It's been about four weeks since I last released an episode of Left Of Nashville. So What happened? Well, the short answer is Everything and nothing. I had to get my taxes done. I live on nine acres and it's mowing season again. I finally got a phone with the internet at my fingertips. And I was writing an upbeat song, which for me, is a struggle. I guess you could say that life happened.   But I still could've found a way to make it all work. But I made excuses. It takes a full day to mow my yard, so there was a day off work that I didn't spend writing. I got caught up with friends on my phone. I stayed on social media. Basically, I procrastinated.   Then I hit the resistance. This is what Steven Pressfield calls the thing that causes writers to procrastinate. Read his book "The War Of Art" for his brilliant take on the resistance.   And procrastination breeds more procrastination. And then self-doubt shows up. It didn't matter that I've churned out nineteen episodes, I suddenly lost faith in my ability to write songs and put out a compelling podcast. I was in another dip.    I lost my mojo and felt like a failure. But a funny thing happened: I kept working. Little by little. I gave myself a little grace. I remembered what I read in a business book once about stretch goals. Setting stretch goals is a way to force yourself to get out of your comfort zone. If you set a lofty goal, such as writing and recording a song a week, say, you will achieve more than you would otherwise even if you do not meet your goal.   So I sat my ass down in the chair and wrote. A little here, and a little there. It was a slog. I hated it. But I was making progress. And after week seven of my experiment, I have three new songs. Granted it's not seven new songs, but it isn't zero new songs either. It's three more songs than I had written in the PREVIOUS seven weeks before starting this experiment, so I'm satisfied. I didn't fail. Not at all.       Hey guys, I am about to attempt another project that I will explain in detail in an upcoming episode of Left Of Nashville. So I need you guys to do me a favor. For those of you who listen on iTunes, would you be so kind as to leave a review? This is something that I have neglected to ask people to do, but it is very important.   It helps this podcast rise in the rankings, which makes it visible to more people. I need this to happen in order to help launch this other project. It would mean the world to me. Thanks guys!   Steven Pressfield-The War Of Art   Ben Rector   Ben Kweller   Maddy And The Groove Spots