Sacrifice is the key to Happiness

Hello, fellow thinker!

Have you ever faced the tough choice of giving up something dear to you because it wasn't benefiting your life? For me, it was music, a cherished hobby.

I have been making music since I was 16 years old. As I got older, it intertwined with my professional life and I made a lot of personal connections, people I now call friends, through a mutual passion for music. Some of you are reading this right now. 👋🏼 This was more than a hobby, it was a huge part of my identity. That’s the part of me I sacrificed.

As a devoted musician, the son of a Pianist mother, and a renowned artist-father, I was deeply entrenched in the world of melodies and rhythms from a very your age. My life revolved around studios, sound engineering, film scoring, and songwriting. I loved making music with my parents, and with my friends. I even got my daughter to sing vocals on the track called “Not as Fun.” Outside of collaboration with other people, I spend a lot of time by myself. Sitting alone in my basement for many hours with my wife and kids sleeping where I’d replay the same 3-second loop over and over, fine-tuning the frequencies to get them to sound just right. In retrospect, it was like a form of self-inflicted torture. I would stay up past 2 am regularly, working on a track while the juices were flowing. By “juices” I mean, creative juices, which were fueled by enormous amounts of liquor and nicotine.

You can probably measure my songs in the amount of alcohol I drank in the making of those tracks. The song “Monster” took me 4 liters of cognac, 2 liters of vodka, and about 20 packs of Juul pods. “7even”, a romantic chillout track, took about 10 bottles of wine, 50 beers, and another 20 packs of Juul pods. This was the way it went for each of the 100+ projects I worked on over the decades…

When people came over to collaborate on my music, we drank and smoked even more. Drinking was a staple in the studio and it often led to more destructive behavior all in the name of becoming a Rock Star like my dad. There were also all the video projects that I worked on, totally wasted editing frame by frame, drinking shot after shot.

In life's intricate dance, we often cling to activities that once defined our identity and sense of purpose. But sometimes, it's the act of letting go, the Sacrifice of these very pursuits, that leads us to a profound realization and alignment with our true selves. My love for music came with a heavy cost: my health and precious moments with family slipped away, as did my time for other important things. More so, it was intertwined with isolation, and detrimental habits of drinking and smoking, making music not just a passion but a trigger.

When I started using my Value-Based Decision Framework I asked these questions:

• Does this help me improve my Health? Not at all!

• Will this move me toward my financial goals? (Wealth) I’ve invested thousands of dollars with almost no return.

• Is this contributing to my Education? Not anymore

• Does it involve going somewhere new? (Travel) Nope!

The decision to sacrifice music wasn't initially about giving up a dream; it was a necessary move to break the cycle of unhealthy habits. I had to detach from the very environment that fueled my drinking and smoking. This sacrifice was the pivot on which my life turned. Only after I packed away my equipment, did I realize that music, which I had held onto for so long, was no longer serving me, nor was it aligned with my deeper aspirations.

Sacrifice is inherently painful, akin to pruning parts of ourselves to foster new growth. Yet, it is through this very act of letting go that we gain. The habits I broke, the space I created, and the alignment I pursued led to an astonishing transformation. The void left by music was filled with activities that enriched my life and resonated with who I wanted to become. I spent more time with my family, in the gym, reading, and meditating.

The moral here is profound yet simple: sacrifice is not only about loss; it's about making room for growth and realignment. It's a necessary step to break free from the chains of habits and pursuits that no longer serve us. Only through sacrifice did I come to understand that music, while a significant part of my past, was not essential for my future happiness or my identity.

How to use Sacrifice with Cravings?

In the Gita (See Mastering the Three Gunas), the text talks about making offerings and sacrifices for the greater good. This can be applied to urges, temptations, and cravings. I have been smoke-free and sober for over 2 years but I still get cravings. I often remind myself to offer/sacrifice this feeling for the greater good and it often brings relief.

When getting a craving for something you want to avoid, give that feeling, that desire, to the greater good. Give up your desire and pain as an offering for your well-being. Sacrifice your short-term satisfaction for your long-term growth.

Links to my music projects before the sacrifice

1. Check out Amir Ilyasov on Spotify

2. 46th & Broadway - Amir Ilyasov (Sound, SpaceTime) Interview with Shaun Blanch

3. www.amirilyasov.com

4. Wikipedia: My father’s music history

Sincerely,

Amir aka Prince, formerly known as Artist. ;)

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