00:00:00Birthday Reflections and New Direction
00:05:21Why I'm Pausing the Podcast
00:10:36Needing to Focus on Music
00:16:35The Desire to Be Special
00:22:18Creating Without Distractions
00:27:21Farewell and Future Plans
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Turning points often arrive when we least expect them. As I celebrate my 36th birthday this week, I found myself at a crossroads with this podcast - something I've poured my heart into creating for nearly 200 episodes.
The realization hit me like a lightning bolt: I've never given any single creative pursuit 100% of my focus and energy. My music, my performances, my writing – all have been competing for attention while I juggle multiple commitments. This podcast, as much as I love it, has sometimes pushed other dreams to the background. The interviews, writing, editing, marketing, and financial investment have consumed energy that could be directed toward completing my album and discovering my true purpose.
This isn't a full goodbye, but rather a necessary pause. I'm stepping back to create space for deeper focus, to see what happens when I finally give my music the undivided attention it deserves. The song "Special" I've written reflects this journey – the lifelong desire to create something unique and meaningful, while battling the self-doubt and imagined criticism that lives in my head.
What I've learned through this podcast is priceless. The genuine connections, the vulnerable moments, the creative surprises that emerge during conversation – these experiences have shown me what's possible when you commit to creating something authentic. Now I'm taking that knowledge and applying it to the next chapter.
If you've been part of this journey – whether as a listener, guest, or supporter – thank you from the bottom of my heart. The podcast will remain available, and I may occasionally return with updates. But for now, I'm clearing away distractions and giving myself permission to pursue one dream with everything I have.
Transition Music from Mad Chops Vol. 1 and Mad Chops Vol. 2 by Mad Keys
and
from Piano Soul Vol.1(Loop Pack) by The Modern Producers Team
Featured song: "This Little Light Of Love" DEMO by Dom L'Amour
Cover art by Studio Mania: Custom Art @studiomania99
Please subscribe to the podcast, and give us a good rating. 5 stars please and thank you. Follow me on @dom_lamour on Instagram. Or at
English
United States
SHOW NOTES 🔗
TRANSCRIPT 🔗
WEBVTT
00:00:18.257 --> 00:00:21.750
so we had a talk.
00:00:21.750 --> 00:00:27.446
That was the end of my glim levitavitt 14.
00:00:27.446 --> 00:00:33.295
I'm going to sip on this and go through where I'm at right now.
00:00:33.295 --> 00:00:45.463
I turned 36 this week 31st it's always cool to have a birthday 31st it's always cool to have a birthday.
00:00:45.463 --> 00:01:14.367
But of course, this year and if you've been listening to the pod, you've been noticing I've been kind of on a little journey, trying to understand my purpose, trying to really establish what I want for me, trying to be more disciplined, trying to be more disciplined, trying to be more in control of what I can control.
00:01:14.367 --> 00:01:17.019
So we come to the podcast.
00:01:18.766 --> 00:01:21.207
This year has been really cool to me.
00:01:21.207 --> 00:01:29.680
I've had some great conversations, but I feel like I have to take a break.
00:01:29.680 --> 00:01:38.153
I feel like I put a lot of energy, excitement, time.
00:01:38.153 --> 00:01:44.049
I put a lot of myself into this project.
00:01:44.049 --> 00:01:49.581
I always tell people it's one of my favorite things I've ever done.
00:01:49.581 --> 00:01:53.346
And it all started because, you know, I wanted to challenge myself.
00:01:53.346 --> 00:01:57.109
I wanted to see if I could do something that I've always said I wanted to do.
00:01:57.109 --> 00:01:58.932
I wanted to host a show.
00:01:58.932 --> 00:02:01.114
I wanted to write episodes.
00:02:01.114 --> 00:02:02.736
I wanted to interview people.
00:02:02.736 --> 00:02:09.061
I wanted to be personable.
00:02:09.061 --> 00:02:13.125
I wanted to explore a different avenue of my personality.
00:02:13.125 --> 00:02:22.073
I wanted to be more vulnerable, I wanted to create, and I feel like I've done that.
00:02:25.257 --> 00:02:43.653
At this point, I sit down in my office and I try to ask myself what do I want in life?
00:02:43.653 --> 00:02:51.931
And I feel like I'm in a great place, but I still don't have an actual answer.
00:02:51.931 --> 00:03:18.216
That's difficult, you know, because I feel like I've worked really hard, I've rehearsed and, like I said, I'm at a place now where I am performing every week, unless it's summertime, but I'm usually working a lot and meeting new people, creating.
00:03:18.216 --> 00:03:34.866
I still feel like there's another level that I can achieve when it comes to my creations, and so I'm starting to look at things in my life where it's like what purpose is this serving towards my overall purpose?
00:03:34.866 --> 00:03:45.775
I've said I think my purpose is to create opportunities for people to shine, which this podcast is, that it is another opportunity for that, so it makes me go back to the drawing board.
00:03:45.775 --> 00:03:47.455
Is that the purpose?
00:03:47.455 --> 00:03:48.516
Is that the only thing?
00:03:48.516 --> 00:03:49.638
What is the true purpose?
00:03:49.638 --> 00:03:52.002
What do I want?
00:03:52.002 --> 00:04:01.775
And I want to create, I want to perform, I want to put together stories.
00:04:01.775 --> 00:04:05.336
I want to more than anything.
00:04:05.336 --> 00:04:09.198
I guess the real answer is I just want to be recognized for doing that.
00:04:09.198 --> 00:04:22.187
I want people to see me and know exactly what I'm doing, instead of oh, you're doing this, you're doing that, you're doing so much I don't even know what, really what your focus is.
00:04:25.019 --> 00:04:31.353
I talked to a friend the other day and I was like I don't think I've ever given one specific thing 100% ever.
00:04:31.353 --> 00:04:35.430
Which is weird because it's the truth.
00:04:35.430 --> 00:04:47.826
Whenever it came to my albums, you know I was working doubles at a bar that didn't care about me and I was giving them more than half of the energy I was giving to my project.
00:04:47.826 --> 00:04:53.706
My project always came second With the wedding band.
00:04:53.706 --> 00:04:56.247
You know I give so much energy to that.
00:04:56.639 --> 00:05:00.107
There's so many hours in the week that goes to memorizing music.
00:05:00.107 --> 00:05:05.220
When it comes to that day, that whole day is dedicated to the wedding band.
00:05:05.220 --> 00:05:35.339
I try to write, I try to create while I'm there, but it just there isn't time in that day if I want to do my best on stage, and then the next day, half of that day I'm traveling back home, or the day before I'm going to sleep three hours earlier so I can wake up and make it to the bus, and so the day before and the day after are also being taken away from me to focus on something specific.
00:05:35.339 --> 00:05:46.615
I don't really know how any of this is gonna really go.
00:05:46.615 --> 00:05:53.579
I don't know if that's really me anymore when it comes to giving 100% to something.
00:05:53.579 --> 00:05:55.187
Maybe it's just not something that I can do.
00:05:55.187 --> 00:06:01.649
But going back to what I can control, I can't control the things that I put out.
00:06:01.649 --> 00:06:09.975
I can control the things that I put my heart into and I don't think this podcast is sucking anything negative out of me.
00:06:09.975 --> 00:06:13.565
I love everything I've done with this, but it is taking time.
00:06:14.348 --> 00:06:24.165
It is very frustrating trying to wrestle with people's calendars and schedules.
00:06:24.165 --> 00:06:36.163
I mean I've done almost 200 episodes over 200, I think and those 200 were very hard to get together.
00:06:36.163 --> 00:06:42.754
Some people I really care about I've kind of had to check myself.
00:06:42.754 --> 00:06:49.446
Say, hey, you know, yeah, they might not have prioritized this.
00:06:49.446 --> 00:06:50.187
They might not have I don't know.
00:06:50.187 --> 00:06:51.572
I don't know if they're taking you serious.
00:06:51.572 --> 00:06:57.891
I don't know how people are reacting, but I have to make sure that my reaction isn't overreacting.
00:06:57.891 --> 00:07:04.531
I can't I can't get mad at people for putting themselves first.
00:07:04.531 --> 00:07:06.194
I need to put myself first too.
00:07:07.759 --> 00:07:11.932
So I want to really focus on my music.
00:07:11.932 --> 00:07:17.851
I really want to focus on my future.
00:07:17.851 --> 00:07:21.838
What is going to be my next step for real?
00:07:21.838 --> 00:07:22.976
And I want time.
00:07:22.976 --> 00:07:25.788
Next step for real, and I want time.
00:07:25.788 --> 00:07:39.533
I want to be able to really enjoy this time with my wife and family and truly come to a conclusion that I can start to go 110 towards and my album.
00:07:39.533 --> 00:07:42.108
I feel like that is the thing I want to focus on now.
00:07:42.108 --> 00:07:52.649
I believe that it's an incredible thing to kind of help me, if anything, start to find that focus.
00:07:52.649 --> 00:08:08.572
If I can put 100% into that and release something I'm proud of, then I can move on and say, ok, is this what I want to do, or do I need to really consider what my life is, what my purpose is?
00:08:08.572 --> 00:08:21.586
The one thing I know I'm good at and I feel very proud of and I've seen go incredible is my relationship with my wife and our marriage and life here has been incredible.
00:08:21.586 --> 00:08:43.525
Maybe that's it, but then again I can see ways that me being the best, me Working towards my goals, can also help that.
00:08:43.546 --> 00:08:50.106
So I don't want to totally cancel out anything else but the podcast.
00:08:50.106 --> 00:08:51.431
I want to approach this a little different.
00:08:51.431 --> 00:09:06.347
It's been incredible these past couple seasons season three being able to really connect with people and put together episodes that I'm so proud of.
00:09:06.347 --> 00:09:19.287
I want to clear that space in my head for creation other than that podcast and I just think it's time.
00:09:19.287 --> 00:09:35.833
I will keep the podcast and I will still post online and if I have announcements or anything, I'll kind of use this as a another newsletter to post my mindset and stuff I'm going through and things I'm working on.
00:09:35.833 --> 00:09:56.525
But the interview process, the writing the episodes, the editing the episodes, the marketing the episodes, the paying for all editing the episodes, the marketing the episodes, the paying for all of the stuff and all of that energy needs to be pushed somewhere else and I'm okay with that.
00:09:56.525 --> 00:10:15.557
I appreciate every person who has taken time to sit with me, my friends, anyone who's reached out and actually tried to collaborate.
00:10:15.557 --> 00:10:16.965
That's been dope.
00:10:16.965 --> 00:10:19.826
I'm still open to that.
00:10:19.826 --> 00:10:24.779
If you are listening to this, I'm still open to creating with this platform.
00:10:24.779 --> 00:10:28.440
If you are listening to this, I'm still open to creating with this platform.
00:10:28.440 --> 00:10:33.936
I just I really need some time to really push myself.
00:10:35.505 --> 00:10:37.975
I feel like I've enjoyed my clean eating.
00:10:37.975 --> 00:10:50.048
I've enjoyed my hikes and activity, my yoga, breathing exercises, drinking this scotch has been really.
00:10:50.048 --> 00:10:57.039
This is actually what I've worked towards to be able to say you know what?
00:10:57.039 --> 00:11:04.698
I'm going to drink the scotch today because I know that I've been very good and I've pushed myself.
00:11:04.698 --> 00:11:10.817
And you know, tomorrow I'm going to go on my hike and I'm going to keep on doing my yoga and I'm going to keep on taking it easy.
00:11:10.817 --> 00:11:12.250
This is good in moderation.
00:11:12.250 --> 00:11:13.815
I haven't had a drink of scotch all year.
00:11:13.815 --> 00:11:30.648
I'm making it easy.
00:11:30.648 --> 00:11:31.308
This is good in moderation.
00:11:31.308 --> 00:11:32.250
I haven't had a drink of scotch all year.
00:11:32.270 --> 00:11:41.998
And for my 36th birthday, I think that's a time to celebrate and it's a time to reflect and it's a time to kind of be in this position because this is me truly making this decision.
00:11:41.998 --> 00:11:59.937
For me, this podcast is something I've loved and I found myself going the extra mile and staying overnight and missing rehearsals or doing stuff so that I can get this episode out, so that I can keep this up.
00:11:59.937 --> 00:12:16.716
But things have taken a backseat to this podcast and the purpose for the podcast is to promote what I'm doing, and if I'm doing this more than the other thing, that's a problem.
00:12:16.716 --> 00:12:27.990
So I hope people get a chance to really listen to the episodes, to the stories, take something away.
00:12:27.990 --> 00:12:45.039
I feel like a lot of people have shown their whole heart on a few of these episodes and some are fun episodes that we're just, you know, connecting but every episode has that, that human connection that I feel like a lot of us are missing.
00:12:45.039 --> 00:12:54.807
I found myself feeling like I needed more and more, feeling like I need it more and more.
00:12:54.807 --> 00:13:07.160
I found myself limiting myself from social media or limiting myself from binge watching TV or limiting myself from so much, but I really don't like social media.
00:13:07.160 --> 00:13:10.246
I don't want to be on there.
00:13:10.246 --> 00:13:14.052
Maybe this is a chance to eliminate a little bit more of that.
00:13:14.052 --> 00:13:17.818
I really enjoy getting out and meeting new people.
00:13:17.818 --> 00:13:25.644
Maybe this is an opportunity to give me more time to do that.
00:13:25.644 --> 00:13:37.298
It's something I love, but also it isn't truly I don't know.
00:13:37.298 --> 00:13:46.110
Like I said, thank you for listening, thank you for the comments, thank you for the reviews.
00:13:46.110 --> 00:13:52.210
Thank you to my sponsors that have sent a couple of dollars every month to help me pay for it.
00:13:52.210 --> 00:13:56.453
Thank you to my friends who've come on the show.
00:13:56.453 --> 00:14:10.633
I'm very proud of this platform and I'm going to miss the feeling I get when I release on Wednesdays.
00:14:10.633 --> 00:14:15.070
I'm going to miss the feeling of listening to an episode and being like.
00:14:15.070 --> 00:14:17.708
This really felt good.
00:14:17.708 --> 00:14:18.884
This came together great.
00:14:22.321 --> 00:14:37.592
I read a book and one of the things about it was they say you should continue to work on your craft so that the unknown can shine Meaning when you perform and you do these things and you do it well and you constantly do it.
00:14:37.592 --> 00:14:46.169
At times there will be moments where you create something or you'll say something or you'll do something, and then afterwards you'll look back and be like where did that even come from?
00:14:46.169 --> 00:14:48.706
I didn't prep for that.
00:14:48.706 --> 00:15:10.566
It's just somewhere in your head and that's that unknown coming to light and the work that you're putting in rewarding you Because even in your subconscious you're still creating, you're able to push yourself to another level, and this show has truly given me a lot of those moments.
00:15:10.566 --> 00:15:28.186
I feel like some people would be like Dominique that's a hell of a question and I write most of these episodes out completely, even sometimes a line in line, to know exactly what I want to say, what I want to push.
00:15:28.186 --> 00:15:34.235
But some of my favorite moments have come just from genuine conversation.
00:15:34.315 --> 00:15:40.167
For me, be like, wait a minute, let me go back to that and I want you to dig deeper on that subject.
00:15:40.167 --> 00:16:02.710
Small, I know, but as a creator, as a performer, as someone who loves this shit, but as a creator, as a performer, as someone who loves this shit, there's nothing better than doing something that is out of body and then looking back and being like man.
00:16:02.710 --> 00:16:03.514
That's why I love to do it.
00:16:03.514 --> 00:16:06.712
So this is hard for me.
00:16:06.712 --> 00:16:19.225
This is very hard for me, but I'm going to be very, very Proud Of the music I create, the music I put together with others.
00:16:19.225 --> 00:16:34.049
I'm going to be really proud of All the 110 I put into this next project that I'm working on, and I really want to give myself A chance to truly prove to myself that I can really create something unique.
00:16:35.751 --> 00:16:57.376
On this next project, I wrote a song called Special and when I sat down and write the song, I really wanted to create a song that spoke to that little hidden voice in my head and what it's saying.
00:16:57.376 --> 00:17:07.967
Ever since I was in school I was younger I always just wanted to be special.
00:17:07.967 --> 00:17:13.011
I always wanted someone to look at me and be like wow, that kid's got it, that kid's good.
00:17:13.011 --> 00:17:18.372
Wow, that dude is doing something that I want to do or he's inspiring me.
00:17:18.372 --> 00:17:21.148
That kid is great.
00:17:24.260 --> 00:17:30.192
But you know, you get to a point where you know you don't want people to judge you.
00:17:30.192 --> 00:17:36.573
You don't want people to look at you like you're dumb for even trying.
00:17:36.573 --> 00:17:49.846
And so even with that sentiment of the song I've gone back and forth on, even if I'm going to put it on the project Because it's something so simple.
00:17:49.846 --> 00:17:53.819
But in my head is like I could hear the criticism.
00:17:53.819 --> 00:18:00.903
I can hear people saying he's stupid or I can hear people being like, oh, he's self-absorbed, why he want to be spent.
00:18:00.903 --> 00:18:01.325
I don't know.
00:18:01.325 --> 00:18:01.806
I don't know.
00:18:01.806 --> 00:18:03.451
I'm creating these things in my own head.
00:18:07.087 --> 00:18:19.045
But it's honest, when I sit down and I wrote that song and I thought about it and I looked at the lyrics before I even sang them, I really felt like that was something that I truly want.
00:18:19.045 --> 00:18:28.048
I had a moment with a family member who was really down.
00:18:28.048 --> 00:18:39.352
I felt they were underappreciated and when they said that, it broke my heart.
00:18:39.352 --> 00:18:48.011
But on top of breaking my heart, it made me really think about my place and how I feel.
00:18:48.011 --> 00:19:01.333
In many ways I do feel that, but it's also a lot of a mental game of me creating this idea.
00:19:01.453 --> 00:19:06.511
You know, I feel underappreciated.
00:19:06.511 --> 00:19:07.519
I feel underappreciated.
00:19:07.519 --> 00:19:15.048
I feel like things that I put out or people that I work with.
00:19:15.048 --> 00:19:25.905
For some reason I've created this, this mental that things are going to go one way, but then usually they don't.
00:19:25.905 --> 00:19:29.265
Nothing usually goes the way that I plan in my head.
00:19:29.265 --> 00:19:44.788
I have to embrace that, because in many ways a lot of people still kind of surprise me with how much they appreciate me and tell me that thing that you did years ago.
00:19:44.788 --> 00:19:46.553
I watch that every once in a while.
00:19:46.553 --> 00:19:47.320
It makes me happy.
00:19:47.340 --> 00:19:54.125
I'm just like you know, I wanted to hear that the week it was released but it took three years to hear it.
00:19:54.125 --> 00:19:58.604
And in my head, for some reason, the whole time I'm like I'm underappreciated.
00:19:58.604 --> 00:19:59.626
No one cares and this and that.
00:19:59.626 --> 00:20:01.140
But it's like people do care.
00:20:01.140 --> 00:20:02.721
Some people just don't communicate it.
00:20:02.721 --> 00:20:06.547
Some people communicate it to themselves.
00:20:06.547 --> 00:20:11.232
Some people show their appreciation another way.
00:20:11.232 --> 00:20:20.420
You know, when I release a post or something or I talk to someone about a project, they they show their appreciation.
00:20:20.420 --> 00:20:28.208
Then, wow, I'm so excited for you, that's something that's so great, that you're so great at, and I'm just like I hear it.
00:20:28.489 --> 00:20:33.430
I see, I feel it a lot, but I still find ways to tell myself it's not happening.
00:20:33.430 --> 00:20:44.088
It just comes back to the idea that I'm working on me and this is another step towards that.
00:20:44.088 --> 00:20:47.210
I think this is a good thing for me to take some time.
00:20:47.210 --> 00:21:14.174
This is a good thing for me to take some time, turn off the TV, turn off the social media, and if I just sit in front of my writing app or in front of my journal for an hour and nothing is put down, I feel like that's more important to give myself that opportunity than to suck up all of this madness that's going on around us.
00:21:17.300 --> 00:21:23.933
This morning I listened to Seth Meyers and he just was going on about Epstein and Trump.
00:21:23.933 --> 00:21:39.894
And I listened to NPR and he listened to all the stuff that's going on in Gaza and Israel and none of it makes me happy.
00:21:39.894 --> 00:21:50.191
But I can turn it off and I can create something that hopefully will inspire people.
00:21:50.191 --> 00:21:56.824
I mean, that's what you want, right, for yourself at least.
00:21:56.824 --> 00:22:05.384
So this isn't goodbye.
00:22:05.384 --> 00:22:13.232
You will hear from me, maybe on this platform, maybe in other ways, but Cheers to you all.
00:22:13.232 --> 00:22:19.424
I appreciate y'all.
00:22:19.424 --> 00:22:27.502
If you want to do anything with the pie, just hit me up, but I'm going to.
00:22:27.502 --> 00:22:28.969
I'm going to take a break in.
00:22:28.969 --> 00:22:35.772
I may come back in a year, so we'll see If not.
00:22:35.880 --> 00:22:37.646
It's been an incredible experience.
00:22:37.646 --> 00:22:55.646
This has been a lot of fun to create, to nail down, to truly experiment with, and it helped me see that I can do something incredible.
00:22:55.646 --> 00:23:12.388
I'm just going to keep on trying to do that and see what life will really bring towards me, because I have some things that I want to do, and 36 is not too old to do it.
00:23:12.388 --> 00:23:24.567
It's just a matter of having a clear vision, a clear guide towards that goal, or not goal, that target.
00:23:24.567 --> 00:23:27.307
I don't want to limit myself anymore.
00:23:27.307 --> 00:23:28.923
I want to shoot through these targets.
00:23:28.923 --> 00:23:30.789
I can do it.
00:23:30.789 --> 00:23:34.784
I want to give myself that opportunity.
00:23:38.071 --> 00:23:39.541
Thank you Once again.
00:23:39.541 --> 00:23:41.127
Y'all be safe.
00:23:41.127 --> 00:24:13.590
Much love you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you.
00:24:13.590 --> 00:24:18.121
I think for us, like you are like the perfect, like image of like a black woman, like.
00:24:18.121 --> 00:24:20.548
So I always wondered if you felt that pressure.
00:24:20.548 --> 00:24:24.145
No, light is not heavy.
00:24:24.145 --> 00:24:29.182
Carry light, share light.
00:24:29.182 --> 00:24:31.584
Light is not heavy.
00:24:33.945 --> 00:24:41.512
Grandma taught me lots of things Bring people joy, use my gift and sing.
00:24:41.512 --> 00:24:46.517
I'd lean on her her arm, I'd cling.
00:24:46.517 --> 00:24:51.142
The world lost such a precious thing.
00:24:51.142 --> 00:24:57.835
I'll never forget her.
00:24:57.835 --> 00:25:04.644
She made life so much better.
00:25:04.644 --> 00:25:19.304
I close my eyes and I can hear her Preaching and sharing her love Straight from above, this little light of love I'm so thankful of.
00:25:19.304 --> 00:25:21.593
She is my glove.
00:25:21.593 --> 00:25:29.759
Straight from above this little light of love I'm so thankful of.
00:25:29.759 --> 00:25:36.730
Family first, do well in school, treat people right.
00:25:36.730 --> 00:25:43.915
The golden rule Set you some goals, be brave, don't be cruel.
00:25:43.915 --> 00:25:52.500
Her wisdom was my special tool.
00:25:52.500 --> 00:25:56.244
I'll never forget it.
00:25:56.244 --> 00:26:02.678
Stuck in my head, embedded Her love, I can still feel it.
00:26:02.678 --> 00:26:09.317
I cherish that and I spread her love.
00:26:09.317 --> 00:26:16.833
Straight from above, this little light of love I'm so thankful of.
00:26:16.833 --> 00:26:19.211
She is my glove.
00:26:19.211 --> 00:26:27.356
Straight from above, this little light of love I'm so thankful of.
00:26:27.356 --> 00:26:33.457
Yes, I can hear her sing to me.
00:26:33.457 --> 00:26:38.390
I can hear my grandma sing.
00:26:39.131 --> 00:27:03.471
Yes, she would always sing this one song, yes, and it goes like this Sing it with me, amen, amen, amen, amen.
00:27:03.471 --> 00:27:19.083
One more time now Amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen.
00:27:19.083 --> 00:27:27.715
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.
00:27:27.715 --> 00:27:35.776
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.
00:27:35.776 --> 00:27:49.473
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
00:27:49.473 --> 00:27:50.612
That's my favorite part.
00:27:50.612 --> 00:27:59.574
Everywhere that I go, baby, I'm gonna let it shine.
00:27:59.574 --> 00:28:07.538
Everywhere that I go, baby, I'm gonna let it shine.
00:28:07.538 --> 00:28:21.864
Everywhere that I go, baby, I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
00:28:21.864 --> 00:28:39.382
Yes, one more time, this little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.
00:28:39.382 --> 00:28:53.151
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
00:00:18.257 --> 00:00:21.750
so we had a talk.
00:00:21.750 --> 00:00:27.446
That was the end of my glim levitavitt 14.
00:00:27.446 --> 00:00:33.295
I'm going to sip on this and go through where I'm at right now.
00:00:33.295 --> 00:00:45.463
I turned 36 this week 31st it's always cool to have a birthday 31st it's always cool to have a birthday.
00:00:45.463 --> 00:01:14.367
But of course, this year and if you've been listening to the pod, you've been noticing I've been kind of on a little journey, trying to understand my purpose, trying to really establish what I want for me, trying to be more disciplined, trying to be more disciplined, trying to be more in control of what I can control.
00:01:14.367 --> 00:01:17.019
So we come to the podcast.
00:01:18.766 --> 00:01:21.207
This year has been really cool to me.
00:01:21.207 --> 00:01:29.680
I've had some great conversations, but I feel like I have to take a break.
00:01:29.680 --> 00:01:38.153
I feel like I put a lot of energy, excitement, time.
00:01:38.153 --> 00:01:44.049
I put a lot of myself into this project.
00:01:44.049 --> 00:01:49.581
I always tell people it's one of my favorite things I've ever done.
00:01:49.581 --> 00:01:53.346
And it all started because, you know, I wanted to challenge myself.
00:01:53.346 --> 00:01:57.109
I wanted to see if I could do something that I've always said I wanted to do.
00:01:57.109 --> 00:01:58.932
I wanted to host a show.
00:01:58.932 --> 00:02:01.114
I wanted to write episodes.
00:02:01.114 --> 00:02:02.736
I wanted to interview people.
00:02:02.736 --> 00:02:09.061
I wanted to be personable.
00:02:09.061 --> 00:02:13.125
I wanted to explore a different avenue of my personality.
00:02:13.125 --> 00:02:22.073
I wanted to be more vulnerable, I wanted to create, and I feel like I've done that.
00:02:25.257 --> 00:02:43.653
At this point, I sit down in my office and I try to ask myself what do I want in life?
00:02:43.653 --> 00:02:51.931
And I feel like I'm in a great place, but I still don't have an actual answer.
00:02:51.931 --> 00:03:18.216
That's difficult, you know, because I feel like I've worked really hard, I've rehearsed and, like I said, I'm at a place now where I am performing every week, unless it's summertime, but I'm usually working a lot and meeting new people, creating.
00:03:18.216 --> 00:03:34.866
I still feel like there's another level that I can achieve when it comes to my creations, and so I'm starting to look at things in my life where it's like what purpose is this serving towards my overall purpose?
00:03:34.866 --> 00:03:45.775
I've said I think my purpose is to create opportunities for people to shine, which this podcast is, that it is another opportunity for that, so it makes me go back to the drawing board.
00:03:45.775 --> 00:03:47.455
Is that the purpose?
00:03:47.455 --> 00:03:48.516
Is that the only thing?
00:03:48.516 --> 00:03:49.638
What is the true purpose?
00:03:49.638 --> 00:03:52.002
What do I want?
00:03:52.002 --> 00:04:01.775
And I want to create, I want to perform, I want to put together stories.
00:04:01.775 --> 00:04:05.336
I want to more than anything.
00:04:05.336 --> 00:04:09.198
I guess the real answer is I just want to be recognized for doing that.
00:04:09.198 --> 00:04:22.187
I want people to see me and know exactly what I'm doing, instead of oh, you're doing this, you're doing that, you're doing so much I don't even know what, really what your focus is.
00:04:25.019 --> 00:04:31.353
I talked to a friend the other day and I was like I don't think I've ever given one specific thing 100% ever.
00:04:31.353 --> 00:04:35.430
Which is weird because it's the truth.
00:04:35.430 --> 00:04:47.826
Whenever it came to my albums, you know I was working doubles at a bar that didn't care about me and I was giving them more than half of the energy I was giving to my project.
00:04:47.826 --> 00:04:53.706
My project always came second With the wedding band.
00:04:53.706 --> 00:04:56.247
You know I give so much energy to that.
00:04:56.639 --> 00:05:00.107
There's so many hours in the week that goes to memorizing music.
00:05:00.107 --> 00:05:05.220
When it comes to that day, that whole day is dedicated to the wedding band.
00:05:05.220 --> 00:05:35.339
I try to write, I try to create while I'm there, but it just there isn't time in that day if I want to do my best on stage, and then the next day, half of that day I'm traveling back home, or the day before I'm going to sleep three hours earlier so I can wake up and make it to the bus, and so the day before and the day after are also being taken away from me to focus on something specific.
00:05:35.339 --> 00:05:46.615
I don't really know how any of this is gonna really go.
00:05:46.615 --> 00:05:53.579
I don't know if that's really me anymore when it comes to giving 100% to something.
00:05:53.579 --> 00:05:55.187
Maybe it's just not something that I can do.
00:05:55.187 --> 00:06:01.649
But going back to what I can control, I can't control the things that I put out.
00:06:01.649 --> 00:06:09.975
I can control the things that I put my heart into and I don't think this podcast is sucking anything negative out of me.
00:06:09.975 --> 00:06:13.565
I love everything I've done with this, but it is taking time.
00:06:14.348 --> 00:06:24.165
It is very frustrating trying to wrestle with people's calendars and schedules.
00:06:24.165 --> 00:06:36.163
I mean I've done almost 200 episodes over 200, I think and those 200 were very hard to get together.
00:06:36.163 --> 00:06:42.754
Some people I really care about I've kind of had to check myself.
00:06:42.754 --> 00:06:49.446
Say, hey, you know, yeah, they might not have prioritized this.
00:06:49.446 --> 00:06:50.187
They might not have I don't know.
00:06:50.187 --> 00:06:51.572
I don't know if they're taking you serious.
00:06:51.572 --> 00:06:57.891
I don't know how people are reacting, but I have to make sure that my reaction isn't overreacting.
00:06:57.891 --> 00:07:04.531
I can't I can't get mad at people for putting themselves first.
00:07:04.531 --> 00:07:06.194
I need to put myself first too.
00:07:07.759 --> 00:07:11.932
So I want to really focus on my music.
00:07:11.932 --> 00:07:17.851
I really want to focus on my future.
00:07:17.851 --> 00:07:21.838
What is going to be my next step for real?
00:07:21.838 --> 00:07:22.976
And I want time.
00:07:22.976 --> 00:07:25.788
Next step for real, and I want time.
00:07:25.788 --> 00:07:39.533
I want to be able to really enjoy this time with my wife and family and truly come to a conclusion that I can start to go 110 towards and my album.
00:07:39.533 --> 00:07:42.108
I feel like that is the thing I want to focus on now.
00:07:42.108 --> 00:07:52.649
I believe that it's an incredible thing to kind of help me, if anything, start to find that focus.
00:07:52.649 --> 00:08:08.572
If I can put 100% into that and release something I'm proud of, then I can move on and say, ok, is this what I want to do, or do I need to really consider what my life is, what my purpose is?
00:08:08.572 --> 00:08:21.586
The one thing I know I'm good at and I feel very proud of and I've seen go incredible is my relationship with my wife and our marriage and life here has been incredible.
00:08:21.586 --> 00:08:43.525
Maybe that's it, but then again I can see ways that me being the best, me Working towards my goals, can also help that.
00:08:43.546 --> 00:08:50.106
So I don't want to totally cancel out anything else but the podcast.
00:08:50.106 --> 00:08:51.431
I want to approach this a little different.
00:08:51.431 --> 00:09:06.347
It's been incredible these past couple seasons season three being able to really connect with people and put together episodes that I'm so proud of.
00:09:06.347 --> 00:09:19.287
I want to clear that space in my head for creation other than that podcast and I just think it's time.
00:09:19.287 --> 00:09:35.833
I will keep the podcast and I will still post online and if I have announcements or anything, I'll kind of use this as a another newsletter to post my mindset and stuff I'm going through and things I'm working on.
00:09:35.833 --> 00:09:56.525
But the interview process, the writing the episodes, the editing the episodes, the marketing the episodes, the paying for all editing the episodes, the marketing the episodes, the paying for all of the stuff and all of that energy needs to be pushed somewhere else and I'm okay with that.
00:09:56.525 --> 00:10:15.557
I appreciate every person who has taken time to sit with me, my friends, anyone who's reached out and actually tried to collaborate.
00:10:15.557 --> 00:10:16.965
That's been dope.
00:10:16.965 --> 00:10:19.826
I'm still open to that.
00:10:19.826 --> 00:10:24.779
If you are listening to this, I'm still open to creating with this platform.
00:10:24.779 --> 00:10:28.440
If you are listening to this, I'm still open to creating with this platform.
00:10:28.440 --> 00:10:33.936
I just I really need some time to really push myself.
00:10:35.505 --> 00:10:37.975
I feel like I've enjoyed my clean eating.
00:10:37.975 --> 00:10:50.048
I've enjoyed my hikes and activity, my yoga, breathing exercises, drinking this scotch has been really.
00:10:50.048 --> 00:10:57.039
This is actually what I've worked towards to be able to say you know what?
00:10:57.039 --> 00:11:04.698
I'm going to drink the scotch today because I know that I've been very good and I've pushed myself.
00:11:04.698 --> 00:11:10.817
And you know, tomorrow I'm going to go on my hike and I'm going to keep on doing my yoga and I'm going to keep on taking it easy.
00:11:10.817 --> 00:11:12.250
This is good in moderation.
00:11:12.250 --> 00:11:13.815
I haven't had a drink of scotch all year.
00:11:13.815 --> 00:11:30.648
I'm making it easy.
00:11:30.648 --> 00:11:31.308
This is good in moderation.
00:11:31.308 --> 00:11:32.250
I haven't had a drink of scotch all year.
00:11:32.270 --> 00:11:41.998
And for my 36th birthday, I think that's a time to celebrate and it's a time to reflect and it's a time to kind of be in this position because this is me truly making this decision.
00:11:41.998 --> 00:11:59.937
For me, this podcast is something I've loved and I found myself going the extra mile and staying overnight and missing rehearsals or doing stuff so that I can get this episode out, so that I can keep this up.
00:11:59.937 --> 00:12:16.716
But things have taken a backseat to this podcast and the purpose for the podcast is to promote what I'm doing, and if I'm doing this more than the other thing, that's a problem.
00:12:16.716 --> 00:12:27.990
So I hope people get a chance to really listen to the episodes, to the stories, take something away.
00:12:27.990 --> 00:12:45.039
I feel like a lot of people have shown their whole heart on a few of these episodes and some are fun episodes that we're just, you know, connecting but every episode has that, that human connection that I feel like a lot of us are missing.
00:12:45.039 --> 00:12:54.807
I found myself feeling like I needed more and more, feeling like I need it more and more.
00:12:54.807 --> 00:13:07.160
I found myself limiting myself from social media or limiting myself from binge watching TV or limiting myself from so much, but I really don't like social media.
00:13:07.160 --> 00:13:10.246
I don't want to be on there.
00:13:10.246 --> 00:13:14.052
Maybe this is a chance to eliminate a little bit more of that.
00:13:14.052 --> 00:13:17.818
I really enjoy getting out and meeting new people.
00:13:17.818 --> 00:13:25.644
Maybe this is an opportunity to give me more time to do that.
00:13:25.644 --> 00:13:37.298
It's something I love, but also it isn't truly I don't know.
00:13:37.298 --> 00:13:46.110
Like I said, thank you for listening, thank you for the comments, thank you for the reviews.
00:13:46.110 --> 00:13:52.210
Thank you to my sponsors that have sent a couple of dollars every month to help me pay for it.
00:13:52.210 --> 00:13:56.453
Thank you to my friends who've come on the show.
00:13:56.453 --> 00:14:10.633
I'm very proud of this platform and I'm going to miss the feeling I get when I release on Wednesdays.
00:14:10.633 --> 00:14:15.070
I'm going to miss the feeling of listening to an episode and being like.
00:14:15.070 --> 00:14:17.708
This really felt good.
00:14:17.708 --> 00:14:18.884
This came together great.
00:14:22.321 --> 00:14:37.592
I read a book and one of the things about it was they say you should continue to work on your craft so that the unknown can shine Meaning when you perform and you do these things and you do it well and you constantly do it.
00:14:37.592 --> 00:14:46.169
At times there will be moments where you create something or you'll say something or you'll do something, and then afterwards you'll look back and be like where did that even come from?
00:14:46.169 --> 00:14:48.706
I didn't prep for that.
00:14:48.706 --> 00:15:10.566
It's just somewhere in your head and that's that unknown coming to light and the work that you're putting in rewarding you Because even in your subconscious you're still creating, you're able to push yourself to another level, and this show has truly given me a lot of those moments.
00:15:10.566 --> 00:15:28.186
I feel like some people would be like Dominique that's a hell of a question and I write most of these episodes out completely, even sometimes a line in line, to know exactly what I want to say, what I want to push.
00:15:28.186 --> 00:15:34.235
But some of my favorite moments have come just from genuine conversation.
00:15:34.315 --> 00:15:40.167
For me, be like, wait a minute, let me go back to that and I want you to dig deeper on that subject.
00:15:40.167 --> 00:16:02.710
Small, I know, but as a creator, as a performer, as someone who loves this shit, but as a creator, as a performer, as someone who loves this shit, there's nothing better than doing something that is out of body and then looking back and being like man.
00:16:02.710 --> 00:16:03.514
That's why I love to do it.
00:16:03.514 --> 00:16:06.712
So this is hard for me.
00:16:06.712 --> 00:16:19.225
This is very hard for me, but I'm going to be very, very Proud Of the music I create, the music I put together with others.
00:16:19.225 --> 00:16:34.049
I'm going to be really proud of All the 110 I put into this next project that I'm working on, and I really want to give myself A chance to truly prove to myself that I can really create something unique.
00:16:35.751 --> 00:16:57.376
On this next project, I wrote a song called Special and when I sat down and write the song, I really wanted to create a song that spoke to that little hidden voice in my head and what it's saying.
00:16:57.376 --> 00:17:07.967
Ever since I was in school I was younger I always just wanted to be special.
00:17:07.967 --> 00:17:13.011
I always wanted someone to look at me and be like wow, that kid's got it, that kid's good.
00:17:13.011 --> 00:17:18.372
Wow, that dude is doing something that I want to do or he's inspiring me.
00:17:18.372 --> 00:17:21.148
That kid is great.
00:17:24.260 --> 00:17:30.192
But you know, you get to a point where you know you don't want people to judge you.
00:17:30.192 --> 00:17:36.573
You don't want people to look at you like you're dumb for even trying.
00:17:36.573 --> 00:17:49.846
And so even with that sentiment of the song I've gone back and forth on, even if I'm going to put it on the project Because it's something so simple.
00:17:49.846 --> 00:17:53.819
But in my head is like I could hear the criticism.
00:17:53.819 --> 00:18:00.903
I can hear people saying he's stupid or I can hear people being like, oh, he's self-absorbed, why he want to be spent.
00:18:00.903 --> 00:18:01.325
I don't know.
00:18:01.325 --> 00:18:01.806
I don't know.
00:18:01.806 --> 00:18:03.451
I'm creating these things in my own head.
00:18:07.087 --> 00:18:19.045
But it's honest, when I sit down and I wrote that song and I thought about it and I looked at the lyrics before I even sang them, I really felt like that was something that I truly want.
00:18:19.045 --> 00:18:28.048
I had a moment with a family member who was really down.
00:18:28.048 --> 00:18:39.352
I felt they were underappreciated and when they said that, it broke my heart.
00:18:39.352 --> 00:18:48.011
But on top of breaking my heart, it made me really think about my place and how I feel.
00:18:48.011 --> 00:19:01.333
In many ways I do feel that, but it's also a lot of a mental game of me creating this idea.
00:19:01.453 --> 00:19:06.511
You know, I feel underappreciated.
00:19:06.511 --> 00:19:07.519
I feel underappreciated.
00:19:07.519 --> 00:19:15.048
I feel like things that I put out or people that I work with.
00:19:15.048 --> 00:19:25.905
For some reason I've created this, this mental that things are going to go one way, but then usually they don't.
00:19:25.905 --> 00:19:29.265
Nothing usually goes the way that I plan in my head.
00:19:29.265 --> 00:19:44.788
I have to embrace that, because in many ways a lot of people still kind of surprise me with how much they appreciate me and tell me that thing that you did years ago.
00:19:44.788 --> 00:19:46.553
I watch that every once in a while.
00:19:46.553 --> 00:19:47.320
It makes me happy.
00:19:47.340 --> 00:19:54.125
I'm just like you know, I wanted to hear that the week it was released but it took three years to hear it.
00:19:54.125 --> 00:19:58.604
And in my head, for some reason, the whole time I'm like I'm underappreciated.
00:19:58.604 --> 00:19:59.626
No one cares and this and that.
00:19:59.626 --> 00:20:01.140
But it's like people do care.
00:20:01.140 --> 00:20:02.721
Some people just don't communicate it.
00:20:02.721 --> 00:20:06.547
Some people communicate it to themselves.
00:20:06.547 --> 00:20:11.232
Some people show their appreciation another way.
00:20:11.232 --> 00:20:20.420
You know, when I release a post or something or I talk to someone about a project, they they show their appreciation.
00:20:20.420 --> 00:20:28.208
Then, wow, I'm so excited for you, that's something that's so great, that you're so great at, and I'm just like I hear it.
00:20:28.489 --> 00:20:33.430
I see, I feel it a lot, but I still find ways to tell myself it's not happening.
00:20:33.430 --> 00:20:44.088
It just comes back to the idea that I'm working on me and this is another step towards that.
00:20:44.088 --> 00:20:47.210
I think this is a good thing for me to take some time.
00:20:47.210 --> 00:21:14.174
This is a good thing for me to take some time, turn off the TV, turn off the social media, and if I just sit in front of my writing app or in front of my journal for an hour and nothing is put down, I feel like that's more important to give myself that opportunity than to suck up all of this madness that's going on around us.
00:21:17.300 --> 00:21:23.933
This morning I listened to Seth Meyers and he just was going on about Epstein and Trump.
00:21:23.933 --> 00:21:39.894
And I listened to NPR and he listened to all the stuff that's going on in Gaza and Israel and none of it makes me happy.
00:21:39.894 --> 00:21:50.191
But I can turn it off and I can create something that hopefully will inspire people.
00:21:50.191 --> 00:21:56.824
I mean, that's what you want, right, for yourself at least.
00:21:56.824 --> 00:22:05.384
So this isn't goodbye.
00:22:05.384 --> 00:22:13.232
You will hear from me, maybe on this platform, maybe in other ways, but Cheers to you all.
00:22:13.232 --> 00:22:19.424
I appreciate y'all.
00:22:19.424 --> 00:22:27.502
If you want to do anything with the pie, just hit me up, but I'm going to.
00:22:27.502 --> 00:22:28.969
I'm going to take a break in.
00:22:28.969 --> 00:22:35.772
I may come back in a year, so we'll see If not.
00:22:35.880 --> 00:22:37.646
It's been an incredible experience.
00:22:37.646 --> 00:22:55.646
This has been a lot of fun to create, to nail down, to truly experiment with, and it helped me see that I can do something incredible.
00:22:55.646 --> 00:23:12.388
I'm just going to keep on trying to do that and see what life will really bring towards me, because I have some things that I want to do, and 36 is not too old to do it.
00:23:12.388 --> 00:23:24.567
It's just a matter of having a clear vision, a clear guide towards that goal, or not goal, that target.
00:23:24.567 --> 00:23:27.307
I don't want to limit myself anymore.
00:23:27.307 --> 00:23:28.923
I want to shoot through these targets.
00:23:28.923 --> 00:23:30.789
I can do it.
00:23:30.789 --> 00:23:34.784
I want to give myself that opportunity.
00:23:38.071 --> 00:23:39.541
Thank you Once again.
00:23:39.541 --> 00:23:41.127
Y'all be safe.
00:23:41.127 --> 00:24:13.590
Much love you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you.
00:24:13.590 --> 00:24:18.121
I think for us, like you are like the perfect, like image of like a black woman, like.
00:24:18.121 --> 00:24:20.548
So I always wondered if you felt that pressure.
00:24:20.548 --> 00:24:24.145
No, light is not heavy.
00:24:24.145 --> 00:24:29.182
Carry light, share light.
00:24:29.182 --> 00:24:31.584
Light is not heavy.
00:24:33.945 --> 00:24:41.512
Grandma taught me lots of things Bring people joy, use my gift and sing.
00:24:41.512 --> 00:24:46.517
I'd lean on her her arm, I'd cling.
00:24:46.517 --> 00:24:51.142
The world lost such a precious thing.
00:24:51.142 --> 00:24:57.835
I'll never forget her.
00:24:57.835 --> 00:25:04.644
She made life so much better.
00:25:04.644 --> 00:25:19.304
I close my eyes and I can hear her Preaching and sharing her love Straight from above, this little light of love I'm so thankful of.
00:25:19.304 --> 00:25:21.593
She is my glove.
00:25:21.593 --> 00:25:29.759
Straight from above this little light of love I'm so thankful of.
00:25:29.759 --> 00:25:36.730
Family first, do well in school, treat people right.
00:25:36.730 --> 00:25:43.915
The golden rule Set you some goals, be brave, don't be cruel.
00:25:43.915 --> 00:25:52.500
Her wisdom was my special tool.
00:25:52.500 --> 00:25:56.244
I'll never forget it.
00:25:56.244 --> 00:26:02.678
Stuck in my head, embedded Her love, I can still feel it.
00:26:02.678 --> 00:26:09.317
I cherish that and I spread her love.
00:26:09.317 --> 00:26:16.833
Straight from above, this little light of love I'm so thankful of.
00:26:16.833 --> 00:26:19.211
She is my glove.
00:26:19.211 --> 00:26:27.356
Straight from above, this little light of love I'm so thankful of.
00:26:27.356 --> 00:26:33.457
Yes, I can hear her sing to me.
00:26:33.457 --> 00:26:38.390
I can hear my grandma sing.
00:26:39.131 --> 00:27:03.471
Yes, she would always sing this one song, yes, and it goes like this Sing it with me, amen, amen, amen, amen.
00:27:03.471 --> 00:27:19.083
One more time now Amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen.
00:27:19.083 --> 00:27:27.715
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.
00:27:27.715 --> 00:27:35.776
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.
00:27:35.776 --> 00:27:49.473
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
00:27:49.473 --> 00:27:50.612
That's my favorite part.
00:27:50.612 --> 00:27:59.574
Everywhere that I go, baby, I'm gonna let it shine.
00:27:59.574 --> 00:28:07.538
Everywhere that I go, baby, I'm gonna let it shine.
00:28:07.538 --> 00:28:21.864
Everywhere that I go, baby, I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
00:28:21.864 --> 00:28:39.382
Yes, one more time, this little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.
00:28:39.382 --> 00:28:53.151
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
SEARCH PAST EPISODES
Search past episodes of "The Black Man Talking Emotions Podcast" Starring Dom L'Amour.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Dom L'Amour, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.
EDIT
Thank you for helping to keep the podcast database up to date.
