"Is This It?": Part 6 — Still Becoming
- Michael Sundell
- Jun 1
- 2 min read
You don’t have to choose between who you’ve been and who you’re becoming.
You’re allowed to carry the music forward — even as you change.
The Midlife Turning Point
At some point — usually not marked on any calendar — you realize the road ahead looks different than the one behind.
You’ve accomplished a great deal. You've built a career, honed your artistry, and weathered the demands of a high-stakes profession.
And now... something is stirring.
It may be subtle — a whisper of curiosity, a soft tug toward change.
Or it may be louder — a restlessness, a truth that won’t stop calling your name.
What you’re feeling isn’t failure.
It’s emergence.
Somatic Practice: Sitting with the Unfolding
Close your eyes. Place both hands over your heart or belly — wherever feels most like home.
Ask gently: What part of me is ready to be seen?
Now ask: What part of me is afraid to change?
Let both answers rise in the body.
There’s no need to resolve the tension.
Just notice who’s here.
This is what becoming feels like:
A conversation, not a command.
Reframe: Growth Without Abandonment
Many musicians fear that change means leaving something behind — their craft, their community, their identity.
But becoming is not abandonment.
You are not leaving music.
You are bringing more of yourself to music — or to whatever else is calling.
You don’t need to know what’s next.
You only need to stay in relationship with what’s alive in you now.
Reflective Inquiry (Parts-Based Prompt)
What truths have I outgrown — even if I’m still living by them?
Where am I making myself smaller to fit an old version of success?
What am I curious about — even if I don’t yet know where it leads?
These aren’t questions to answer.
They are invitations to live into.
Emotional Truth
There may be grief here.
Grief for the clarity you once had.
Grief for a path that no longer fits.
Grief for how long you’ve tried to hold it all together.
But there’s also beauty in this liminal space —
where something old is softening,
and something unnamed is beginning to form.
Let yourself grieve.
Let yourself imagine.
Let yourself be in between.
Permission
You are allowed to become someone new.
You are allowed to bring your artistry into new expressions.
You are allowed to rest, to pivot, to keep going, to stay still — in your own time.
You are still playing.
You are still listening.
And above all —
you are still becoming.
Want to go deeper?
This work doesn’t have to stay on the page.
If you’re a musician navigating burnout, identity shifts, or creative uncertainty, I offer 1:1 coaching designed to support you from the inside out.
My approach is rooted in presence, trust, and curiosity — not analysis or judgement.
Together, we create space to reconnect with what’s true, alive, and still unfolding in you.
Stay connected.
Want to receive future reflections, somatic tools, and quiet prompts to support your next chapter — all delivered at a human pace?
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