What does this have to do with music? A lot.
I’ve read many posts on Facebook forums about people feeling blocked when trying to ‘get discovered’, or people recommending to follow all the open mic nights as a way to make it – only to be disappointed time and time again. They have been told to ‘network’ with the people around them (the same people that are trying to ‘make it’), and ‘you never know who you are going to meet’. They have been told to ‘play for free’ to get exposure – take what you can get.
90% of people agree with this. I’ll tell you why I think they are wrong.
This is an example of a passive approach to life. Do you want to be in the driver’s seat being the CEO of your future, or do you want to be at a bus stop waiting for a ride on someone else’s timetable?
Jim Rohn famously said that you are the average of the 5 people that you are around. Look at the people you spend the most time with? How do you enhance each other’s lives? How do you help each other grow?
Who do you think will get further in life?
Someone that waits to be picked up, or someone that says ‘I’ll find a way, I will be resourceful and figure this out the best I can. I will find someone that can mentor me. I will find someone who has produced the result I am after, and learn from them, learn from their mistakes, and model success. I will read and read and read to help me navigate through the challenges while I achieve all the mini milestones which take me closer to my final goals!’
We only have one life, so you have to pick the right answer. Now. Your life is now, and your life is yours.
What we think about in the morning is equally critical in setting up our thoughts for the day, setting up how we react to people, and the decisions we make.
Whether you are an owner of a business and have the responsibility of leading a team, a personal trainer who is responsible for your clients, or you are a financial trader, your thoughts are energy that will be transferred, and can either be costly, or profitable and influential.
If you are a leader, your words, actions and thoughts influence a whole team. That can mean the difference between launching a successful project by motivating your team, or allowing problems to delay your delivery. This can cost your company millions of dollars. It can shape the thoughts of your clients. In more extreme circumstances of extreme high risk and high stress situations as faced by Navy SEALs, this can cost lives.
Here are 12 decisions that you can choose to own daily:
1. Decide to be a Role Model
You cannot be a role model unless you look after number One. That is you. Once you have yourself looked after, you will have all the energy and power to motivate and look after others (this applies to your family as well). This means waking up and looking after your body with proper nutrition and exercise. This means deciding that today is another day you will power through and be grateful for all the opportunities you have, and decide to make a positive difference by all of your actions and decisions.
It also means not tolerating any toxic environment or playing any role in any unhealthy dynamic. You can make that decision and change the outcome. Live a life of a leader, not a manager.
2. Decide that you are not in competition with anyone else but yourself
You will always be your own greatest critic. How you feel about someone else’s progress or success is an indicator of what you want or don’t want for yourself. Listen to what these thoughts are telling you, and then decide what you are going to do about it and when you are going to do it. Then do it.
3. Decide on Progress. Not Perfection
You are not perfect and you never will be. Phew – we can all relax now! It is the compounding effect of all the small things we do each day that add up to a mountain of progress – and it is ok to change things and re-steer along the way. That is called living and perfecting your vision. Life is not a race – you can only go at the pace at which you can solve and conquer challenges, or clean up what needs to be sorted.
You will rarely have the most perfect conditions that you are waiting for – ironically it is the actions you decide to take and the willingness to feel uncomfortable when conditions are not perfect that will move you to converge to perfection.
This is when everything starts to happen.
4. Decide that you can be the first to make something happen
It takes only one example to show that something is possible, but even if there are no examples, YOU can be the first one to show the world what is possible through your own brilliance! As long as you can imagine it, it IS possible.
Many people are discouraged because they think that there is a special answer or way to achieve something. It is called your OWN initiation and hard work and your OWN thinking to break through the thoughts that are limiting you to solve whatever it is you are doing. Finding a mentor to get a shortcut to wisdom and to save you making the same mistake is fine, but not doing anything about your future is a shortcut to stupidity and being powerless.
5. Decide what perception you will give a difficult situation.
When you make a decision, you are empowered. You come from a place of strength and confidence. Decide to never be a victim under any circumstances. This IS a decision. In all the years you have left in your life, 6 or 12 or 24 months is a short period of time to push through and conquer what you are currently struggling with. Never give up!
The value we place on these situations and how we decide what role they will play in our lives determines the quality of your life.
Ask yourself – “Will I let these define me or will I define what it means to me and how will I grow from it?”
6. Decide that you are the most powerful person in your life.
Not your boss. Not your family. Not those people you admire on TV or in the office or at the gym. It is YOU. You have the power to rethink things, take action, and create the energy you want to achieve anything you want. Shape your world – or indeed someone else will. Do not settle for anything less than your vision. You have over 30, 40, 70yrs to regret things but only this moment to make it true and create the exact environment that you want. Use your faith, your energy, and your enthusiasm to conquer any challenges before you.
7. Decide that you are going to accept yourself and where you are today
The current state of your health, your, body, your finances, whatever it is you are not feeling good about – the current state is a reflection of your past thoughts, your past habits, and your past actions. How you choose to feel TODAY has nothing to do with the past – you can either feel based on judging yourself on the past, or you can decide to feel good about yourself today. YOU deserve it.
Even if you are living with remnants of the consequences of the past, you will still feel these until you successfully overwrite these with newer and more positive significant things, so don’t self sabotage your situation. The painful things will become less significant because you focus every day and make it your agenda to choose yourself. Every decision honours your vision.
8. Decide that someone else’s reactions to you generally have nothing to do with you
People will try and drag you down and tell you a million reasons why something is not possible or tell you No. This is because of their own past, their own decisions, their own mistakes, their own fears, their own logic. It has nothing to do with you. Keep these people at arm’s length. They do not always mean to be toxic to your mind, but be aware and protect your vision.
9. Decide what your life is going to look like
Write it out. See it, then do everything you need to do to make it happen. Again, this can mean standing alone on some decision you will make. Always ask yourself – “is what I am doing today, or the decision I am about to make in line with my agenda?” A great resource to ensure your thoughts are aligned to what you want to achieve is The One Thing by Gary Keller, Jay Papasan.
Do not concern yourself with HOW you are going to do it. I promise – you will find a way to work it out. First you must DECIDE on what you want above all else. Pressure provides a powerful motivation.
10. Always express honestly what you feel , where you are in life, and what you want for yourself
You cant force anyone to believe in your visions or dreams, and you cant force anyone to stand next to you and share in what your agenda in life is. If you stay true to your values, you will ALWAYS attract the energy of people around you that are going in the same direction. That goes for relationships as well.
The most valuable relationship is when 1+ 1 = 100, not 2. Always remember your agenda and make sure all of your daily actions are in line with these.
11. Decide to take action on the things you feel strongly about
One of the most powerful things you can have is clarity. Clarity fuels our confidence and helps put us in a state of action. Take immediate action on the Yes and the No’s and decide on what priority you will give the Maybe. This is very different to procrastinating.
When you decide to give your ‘Maybe’ a back seat, it means that:
1. You acknowledge that you need more information or ‘data points’ to make a decision before you take action AND
2. You decide on WHAT you are going to do to make things clearer, AND
3. You take this action as one of your priorities.
This is very different to doing nothing about it and trying not to think about it, or remaining in a confused paralysed state. Deciding on a ‘No’ is just as good as a ‘Yes’, but do not get yourself stuck on the ‘Maybe’ – this is like keeping your your head in the ground and refusing to take responsibility.
Putting it more simply, ask yourself what you are waiting for, get clarity, get your ass of your chair, stop making excuses, and get it done!
There are no bad decisions. There are only the consequences of them, and only you have the power to decide how you will behave (not react) to these.
Live an Empowered Life!
