I’ve been diagnosing a lot of disorders lately, and I’ve got another one to add to the list. It’s called ADV (action-deficient verbosity).

Here’s an example of ADV I received in response to an offer I made to a former client:

“Hey, thank you I enjoyed working with you as well and hope things are going well. At the moment with recent career changes I am not having a lot of disposable income, in the future when I scrape some together I would be happy to reach out to you as music is a worthy investment to me, so I will have to let you know when that time comes 🎹”

It’s no wonder you’re not getting anything done.

There’s too much verbosity in this paragraph. Even just with these words right here, I can see you’re trying to do so many things at once:

* Reject my offer

* Be polite

* Deny responsibility

* Give a plausible excuse

* Appear interested in music

I’m not judging any of this, but I’m pointing out what I see. You’ve got to take an objective look at your own actions.

What I see here is lots of talk but no action.

For example, you’re not asking for free advice, you’re not asking about payment plans, you’re not doing work on your own and telling me about it. Those are the kinds of things you’d do if you wanted to do something rather than just talk.

If you suspect you may be suffering from ADV, there are several phrases you may notice yourself saying:

* “I have extreme ADHD.”

* “My parents brainwashed me into thinking I need to get a secure job.”

* “I never did homework in school but I wish I had.”

* “Btw, music is NOT homework. It’s completely enjoyable and I love it.”

* “I just need to learn some songs.”

* “I just need to kick my own butt.”

* “I just need to prioritize this.”

* Anything starting with “I just need to…”

I know these phrases sound on paper, but talk is cheap. You’ve got to have action to support them. Otherwise, they’re empty words.

Questions to ask yourself to identify actions you could be doing but aren’t:

* What problems is the extreme ADHD causing and what am I doing to solve them?

* Have I confronted my parents about the brainwashing?

* Have I taken any steps at all to fight against the brainwashing?

* Why doesn’t it bother me that I call music “completely enjoyable” and yet, I also say “I just need to prioritize this”?

* Don’t I see the contradiction there?

* What’s my plan for kicking my own butt?

* What homework am I doing as an adult, to make up for the fact that I didn’t do homework in school?

This is why your musical skills are below what you wish. It’s not because you’re not talented, you have ADHD, you “just need to…” whatever. It’s because you’re spending too much time talking. You’re saying too many things that have no meaning.

Once you fix that, the next step in becoming a music expert will be obvious.

—Michael

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