I wanted to come back and touch on this.
One, there is the just thought that some people DO make it in the music business, and when you're young, you think, why not me?
Sure, the odds are tough, but some do make a good living, buy a house, etc, and others at least live happily doing what they want to do.
I have a "rocking chair" thought: When I'm 80 and sitting in my rocking chair, I want to not regret trying.
Sure, I may fail, I may look back and see 101 things that went wrong, but at least I tried.
The other aspect is the ADVENTURE of trying.
Sure, my drummer career was an epic failure, and sure I spend a few years being depressed about it. But looking back? Wow.
I've had experiences that sometimes I still wonder how that happened. Some seemed mundane or not that big of a deal at the time, but looking back, it's nutty any of it ever happened to me.
From time to time on this forum or other forums, people will ask "have you ever met a famous drummer?" or "Have you ever met anyone famous?
And I'm like, I could tell stories for days. The number of musicians I met well before anyone else knew who they were is a good handful. The times I've randomly found myself talking to a world-famous drummer or other musicians because I just happened to be in the right place still baffles me at times. The conversations I've overheard, the insights into the music business I've been told by insiders, sometimes I have to wonder "did that really happen?".
And then there's saying, well, at least I played drums in front of a representative of every record label that was in existence at the time. I can at least say I've sat in record company offices. I can at least say I've played all the famous stages around town and stood where Jim Morrison, Janis, and Niki Sixx all once stood. I've heard myself on the radio. I've sold CDs in Brazil. I've received fan mail from Russia. I once played a cover tune in a packed club in front of a person who was on the original recording.
There are hundreds/thousands(millions?) of people who never even tried, and spent their lives wondering what might have been if they had had the courage to try.
And my ultimate consolation prize in now in running my (nonmusic) business, is I've learned so much of what to do and what NOT to do from my drumming days that I can apply to my current business.
Sure, there are a ton of little details that I would do differently if I could do it all over again, but I don't regret trying in the least.
Nor would I change going for it.