As an artist, you have to maintain focus and eliminate the distraction of second-guessing yourself based on the opinions of others.

It's meant to reaffirm the validity of that music - clean, minimalist, honest, classic music.

Control success before it controls you.

However you arrive at the ability to ignore self-doubt - if you can acquire it or possess it or find it or discover it - move beyond self-doubt.

It's more in retrospect as I've thought about it over the years and look back at what I wrote, how I wrote things - like there's a song that Ralph Stanley later recorded with me that he had guested on my record what was called "Travelers Lantern" that I wrote as basically, you know, a hymn.

I guess I stayed with the faith. I mean, organized religion is not something that I've maintained a direct connection to in my life, but the spirituality of it has had an indelible impact on my life and remains with me.

I'll never quit playing country music, or at least acknowledging it, always, as the cornerstone of what I am.