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Making the Most of your Time

Making the Most of your Time

Let’s face it; none of us knows how much time we have here on earth. None of us knows the time or date of our death and none of us knows if we’ll make it to old age. Being young we always assume that we will live long and it’s easy to take on an immortal attitude. But at any moment things could change. Each of us is given just 24 hours a day. Each day we have 1,440 minutes to invest or 1,440 minutes to waste. Martin Luther King had the same amount of time each day. So did Jesus, Albert Einstein, and Ludwig Van Beethoven. Bill Gates has the same amount of time. So does Michael Jordan and President Obama. What do all these people have in common? They all have managed their time well.

I heard a story of a man who was getting up in his years. He calculated that if he lived to be 75 years old that he would only have 1,000 Saturdays left in his lifetime. So, he went to the toy store and bought 1,000 marbles and put them in a huge glass jar. Diligently, every Saturday he took one of those marbles out of his jar. Slowly over time he watched the marble depth get smaller and smaller. This was a daily reminder to him that his time was limited. Finally, on his 75th birthday he appeared on a radio show and declared, “Today, I took the last marble out of my jar, every Saturday from now on is an extra gift to me, I am now on borrowed time.” With his little experiment, he gained a fresh perspective on the value of time.

Let’s say you are given 5 million dollars in your bank account today. The only stipulations are that you have to spend every cent by the end of one full week. Anything you did not spend would just be taken back and given to someone else. Now, if that happened to any one of us we would be sure to spend each dollar wisely. Think about how we would calculate a couple thousand here, a couple thousand there. We would make lists of who we’d give some too, lists of places to book travel, and things to buy. Why would we do that? Because money is valuable!

But there is one thing that is more valuable than money, and that is time.
Once you spend your time you can never get it back. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.

Are you investing your time wisely? Are you making the most of every moment and spending your time on the things that really matter? I come across a lot of people who are ‘waiting’. They’re waiting to release music, waiting to get their big break, waiting for love, or waiting for the perfect time to act on a dream. The truth is there is no perfect timing. There is no reason to wait. There is no invisible alarm clock that’s going to go off when the time is just right. You just have to do things with excellence and hope for the best. Make a decision, stick to it, and go for it! Waiting will only get you farther from your goals because the longer you wait the harder it is to keep yourself motivated to  follow through. Leaders and innovators understands the power of time; understand that we are each given the same amount each day. And that time is a precious commodity. Don’t take it for granted. Don’t assume you have all the time in the world. You have a destiny to fulfill and a dream to conquer.
So what are you waiting for?

“The best way to predict your future is to create it.” Abraham Lincoln

Tutorial: Making the Most of your Time
1) Do you know what the top 10 most important things in your life are? If not, time can definitely get away from you. Write down 10 things that are the most important to you. Things that if you were on your death bed and didn’t do, you would regret..
2) Now write a list of 10 things that interfere with doing your most important things.
3) Now give yourself some time and think of solutions to get rid of the things in your life that are keeping you from making the best of your time.

If there is anything we can help you with, setup a free training consultation below.

 

how to finish music start

How to Finish the Music you Start

“We shall neither fail nor falter; we shall not weaken or tire… give us the tools and we will finish the job.”

So what do you have to finish? Do you have a long list of unfinished projects? Have you allowed yourself to begin other tasks before finishing the ones already on your plate? I think we’re all guilty of this at one time or another but there always comes a time where we stop and say, “Enough! I have to finish these other things first before I commit to anything else!” Sometimes we have to overwhelm ourselves before we finally admit that we’ve been slacking off with finishing. Let’s face it, finishing is hard – that’s why so many people have problems doing it. But finishing is rewarding and if you keep your eye on the prize you’ll finish things left and right and be ready for more in no time!

“We rate ability in men by what they finish, not by what they attempt”

It’s a hard truth I try and remind myself of often. When you are long gone and someone is reading your obituary, they will not comment on what you tried to do. They will only document your achievements and successes. Maybe that’s a good thing I mean, who wants to be known for failing. “Here lies Johnny, he was an average baseball player, pretty mediocre actually, well, at least he tried!”

No, that’s not what we want to be known for. Everyone wants to do something great and the secret lies in finishing. Anyone can start something but it takes determination, drive and a deep inner commitment to finish.

Tutorial: How to Finish the Music you Start:

1)    Create a Deadline
Nothing puts a fire under you better than a deadline. Now, be realistic when you set this date. Don’t be a hero but don’t be a wimp. Set a date that is both challenging and doable. You will surprise yourself on how good this works and take joy in the fact that it’s a deadline you created for yourself. Create a deadline and stick to it.

2)    Keep a Momentum
Once you start working towards finishing your project, you’ll need to keep the juices flowing. If you work better during a certain time, stick to it. Make yourself a schedule and alert everyone around you not to disturb you. Tell friends and family about your deadline so everyone knows about it. Be on guard with distractions via phone calls, TV, family drama or plain laziness. Discipline yourself to stay motivated and you will reap the benefits by looking in the mirror and seeing a strong individual that has self control when it comes to his/her life dreams.

3)    Know Your #1 Enemy : Procrastination

Don’t we know this guy all too well? You miss one day of studio work or music production and then another day goes by and then another and then another. Then you wake up a week later and you’ve sabotaged yourself. Be real with yourself. You can tell when your beginning to procrastinate. There’s no genie over your shoulder that’s going to tap you when you’re procrastinating so you have to have some sort of self awareness. Watch yourself and your actions and when you see this guy start to come up with excuses of why not to work today – squelch it! Push through it, you’ll be glad you did.

4)    Reward Yourself
Ok, so you’re goal is to finish the Computer Music Production School in 3 months. After each lesson is completed, especially one you struggled in, treat yourself to a nice dinner or a new CD to jam too. Whatever gets you going, reward yourself with little accomplishments along the way. If your goal is to complete an album, then when all the recording’s done, celebrate! When all the mixing’s done, celebrate! When all the mastering is done, celebrate! This will allow you to acknowledge your progress and also give you a chance to refuel and refresh that inner artist.

5)    Do Your Best and Forget the Rest
So you have a bad day in the studio, so what. Don’t dwell on it, don’t let it discourage you. We all have our bad days, and our not-so-creative days. Do not let your mistakes or blunders carry into the next day. So you worked all night on a track and woke up the next morning to find out that you really don’t really like it. No big deal. Scrap it and start over or salvage it later. Don’t allow bad days to allow doubt to creep in. Be on guard with this. Do your best and forget the rest. Tomorrow is always a new day.

6)    Face Your Fears
Another reason its easy to not finish is once it’s finished, it will be judged. Some are afraid to finish because they fear their own success. There could be countless fears that come up around the time of finishing and usually they are stupid and frivolous. But fear can be very powerful and it’s the number one thing holding most people back from accomplishments. Make a list of your fears when they come up and talk yourself out of them. Using simple logic and common sense can usually squelch any random fear. Just admitting that you have the fear usually does the trick. And you know the saying,”Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.” You’ll never get past your fears if you don’t step out and finish what you’re doing despite of them.

7)    Let People Help You
Now, I’m not talking about random people off the street or your friend who knows nothing about your goals or self discipline and motivation. I’m talking about people that are professional and know about what you’re trying to accomplish. Find people that have already done what you’re trying to do and ask them for advice. Talk to them about your difficulties and trials that come up. Honor them with respect and you’ll be richly rewarded with a slew of advice and wisdom.

“There is nothing so fatal to character as half-finished tasks.”

When you think about your life as a whole, what do you want to be known for? If you want to leave behind a stack of best-selling albums or want to be known as a producer who created new genres of music, finishing will be your best friend. The music business is not for the faint in heart and everything is a process of order. Encourage yourself and commit to using your talents to help others and nothing will stop you from finishing.

It is easy to get lost in the crowd. The measure of a goal or dream is not how simple or grand it is or how easily you can articulate its details. Rather, the true satisfaction, beauty and joy of your dream is found in the often slow but steady pace at which you work your way towards the finish line..

If there is anything we can help you with, setup a free training consultation below.

creativity thanksgiving

Unblocking Creativity during Thanksgiving

If you are frustrated, stressed or extremely busy, all these can hinder your creativity for a  few days or for a few months. Especially around the holiday season, it can be very challenging. The goal is to prevent any type of creative hinderance so you can keep moving forward in your pursuits.

Here are 5 tips on how to stay creative during the holidays:

1)    Comparison – Being in the information age with constant updates, tweets, facebook and more, it’s so easy to think that someone else’s life is better than yours. If we get too busy looking at what the next person has, we can forget to be thankful for what we have. There’s always going to be someone who has more and someone who has less. Instead of comparison, think on ‘what makes your life special and unique to you and only you’? Be thankful and think on those things instead. This ultimately will help keep you focused and creative to get you where you want to go on a daily basis.

2)    Attitude of Entitlement – It’s easy to think we should be further along than where we’re at. Other times its easy to slip into being ungrateful for what we have. This tends to follow comparison. When comparing yourself to others in where they are at in life or what they have, the attitude of entitlement can tempt you into becoming discontent. Shake this off. Instead, look around your studio, your friends and family and focus on the good things. Truly give thanks for the bare necessities that are easily taken for granted. You’ll soon find a new found source of energy and creativity.

3)    Think about What You’re Thinking About – Anyone who’s worried all day long knows how to meditate – that is, meditation on worry.. So what have you been meditating on lately? Are you keeping your mind on positive things as soon as you get out of bed…and throughout the day? Or are you sabotaging yourself with negative thoughts? Spend 15 minutes thinking about what you’re thinking about. Be honest with yourself and let it be ok to have negative thoughts. Process them and then move on. Think about what you’re thinking about… see how much better you feel and turn your negative thoughts around to thanksgiving.

4)    Relationships – Relationships can make or break the holiday season. Focus on bringing new life and love into your relationships this Thanksgiving. Surprise that special someone with flowers or jewelry…bring your mom a sweet potato pie. We can’t go through life with catcher’s mitts on both hands. You’ve gotta be able to throw something back once in a while. Thinking of others can lift heaviness or irritation and introduce a new found spark of creativity.

5)    Watch what you Speak: – So what do you hear yourself speaking about? Are you speaking your dreams and goals or do you gripe and complain to anyone who will listen? What you say knowingly or unknowingly effects your creativity. Do a test on this. Speak good things about yourself and music for 15 minutes and see how much more inspired and creativity you feel.

In summary, think about what you’re thinking about. If focused on negativity or pessimism scares away creativity and the ‘good vibes’ you need to transfer to your music and inspiration. If you’re having trouble getting a music kick start during the holidays, take 15 minutes and try a few of these steps to get back into your creative vibe.

If there is anything we can help you with, setup a free training consultation below.