reality sets in, and even if it doesn't, how do you measure progress towards that.    The thin is it's easy to get lost in the day to struggles.  Things seem like they move too slowly and nothing ever gets done. 

For me that sums up this week.  Mentally, it was a struggle.  Felt like I was spinning my wheels and wasting my time.  Got some no's (which I HATE!!!) didn't get some things done (which is demoralizing) and felt unproductive.  The reality of it was a little different.  Spent two days with my new production team coming up with ideas for our first collaborative record and have over 10 new songs started. Got press in Portland, OR and San Antonio, TX for my collaborations with other artists.  Got booked for a live looping clinic at the ProMusic Festival in Tuffin, Ohio, made a little progress on my looping festivals, got a lot of work done in my yard, got some time in with friends, got my exercise in and spent time with my wife, my neighbor and spoke with family, spent some time playing with some gear and pushed video views on youtube for one of my artists via social media.   That was a GREAT week, yet I felt like a failure because I didn't write more songs, I didn't work on arrangements and I didn't get practice time in and I didn't get some loop station time in.  Had I not  checked my self yesterday, I'd be coming in to today with a bad attitude and sense of desperation.  The fact is, you can't do it all.  You what you can, when you can and try and pick the rest up later. Looking back helps keep you going.