Balancing Study and Music Composition

No -- boring people have no stories. There are people who came out of Auschwitz who have chosen a perspective on life that is filled with joy.

Inspiring is an understatement. This is a wonderful community and I appreciate the consistent level of openness and the sincerely helpful advice given by the sages of this forum.

@Francesco Bortolussi -- I found your post quite helpful. I honestly sit in front of my piano sometimes having zero idea how to start or what to write. Your post confirmed what is essentially what I need to start -- to express a particular idea, story or mood, or a deadline (usually the combination of the two). I stagnate otherwise. Sometimes it's a happy accident while transcribing, or writing a variation, but an idea is what makes me finish a piece and care about it. Thank you for writing that, I needed to read it for some reason.
Doug, as always, I am sincerely humbled by your willingness to help people out, including myself. Thank you for posting that publicly. I find the sincerity on this forum moving.

Dyllan -- please don't take this, in any possible way, to be a comment on the severity or difficulty of your condition or your past. I find your story humbling and inspiring -- you certainly have far more to deal with than I do. I'm sharing this purely because I find it inspires me.

The man who wrote this is Jason Becker. He was a legendary guitarist up until his early 20s, when he developed ALS. His condition very quickly deteriorated to the point of complete immobility and lack of self-sufficiency, including being able to breathe or talk on his own. He's 49 now. The only way he communicates is through an interpreter and a chart that he scans with his eyes, as well as a computer that tracks his eyes.
Rather than opting for the ever-popular medical "opt out" option, he is a staggering example of humility and overcoming odds. He still writes music, and it's good. I've never seen a guitar-composer garner so much respect from the most legendary players alive, who volunteer and leap on the opportunity to play on his records.

If he can still write songs like this with his eyes -- with his eyes -- and be grateful for what he has, then I can sure as hell get going too.

Here's one featuring all the guitar players one the album (I think -- Govan might be missing from this one)