It all started with an idea, almost one of those fleeting thoughts we all have that disappear after four minutes. Greg was at some friends' house playing a board game and having a few drinks. They were having a good time. Suddenly, Greg himself suggested his idea to everyone at the table. He said, "Why don't we start a band?" Almost everyone laughed, thinking he'd already had too much to drink. But he was serious, and he insisted. Seeing that he was serious, they asked him how that would be possible if none of them knew how to play. He told them that it's something you can learn; you just have to put your mind to it. Since they were all currently unemployed and had some free time, they decided to give his idea a try, almost as an experiment.

They all went, using their own money, to a music course. It was far from home, but they felt good together, so they didn't mind. In the course, each of them learned something different: one the guitar, another the violin, another the trumpet, and so on. In Greg's case, he learned the drums, the instrument that most appealed to him and was the biggest, and he liked big things. With dedication, fueled by drinks and a healthy dose of dark humor, they all learned to play an instrument. So they were ready to begin; it was time to put their idea into action, to take on the world.

They started playing in bars, then in marketplaces, and eventually went independent and formed a band called BAOJ. Each letter of the band's name came from the name of one of the members. Once they were independent, that initial idea transformed into something serious. And they began to become professionals at what they did. They released songs every two months, sold out concerts, and their songs were in high demand. Each member of the band became increasingly specialized in their instrument, and over time, they mastered it completely. They sometimes joked about how a crazy idea had led them to this future they never imagined. It was one success after another, and the band became more and more popular.

Greg wasn't just the drummer; he was the leader and main founder. So his decisions always set the course for BAOJ. The good thing was that he always chose the right path, and that's why the band trusted him and his decisions so much. But as the band improved and grew, Greg realized something. His friends were surpassing him in every skill. He had been the one writing the songs up to that point, but they were increasingly suggesting improvements. The song compositions were too easy for them; they wanted more difficulty, to push themselves and take the band to new heights.

For a long time, he hid the fact that he wasn't up to the band's standards, so he just tried his best to perform as well as he could. But this became unsustainable, and there were notes he couldn't play, nor could he play them quickly enough. He had been surpassed, so to keep up, he had to modify the songs to make them easier for him to play. But this caused problems, because the band was affected. Unable to play increasingly powerful pieces, they couldn't progress faster; they were falling behind because he couldn't keep up with what BAOJ had become. He had to face reality and tell everyone what was happening. They understood and told him not to worry, that as long as they had him in the band, it was all thanks to him.

But what Greg really wanted was for his creation, the band, to keep growing. He hadn't started it to stop it, so he made the hardest decision a band founder can make: to leave. He didn't do it for himself; he did it for the band. He wanted to see them go even further and didn't want to hold them back anymore. So he told the band his decision, and they accepted it with profound sadness. He wasn't leaving music altogether; he was just changing bands, joining one that was more in line with his playing style. But they wouldn't stop being friends because of it; in fact, they agreed to play together from time to time. That's how they parted ways to take different paths, but even though it hurt a lot, he knows that what he started will continue to grow.

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