Yeah, we've been offered lots of advice over the years about not

The musician and visionary Russell Mael, one half of the band Sparks, once declared: “Yeah, we’ve been offered lots of advice over the years about not moving on from something that is successful, but it’s just in our nature to need to feel that what we’re doing is exciting to us.” These words carry the heartbeat of the artist’s soul, a soul that does not dwell in the comfort of past triumphs but hungers always for the fire of new creation. They reveal the eternal conflict between safety and growth, between success that can be clung to and the bold leap into the unknown.

To not move on from success is the path the world often advises. For once a formula has worked, once the applause has been won, the temptation is great to repeat it endlessly. Many do so, securing wealth, stability, and fame. Yet Mael reminds us that there is a higher calling: the need to pursue not what pleases others, but what excites the soul. For success without excitement is a gilded cage, a prison of repetition where the spirit slowly withers, even as the world still cheers.

The core of his message lies in the truth that excitement is life. When the heart is stirred, when curiosity burns, when risk is embraced, then the soul is alive. To forsake this for the sake of safety is to betray the very essence of human creativity. Thus Mael shows us that the artist — and indeed, every human being — must sometimes choose the unknown over the secure, the untested path over the well-worn road, if they are to remain true to themselves.

History affirms this lesson in the life of David Bowie, who time and again shed the skin of one successful persona to create another. From Ziggy Stardust to the Thin White Duke, he never clung to one identity, no matter how adored it was. Critics warned him, as they warned Mael, not to abandon success, but he understood that stagnation was death. His willingness to move on kept him vital for decades, each transformation breathing fresh life into his art and ensuring his legacy endured beyond fleeting trends.

The wisdom here is not only for artists but for all who live. In every field of life — in work, in love, in personal growth — there comes a time when success has been achieved, but the spark has faded. The world may counsel us to hold fast, to keep reaping the rewards of the familiar. Yet the soul whispers for change, for challenge, for the excitement of the new. Those who listen to that whisper live lives of vitality. Those who ignore it risk becoming hollow, trapped by their own success.

The lesson is clear: do not measure your life only by the approval of others, or by the repetition of what has already worked. Measure it by the fire within you, by the sense that what you are doing still excites, challenges, and awakens you. To remain where you no longer feel alive is to slowly fade; to step forward into what calls you is to renew your spirit, even at the risk of failure.

Practical wisdom follows: when you feel the weight of stagnation, dare to change. Do not fear to leave behind what is “successful” if it no longer gives you joy. Trust that excitement, passion, and curiosity are not luxuries, but necessities — they are the wellsprings of growth. Seek work, art, and relationships that set your soul alight. For in that fire lies the truest form of success.

So remember, O listener, the words of Russell Mael: “It’s in our nature to need to feel that what we’re doing is exciting to us.” Let them remind you that the purpose of life is not to cling endlessly to what is safe, but to seek always the spark that keeps you alive. For in that pursuit, even if you risk the world’s advice, you will find not only excitement, but the joy of a life fully lived.