Every musician, their goal in life is to play music that people

When Steven Adler declares, “Every musician, their goal in life is to play music that people love, and I’ve accomplished my goal. I was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and left that chapter of my life and those people in the past. Good and bad, I’ve loved and am thankful for that chapter,” he speaks as one who has walked through both triumph and trial, and who now stands in the wisdom of reflection. His words carry the power of completion—the recognition that a dream has been realized, a chapter closed, and that gratitude is the truest way to honor both the glory and the pain of the past.

The origin of this gratitude is found in the hard and burning road of rock and roll itself, a life filled with soaring stages, deafening applause, but also with chaos, broken bonds, and deep scars. Adler, as the drummer of Guns N’ Roses, tasted the highest fruits of musical success, achieving the dream that every young musician holds: to play music that moves the hearts of millions. Yet he also endured the shadows of addiction, conflict, and exile. Thus, when he speaks of being thankful for that chapter, it is not the shallow thanks of one who lived only in ease, but the hard-won gratitude of one who has endured both the sweetness and the bitterness of his journey.

History offers us a mirror in the tale of Odysseus, the wandering hero of Homer’s Odyssey. Odysseus faced both triumphs and trials, victories and betrayals, yet when he finally returned home, he did not curse the years of wandering. Instead, he accepted them as the path that shaped his destiny, loving both the good and the bad as part of the whole. Adler, too, speaks with Odyssean wisdom. He does not deny the pain of his past, nor does he glorify it. Instead, he embraces it as part of his story, declaring himself thankful for it all, because it made him who he is.

His words also remind us of the sacred power of closure. To say, “I have left that chapter of my life in the past,” is to release what was, to honor it without clinging to it. Too often, men and women chain themselves to their former glories or past sorrows, unable to move forward. But Adler teaches that there is freedom in gratitude—when we give thanks for a chapter, we allow ourselves to turn the page and step into a new season without bitterness or regret. Gratitude, then, is not only remembrance; it is liberation.

There is also humility in his reflection. Many would boast endlessly of their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, treating it as the crowning jewel of their life. Yet Adler speaks of it with simplicity, not as a throne to cling to but as a milestone along the journey. His focus is not on the glory of the accolade, but on the deeper fulfillment of his true goal: to make music that people loved. By naming this, he reminds us that honors and titles are fleeting, but the true measure of a life lies in whether we have touched the hearts of others.

The lesson for us, then, is clear: we must learn to see every chapter of our lives—whether filled with triumph or trial—as part of the story that shapes us. To cling to glory without gratitude is to be enslaved by the past; to curse hardship without wisdom is to waste its lessons. But to walk forward, as Adler does, with thankfulness for both the good and the bad, is to carry the past as a source of strength rather than a burden.

Practical wisdom follows. Reflect on your own life in chapters. Name the blessings, but also acknowledge the struggles. Speak gratitude for both, for each has played its role in shaping your character. Do not cling to what is finished, nor despise what has passed, but honor it as a completed chapter and move forward into the next with openness. Like Adler, measure your life not by accolades alone, but by the love you shared, the lives you touched, and the authenticity of your journey.

Thus, in the words of Steven Adler, we are reminded of an ancient truth: that life is a book, written in chapters of both joy and sorrow, success and struggle. To be thankful for each chapter is to live wisely, to walk humbly, and to step into the future unburdened. Let us then embrace our own stories, giving thanks for all of it—the good, the bad, and the in-between—for only then do we truly honor the gift of life.