So how the hell are you going to make a dent in the face of music? Do you have a plan?
If you want to go from Austin to L.A. you need a map. So if ya don't have one, ya gotta make one but not the broad sweep the details. There's no cookie cutter road in this business so you're going to need all the deets you can muster up.
But here's the thing if you don't practice putting yourself first, you'll fall behind.
What do I mean?
I mean you will end up right where you are now, working your day job or on tour opening up for everyone else or worse, at the end of your rope and in massive debt. The good news and the bad news is that if you don't figure this out, you're bound to run out of steam or just plain out of luck. The new music biz is a tough nut to crack and there are no record companies swooping in to save the day. No super agents greasing the skids to lead you to superstardom (unless you're The Biebs and my hunch tells me that's NOT you!)
I know you want to figure out how to stop sabotaging yourself and stop burning out from overwhelm (and underwhelm) so read on I've got a few shortcuts to help you jump ahead a few yards.
Well, what I'm going to say may sound surprisingly simple, but I've found over the years that often the wisest shit 
. Don't let yourself be fooled.is
You may need to start putting yourself first. And no, I don't mean being selfish I mean being smart.
You probably fall into one of these two categories or are a mix of both:
1 You sacrifice everything for your music including your mental/physical health, your relationship (which always seems to come last to your significant other), and punish yourself with endless tasks long ass hours and no sleep. And as a result you are burned out, less and less efficient or productive and more anxious than when you started out (sound familiar?). I call it the Sacrificial Musician Syndrome. You sacrifice everything including your sister's birthday, friends, family, even yourself in the name of your music. You end up with no petro in your tank pretty much just a burned out version of your former self.
Solution: Put yourself first. Know when you've reached your limit. Schedule time each day for self-care so you ensure that you can go the distance your career will depend on it. Here's a quick checklist:
- Daily Exercise even if only for 20 min. Your body needs it.
- Daily You time Suggested: 30 min in the morning and evening of fluff time which means to do only exactly what you want (minimum 30 min a day).
- Weekly Planning + Prioritizing time (I call it The Sunday Summit) which is 45 min each Sunday when you plan the week ahead, prioritize and set goals. This alone with make you more productive and less stressed out.
2 You are an expert procrastinator - unlike the Sacrificial Musician you put off what you have to do. I call this the Passive-Aggressive Procrastinator Syndrome. It starts out as passive and ends up aggressive action. You have a secret plan that one day someone will discover your talent and pull you out of the rubble and onto the world's stage (or some variation of that). BE VERY CAREFUL HERE I see this syndrome in most artists in some form. I suffered from this for YEARS! As a result, procrastinators spin their wheels and lose valuable momentum that sometimes they may not be able to get back. They then often take drastic action like quit their day job before they are ready as if to catapult themselves or force themselves to act which of course mostly ends up failing without the right foundation in place. Times are changing fast, and right now is the time to take action so you don't get left behind!
Solution: Put YOU first. Value your own progress and achievements over what anyone else does for you.
Wherever you are it's important to know that you are not stuck there knowledge is power. You can transform yourself at any time with just a little effort and the right guidance. Either way, the antidote is putting your self first. Try it you'll see it pays off in ways that make you more productive and efficient.
There's more if you're ready to amp it up and rock out the rest of the year! Check out my 10-step plan a real step-by-step system to help you build your music empire and make some actual dollars from your music! Let me help you!!
Big Love + Success this year!
P.S. Oh and if you missed it watch this fre*e 3-part Video Series on How To Be Your Own Music Superhero it'll save your ass click here.
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