The David Andrew Wiebe Show

Have you ever felt unworthy? Does it seem like others around you are accomplishing more than you are?

In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I explore entrepreneurial insecurity and how to re-frame your perspective.

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Podcast Highlights:

00:14 – You are where you are

00:43 – Insecurities

01:07 – Stop comparing

01:56 – Taking risks

02:20 – Reflect on the chances you’ve taken and where you could be

03:53 – The importance of staying in the moment

04:54 – Your journey is uniquely yours

Transcription:

Have you ever felt like you should be further along in your music or entrepreneurial career than you are?

Have people ever said to you something along the lines of, “why do I feel like you should be more recognized and better known than you are?”

On the one hand, it’s nice to know people think so highly of you. That can be a confidence booster. On the other hand, you might begin to feel discouraged, because you aren’t sure what you did wrong. You don’t know why you aren’t “further along” than you already are.

If these thoughts go unchecked, they can become a source of stress. You may start to feel depressed about your situation, because you wish you would have accomplished more by now.

Pretty soon, you’re looking at others who’ve achieved great things, and you begin to feel insecure about where you are. I know I’ve felt this way recently and know other entrepreneurs who’ve felt it too.

You may not feel as though what you’ve accomplished so far is significant. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t. It just means you’re comparing yourself to others.  So, I want to encourage you to…

Stop Comparing

I’ve written a post on the blog about comparison being the source of all unhappiness.

Take that any way you want, but ultimately, comparison is unhealthy, because your journey is your journey. It won’t be the same as anyone else’s, even if you model your life after your heroes.

Your journey is your journey and it won't be like anyone else's.Share on X

When we compare, we are rarely fair with ourselves. We end up comparing our blunders with someone else’s highlight reel. And, a highlight reel is just that – a collection of someone’s best moments. Rest assured, they’ve made some mistakes along the way too, perhaps bigger mistakes than you’ve ever made.

I know, there are plenty of people out there who’ve accomplished amazing things, and you want to be one of those people. But it wasn’t necessarily more intelligence, more smarts, or more talent that got them to where they are. Oftentimes, it’s just that they’ve figured out a few things you haven’t.

Hard work doesn’t guarantee success. But all things being equal, someone who takes more chances will likely have a better chance at success than someone who takes fewer, wouldn’t you agree? So, let me ask – are you taking enough risks?

I know it’s tempting to compare yourself to others and what they’ve accomplished, but I would encourage you to stop thinking that way. Instead, focus on what you can do today to make progress towards your goals and dreams.

Focus on what you can do today to make progress towards your goals and dreams.Share on X

You should also take some time to…

Reflect On The Chances You’ve Taken & Think About Where You Could Be

If you’ve been a musician or entrepreneur for any length of time, you’ve probably tried your hand at a lot of things. You deserve credit for what you’ve done, regardless of what the outcome was.

If no one has ever recognized you for things you think they should have, here I am extending recognition to you right now – good job.

And, that’s the way I’ve convinced myself to look at things as well.

If everything had gone according to plan, I would probably be a millionaire by now. Who knows where I would be or what I would be doing. Maybe I would still be adding value to the world through this podcast. Maybe I would have moved on to other projects.

What matters now isn’t where I could have been. All that matters, is my determination to keep going and to do something daily that causes me to love life.

I’ve experienced many hardships in life, as I’m sure you have, and some have made me want to give up, especially recent challenges. But I didn’t give up. I just kept finding ways of reinventing myself and my approach. I’m finding it necessary to adjust my approach yet again here in 2018.

The reason I say I could have been a millionaire by now is because I’ve reflected on the chances I’ve taken. I’ve had a long-lasting music career. I’ve started many businesses, websites, blogs, and YouTube channels. I’ve invested in businesses. I’ve published quite a bit of music, many eBooks and courses, and even a full-length book. I have a second book on the way. I’ve been involved in several community projects too.

Even with all that, I have yet to break six-figures in a single year. But you know what? That doesn’t bug me. I am exactly where I need to be right now, learning the lessons I need to learn. I have a purpose to serve exactly where I am, even though I might lose sight of that fact at times.

There are things I want to achieve, people I want to meet, and places I want to go. But for whatever reason, where I am right now is an important part of my journey. And, if I don’t enjoy the journey, will I truly be fulfilled when I reach the destination? No.

As I see it, there’s no need to hurry. I’m not saying I want to prolong the journey, nor am I saying I want to take my time getting to where I want to go.

But there’s also no reason to delay gratification and enjoyment indefinitely. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. I’m not going to be extravagant with my spending, because I care about my future, but some opportunities won’t come around twice. It’s one of the reasons I went to Japan when I did last November.

Life isn’t all about work. So, I’m going to be deliberate about finding something that makes me happy today. But I’m not going to apologize for being driven either. I’m going to keep pushing forward, because I believe in myself and what I’m sharing with the world.

If you’re feeling insecure right now, remember that your journey is your journey. It’s uniquely you, and no one else will have the same experiences you have. That’s what makes it worth living. You will experience some hardships along the way, and they will send you reeling. But don’t give up – your dream is worth it.

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Reading is an important part of personal growth. There is a lot of knowledge in books you can’t find anywhere else. So, are you prioritizing reading in your life?

In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I share four books that made a difference in my life in 2017.

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Podcast Highlights:

00:14 – My reading habits in 2017

00:52 – The four impacting books I read in 2017

00:59 – Do You Talk Funny? by David Nihill

01:58 – I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi

03:17 – The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber

04:27 – Virtual Freedom by Chris Ducker

05:35 – Final thoughts

Transcription:

I didn’t get around to reading quite as much in 2017 as I had in the two years prior.

I’ve already shared about many of the events that sent me reeling last year and how that caused me to rethink my approach to life. My burnout and newfound social life both played a significant part in book reading taking a backseat in my life.

I don’t think I learned any less in 2017 compared to years prior. I believe I learned a lot of practical, real-life lessons that I could not have learned except through the experiences I lived.

In some ways, I felt like I was tossed right into the big leagues. My desire to grow as an individual has always been significant, but I had no idea I would be pushed this far this fast.

Anyway, there were still a few worthwhile books I read in 2017, and I wanted to share them with you. Here they are.

1. Do You Talk Funny?: 7 Comedy Habits to Become a Better (and Funnier) Public Speaker by David Nihill

How important is humor?

David Nihill points out that humor is one of the nine key elements of successful TED Talks. He shows why funny people tend to have better relationships and get more opportunities.

You may not consider yourself a comedian, and I don’t think of myself as one either. But if we can learn to inject humor into everyday conversation, we will be more memorable and stand out from the crowd.

In Do You Talk Funny?, Nihill explains how you can adopt a number of comedic habits, not just to enhance your speeches, but your everyday relationships.

As with any book, taking what you learn and applying it is the hard part, but I took a few valuable ideas from this book, some of which have served me well, such as The Rule of 3.

Taking what you learn and applying it is the hard part about reading.Share on X

Pick up this book if you’re looking to take your public speeches beyond, or you just want to create a better rapport with people.

2. I Will Teach You To Be Rich: No Guilt. No Excuses. No B.S. Just a 6-Week Program That Works by Ramit Sethi

Managing your money isn’t easy. This is because there is a lot of misinformation out there, and in today’s instant gratification society, it is so easy to overspend and rack up a lot of debt.

Author Ramit Sethi brings it back to the basics and shows us how we can get our financial life on track. But he isn’t unrealistic either – he points out that you can’t have everything. You can drive an amazing car, you can live in a mansion, you can buy that bass boat you’ve always wanted. But you will likely need to pick and choose which of those things you truly want – it will prove difficult if not impossible to have it all.

When you hear the word “frugal”, you probably assume it means to spend cautiously. Sethi says it’s about choosing what to spend extravagantly on, and cutting back spending on what you don’t love.

In this book, you will also learn what to invest your money in. Many people are naïve, and assume they will never need investments to reach their desired goals. Even some business owners I know aren’t thinking about saving or investing in their future. This is a mistake.

Not thinking about saving or investing in your future is a mistake.Share on X

So, if you’re looking for a simple plan you can follow to get your money under control, I recommend reading I Will Teach You To Be Rich.

3. The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber

The E-Myth is not a step-by-step process on how to transform your small business. Rather, it illustrates, through story, how to think about your business differently and approach it in a way that allows you to regain your freedom and enjoy your work again.

Most successful small business owners reach a point in their career when they can’t take on more work. This can be exciting for a while, but eventually they become stressed out. That leaves them longing for earlier times when their business was their passion, and they loved going into work every day.

So, how do you build a business that can grow and scale? Author Michael E. Gerber suggests that you must think of your business as a franchise. You must systematize your processes, and delegate work to your employees.

I’ve talked to a lot of business owners about systems, so I’m quite familiar with the idea of systematizing a business. Still, this was a worthwhile read, and there are a lot of great insights into marketing and selling that go beyond just systematization.

Read The E-Myth Revisited if you’re stuck in your business and don’t know how to keep growing while achieving more freedom in your life.

4. Virtual Freedom: How to Work with Virtual Staff to Buy More Time, Become More Productive, and Build Your Dream Business by Chris Ducker

If you’ve spent any time listening to business podcasts, then you’ve already heard about hiring Virtual Assistants and outsourcing your work.

In Virtual Freedom, author Chris Ducker demonstrates how this works in practice, and the steps you need to take to ensure your virtual team completes their work to your standards.

There can be some hiccups to setting up your virtual team if you don’t know what you’re doing, and Ducker explains how to navigate these challenges.

As I was reading this book, I wasn’t ready to hire anyone yet, though I did eventually hire a transcriptionist last year. This was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for my business, because she delivers excellent quality work for an affordable rate.

The fact that I was willing to transcribe my own podcast episodes shows commitment and dedication on my part, but still not work I should be engaging in when I have content to create, books to write, and vision to think about.

This would be timely read for anyone overworked and stressed out. Don’t wait until you burn out to hire, because by then it might be too late.

Don’t wait until you burn out to hire, because by then it might be too late.Share on X

Final Thoughts

I’ve started reading more in 2018 already, though I’m not certain I will make it to 52 books this year either.

The book I’m most excited about reading, and have already started on, is James Schramko’s Work Less Make More: The counter-intuitive approach to building a profitable business, and a life you actually love. I have a feeling I will be reading through it multiple times, because most of what I’ve built in the last year or two has been based on James’ methodologies.

Do you know what books you’ll be reading in 2018? What are you excited to read?

I look forward to seeing your comments.

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What should one be doing to advance their career? How should they be spending their time as a music entrepreneur?

In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I reflect back on 2017 and talk about 10 things I did to move my career forward.

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Podcast Highlights:

00:14 – What does the life of a music entrepreneur look like?

00:37 – Is entrepreneurship about smarts?

01:18 – 10 things I did in 2017 as a music entrepreneur

01:38 – Songwriting

02:21 – Recording and releasing music

03:01 – Performing

03:22 – Blogging and writing

03:54 – Podcasting

04:14 – Making videos

04:36 – Organizing events

05:04 – Coaching

05:27 – Crowdfunding

05:49 – Miscellaneous

06:43 – How did you spend your time in 2017?

06:52 – The new eBook

Transcription:

What does the life of a music entrepreneur look like? Well, if you've listened to the stories of those that have been on my podcast, you're probably starting to get a bit of an idea.

Whether it's Bob Baker, James Moore, Ross Barber, Eddie Meehan, Christopher Sutton, John Petrocelli, DeCarlos Garrison, Ian Temple, or Melina Krumova, you should be starting to see the dedication and effort required to be in business.

It isn't necessarily about smarts because I've interviewed several people with successful businesses that weren't the sharpest people I've ever met. I'm not calling them out and I'm not referring to anyone I've had on my show, but it made me realize that simplicity is a good thing.

I tend to analyze and think things through a lot and I also get distracted by shiny objects easily, so I could probably learn a thing or two from the 100+ entrepreneurs I've interviewed over the years.

"But you're the music entrepreneur D.A.", you might be saying.

But the way I want you to look at it is that you are the music entrepreneur. I'm looking to empower you with the tools and mindset necessary to go and make your dreams happen.

I'm here to empower you with the tools and mindset necessary to go and make your dreams happen.Share on X

So, I wanted to share about 10 things I did in 2017. I don't share this to brag or even draw attention to myself.

Rather, I share this with you to give you a sense of what a music entrepreneur could be doing with their time. This may also shed some light on possible revenue streams for you. So, let's get into it.

1. I Wrote Songs

Each year I'm inspired to write new songs as events unfold in my life and I tap into inspiration. I have a lot of songs in my archives already, so I don't necessarily make it a point to write a certain number of songs in a year these days (I once wrote 365 songs in a year). My time is mostly taken up by other things, but I still enjoy the process.

Writing a song doesn't always lead to immediate income but when you think about it, a song has a lot of long-tail value.

You can record and sell the song. You can perform it at your shows. You may even be able to get other artists to cover it or find licensing opportunities for it. It's a good idea to research the individual revenue streams connected to writing a song because there might be more than you even realize

2. I Recorded and Released Music

I released two new singles as a solo artist in 2017 – one called "Waves", and another called "Your Eyes Give it Away." You may not know this, but I also released one new single under a pseudonym, Compuxor. The single is called "Christmas Surf."

This was created for the third installment of Wommy Saves Xmas, a series I've been part of for three years and have done some voice acting for.

I also demoed several other songs that I never released but I'm going to keep working on those until I'm satisfied and release them when they're ready.

3. I Performed

Performance is the reason I got into music and it remains one of the top reasons I stay in it. I performed with Long John Lev, Adrenalize and a Nigerian band. I played some solo shows. I did a bit of live session work too. Thanks to these experiences, I feel like I've grown a bit as a musician.

4. I Blogged and Wrote Articles

I published a little less on the Music Entrepreneur HQ in 2017 compared to years prior but that's not my plan for 2018.

I'm looking forward to publishing more, and if you’ve been following along, you already know that.

Content is an important part of what we offer, and it is usually how people find us online, making it one of our top assets.

You may know that I'm also a staff writer at Music Industry How To where new articles are going up all the time, and that remains a significant focus of mine too.

5. I Published Podcast Episodes

The podcast is still one of my major focuses. I published 49 episodes in 2017. I enjoy the audio medium. While it takes more time to produce audio than articles, it generally takes less time than videos.

These days I'm starting to think about different ways to monetize the podcast.

6. I Made Videos

I started taking the creation of videos more seriously in 2017.

I didn't get around to making quite as many as I thought I would because of any content type, I find video requires the most effort and time to produce.

Recently, I've started thinking more about making videos again because I know it's one of the number one ways people consume content online today.

7. I Helped Organize Events

It's been an honor and a privilege to be a part of the Listening Room YYC collective.

We went from running two events per month between February and June to running four events per month from September to December.

I'm still part of the collective and helping organize additional events in 2018 (note: as of July 2018, I’m no longer a part of this collective).

It's a lot of fun showcasing talented artists in this way and giving them the opportunity to perform in front of an attentive audience.

I also got to perform at a couple of these events.

8. I Coached

Coaching and teaching are huge passions of mine. I enjoy helping other musicians, creatives, and business owners succeed in their ventures.

I am planning to launch coaching packages soon. I used to do one-on-one coaching on a per session basis, but something I would like to offer is the ability for you to purchase multiple coaching sessions at once.

9. I Helped Run a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign

This is the first crowdfunding campaign I ever helped with, so it was very gratifying to have been a part of a winning team. It was immensely successful, generating over $10,000 for the artist. It gave me increased confidence as a marketer and I made bit of money in the process.

10. Miscellaneous or Unfinished

There are a few other things I worked on throughout the year that I didn't necessarily get around to finishing but occupied quite a bit of my time.

One was I initiated an independent radio campaign. This is something that I'm finishing up as I write this, so the campaign should be over in March.

I worked on Flashes of Elation and finished the manuscript. Many of you have been asking "When is the book coming out?" Well, I'm looking at my whiteboard right now and there are four boxes that have yet to be ticked.

One of the things I'm waiting on right now is a foreword that's going to be written by someone special. Either way, I promise I'm working on it and we should be entering the editing phase soon. That's how you know we're close.

I also spent some time building new partnerships, especially with the people that came on my podcast. I'm excited about how those are going to play out.

Those are some of the major areas I spent my time in 2017. I'd be curious to know how you spent your time and what you were able to accomplish.

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Is social media just a distraction? What sort of advantages are there to marketing your music on social media? Is it worth exploring new platforms?

In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I talk to Melina Krumova of Drooble, who shares why she believes in the power of social media.

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Podcast Highlights:

00:14 – Introductions

00:22 – What is Drooble and how does it help musicians?

00:40 – What made you want to start a collaboration platform and what makes it unique?

01:24 – What kinds of tools are available to musicians looking to promote their music?

02:14 – What need are you looking to fill with Drooble?

03:32 – What is the value of social networking for musicians today?

03:54 – Can’t social media become a massive distraction for musicians?

04:55 – What is your musical background?

05:37 – What do you mean when you say music has the power to change the world for good?

07:34 – What is the best way to use Drooble?

08:08 – Do you see Drooble becoming more than it is today?

08:37 – How critical is it for musician to build up their social media presence?

09:40 – What are the most challenging aspects of building a music career in the digital age?

10:30 – Final thoughts

Transcription:

David Andrew Wiebe: Today I’m chatting with the founder and CEO of Drooble, Melina Krumova! How are you today Melina?

Melina Krumova: Hello! I’m good.

David: Thanks for joining me. For those who don’t know, what is Drooble and how does it help musicians?

Melina: Drooble is a platform where musicians from all over the world can collaborate with each other and use our tools to promote their music and reach a broader audience.

David: With more and more collaboration sites coming online these days, what made you want to start another platform — and what makes you unique?

Melina: When I decided to work on Drooble, I just felt the lack of space that unites all musicians, a space that gives them the appropriate tools to connect and advance their careers. What makes Drooble unique is actually how our community works! For example, you get on Drooble, you help the community and contribute to others' music. As a reward, you earn Karma points. Then, you can spend them on promoting your own music through our tools.

David: What sort of tools are available for promoting one’s music?

Melina: Okay. So, there are various things. We have an online radio. All songs on Drooble are automatically broadcast on the radio so people can purchase a guaranteed traditional place. basically. Many, many people will listen to them when they purchase this tool!

We also have various features like Artist of the Week, Tune of the Week, Video of the Week. We have an electronic press kit, which is very nice — I love it. We offer private song reviews. We publish album reviews and interviews on our blog as well. And right now, we are working on many other awesome tools.

David: Now, what need are you looking to fill with Drooble? What did you feel was lacking when you looked at other social networks out there?

Melina: Actually, what I felt lacking was a real community where musicians can actually help and support each other. The other thing missing for me was the engagement between people. In other social networks, it’s getting harder and harder for musicians to get their content to reach people and engage them. I mean, without them paying for it.

So we wanted to build a network where musicians can promote their music efficiently, without necessarily needing money to do this.

David: It’s true. With so many social networks beginning to throttle the newsfeeds and making it a pay-to-play platform, it is getting harder to get engagement. I mean, Instagram is one of the few places people still go to and find they can get quite a bit. I find that engagement’s gone down on that platform a little bit too, but I’m sure one element that musicians would certainly enjoy is seeing more interaction. And that’s the purpose of social media — as far as I’m concerned, anyway.

Melina: Yeah. And these places are getting more and more lonely, you know? This is what we want to change with Drooble, basically. A network that’s alive, you know, a community that’s alive.

David: What is the value of social networking for musicians today? How does it benefit them?

Melina: I think social networks are great in the sense that they make it easier for musicians to find gig opportunities — for example, find the right people for their projects to get their music to reach a broader audience. There are actually many tremendous opportunities!

David: I am playing a little bit of devil’s advocate here with this question, but can’t social media become a massive distraction for musicians — especially when they’re looking to stay inspired creatively?

Melina: What I think is that this distraction applies to all people in general — not just musicians. Social networks are great if used for their purpose of productivity. But what I notice nowadays is that people tend to get addicted and waste so much time consuming useless information, instead of being creative and productive. From my personal experience as a musician, I can say for myself that, for example, I never land on Facebook’s newsfeed. I just don’t do it. I haven’t been there for longer than a year already! I think I stay more focused on getting things done that way. I spend my time on Drooble though, discovering great artists and music.

David: I can see that for sure. I’m sure our listeners may be a little bit curious to know about your musical background, so feel free to share a little bit about that.

Melina: Okay. Well, I started playing music about seven or eight years ago — I started playing guitar. A few years later, I joined a metal band. That’s my story so far. I enjoy all sorts of music. It’s not just down to metal. I really love good, honest music that comes straight from the heart!

David: Fantastic. I think this was something that was mentioned on your website or maybe it’s a catchphrase of sorts, but what do you mean when you say music has the power to change the world for good?

Melina: Well, as I said, I got into playing music when I was about 23, and at that age, I could observe, with awareness, how music started transforming me. It’s good that I didn’t start earlier because I could really see how it’s going. It really helped me become more self-aware and connected with my inner world, with my emotions. I found out a person can really get to know themselves through music, as it happened to me. You know how they say that joy and peace come from within, but all people actually look for those things outside! Yet, once you get into music, it makes you look inside yourself.

Eventually, you find the joy and peace we are all looking for. It did it for me, so I decided to start a music lessons school in my hometown to share this personal growth opportunity through music with other people as well. Things grew quickly thereр and for a few years now we have been giving about 400 lessons per week! We have a large community of people who love music. We have rehearsal spaces. We have a small concert venue and recording studio. We operate in several cities.

Somewhere along the way, I decided to make things global and started Drooble to help the love for music grow in people’s hearts, and help them grow through it, too.

David: Yeah. I think music can cause a lot of introspection. It can cause a lot of personal growth because it does require dedication to become good at your craft. So I can see where you are coming from with that.

What is the best way to use Drooble and how do you suggest musicians take advantage of it?

Melina: Well, I’d say if you’re a musician, the best way is to log into Drooble and upload all your music. Then start giving away and receiving back. Other musicians make requests, answer questions, listen, and appreciate your music. Give feedback, and you will see the same will come to you! Along the way, you will earn points that you can spend on promoting your music in and outside Drooble.

David: Do you see Drooble becoming something more? What else would you offer musicians in the industry at large if you had no limits on time and resources?

Melina: I see Drooble as a platform where musicians have all their needs in one place. We offer them opportunities for career advancement. We offer them a marketplace to exchange goods and services between each other and friends. Also, I’ve been thinking about more tools for collaboration!

David: In your opinion, how critical is it for musicians to build up their social media presence for marketing purposes?

Melina: I’d say the social media presence is really important. One mistake I often observe is that musicians tend to start the marketing part before they got the product part together first. This never turns right in my experience. I think a person should make music that is honest to what he feels, then make it present in the same way. Being true and original in their expression, I think this strategy always wins. But it takes some level of personal growth, maybe.

David: And I see a lot of the opposite as well. A lot of musicians will create products but then have no plan for marketing it. That can be an uphill battle also.

Melina: It goes down to balance. Always, you can’t have one side without the other. Marketing and product, I think they go hand and hand.

David: Yeah. What do you see as being the most challenging aspects of building a music career in the digital age for musicians?

Melina: Maybe the most difficult part is standing out and retaining faith as competition is really massive. The digital age makes a lot of music available to the audience, labels, festivals. So an artist really has to stand out! This requires a lot of hard work and skill, good use of resources, a genuine expression through music. Most of all, I think it’s committing to something bigger than oneself

When you make huge leaps forward in your life, you feel exhilarated.

But if you end up looking back on those achievements and compare them to your present reality, you could feel discouraged depending on the amount of progress you feel you’ve made.

So, it’s important to celebrate every victory, no matter how big or small we feel it was.

In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I share what I feel I accomplished in 2017.

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Podcast Highlights:

00:14 – Reflecting on 2016 and what I accomplished

00:56 – Reflecting on 2017 and what I accomplished

01:28 – How I enjoyed freedom in 2017

04:16 – How I achieved greater clarity last year

05:52 – How I became healthier last year

07:12 – Final thoughts on 2017 and why it was different for me

Transcription:

As I think back on 2016, I recognize that one of my biggest achievements was going from working several jobs at several locations to becoming a full-time work-from-home freelancer and entrepreneur.

Prior to that, I had been working as a guitar instructor, theatre technician, and freelance writer. By summer 2016, my ghostwriting and freelance writing work had taken off to the point where I didn’t feel I needed the other off-site work anymore.

As exciting as these changes were, it was a bit scary going from working in several capacities to narrowing my focus to one thing. But if that hadn’t worked out, I may not be sitting here sharing these insights with you on the podcast today.

So, recently I gave some thought as to what I had accomplished in 2017. At first, I didn’t feel like it was quite the standout year 2016 was. I encountered many challenges and went through a great deal of growth in 2017, especially in my personal life, but because of that, my revenue numbers suffered compared to 2016.

As I reflected, however, I realized that revenue figures aren’t everything. I still accomplished a great deal that I’m proud of last year.

Revenue figures aren't everything.Share on X

So, here are three things I accomplished in 2017.

1. Freedom

Many of us get into business because of the freedom it offers.

I love what Christopher Sutton of Musical U said in episode 68 of the podcast:

…as an entrepreneur, you have incredible freedom from day one and you can increase that over time as your business grows and becomes more successful.

When you think “freedom” as an entrepreneur, what comes to mind is probably the laptop lifestyle. The ability to go anywhere you want, and work from any beach you want across the world.

I’ve probably been able to live that type of lifestyle since 2016, since my work was no longer tied to a physical location. I probably had enough freelancing income to do it even a year prior to that.

There are reasons why I didn’t do that. For one, I had – and still have – several collaborative projects I work on with people I respect and admire in Calgary. For another, I had lost sight of anything outside of work between 2014 and the first half of 2017. My life was work, as I’ve shared in earlier podcast episodes. That meant it didn’t matter a whole lot where I was in the world, because I hardly interacted with anyone.

I had some vague notion of visiting Japan in 2017, and I knew I couldn’t delay that trip any longer because I had been thinking about it for a couple of years, but I had no idea just how vital that experience would be for me. Most of the year appeared to be going along smoothly, at least until June. More on that in a second.

Prior to leaving for Japan, I was sick and burnt out, and barely able to function. I was beat up in virtually every capacity – physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. I’ll talk more about burnout in a future podcast episode.

So, going back to what I was saying about June. I was already nearing burnout at that stage. I would catch myself working straight through the day, getting up only to go to the washroom, make meals, and walk the dog. I would end my days at 10, 11, or 12 at night, with barely any time left to wind down before going to bed and starting the same cycle all over again.

That’s when a friend interrupted my life and changed it for the better. She started taking me out on adventures and showing me that there is a life outside of work. She drew things out of me that were probably always there, but I had simply forgotten or shoved down. I felt like I was going through personal transformation.

In ensuing months, I ended up taking liberties and exercising quite a bit of freedom. And, to some extent, that has carried over into the New Year.

I also took breaks. I went on a weekend trip to British Columbia with another friend in August. I went to Chase, BC for a week the same month. Then, in November, I finally got to make a return trip to Japan after 14 years of not visiting.

These events, however, were planned. I didn’t just wake up one day and say to myself, “I should go to Japan next month”. I had been planning for these trips, because I knew I had failed at taking proper breaks in years prior, despite my best intentions.

There is greater freedom to be had, and I’m in pursuit of that. But I’m glad I took some time out to “rebalance my life” in 2017.

2. Clarity

The Music Entrepreneur HQ has been a passion project of mine for many years.

I’ve built lot of other niche websites and blogs over the years, but after I started seeing some traction with this project idea, I decided to dedicate more time to it, and even redirected many of my other domain names to The Music Entrepreneur HQ.

I think writing and publishing my book had something to do with that decision as well. Out of any product I had ever created online, including music, other courses and eBooks, the one that consistently drove revenue was the book.

I may be driven and prolific, but I don’t think I could have written books for all my blogs and websites. And, it’s possible I would have had to do that to drive income from those sites as well.

I had to make some tough decisions about what I wanted to focus on, but with my email list and traffic at The Music Entrepreneur HQ growing, it seemed like a no brainer to continue to add value to the world through this channel. And, as you’ve surely discovered, I’ve been sharing about a lot of things that you wouldn’t typically find on a music blog.

Despite having a few sources of revenue, up until recently, I wasn’t entirely sure what my business model was. After spending some time in Japan reflecting and letting my thoughts simmer, I finally achieved clarity around what The Music Entrepreneur HQ was and could be.

As you can imagine, that makes it a lot easier for me to know what to focus on moving forward. And, gradually, after the whirlwind events of 2017, I’m finding my focus and determination again. Being in a new environment certainly helps – I feel happier, more creative, and more energetic in my new home.

It’s time to take this business above and beyond!

3. Health

I had set the intention to focus on my health in 2017. I’ve already shared quite a bit about this in episode 79 of the podcast.

This was important to me, because I felt my workouts in 2016 weren’t yielding results, and in some ways, I was beginning to feel worse off physically. I knew I had to make different decisions in 2017.

“Health” was even a theme word of mine for 2017.

Having set that intention, I was surprised to find the universe presenting me with new opportunities to care for my wellbeing.

One friend asked if I wanted to work out with him, and showed me how to eat healthier. Another took me to hot yoga a couple of times, and sometimes went on walks with me. Yet another told me about humic and fulvic acids, and how these liquids could help with gut health and clarity of mind.

During the summer, I was incredibly restless and went on a lot of walks, both during the day, and oftentimes at night. I loved those late-night walks, despite how unbalanced I was feeling emotionally while on them. It gave me time to process my thoughts, and I felt like those walks brought a lot of clarity to my life.

I wouldn’t say I’ve achieved all my health and fitness goals. But I have more energy, I’ve gained muscle mass, toned up, and cut fat. That’s the direction I want to continue towards in 2018.

Some friends have commented on the many changes I’ve gone through physically, and it inspires me to push ahead.

Conclusion

2017 was a different kind of year for me, but it’s almost as if it had to be that way.

If I had kept up the crazy schedule I was living in the first half of the year, I might be in the hospital and not sitting here and sharing my journey with you as I am today.

If I hadn’t set the intention to become healthier and to grow as an individual, likewise that could have led to some poor choices and unwanted consequences.

I needed to change, and I had set the intention to do exactly that. But it’s almost as if the universe had to shake me awake before I was willing to do anything about it. I didn’t know what steps to take, and I needed the help of some friends to show me.

2017 was difficult, but I believe I will remember it fondly. Now, it’s 2018, and my life is changing again. I look forward to the journey and adventures ahead.

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We all tend to consume a lot of information. But how much of that information sticks with you? Are you applying what you learn?

In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I talk to Ian Temple of Soundfly, who’s an expert on the topic of how people learn, and how we can learn more efficiently and retain more of the information we take in.

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Podcast Highlights:

00:14 – Introduction

00:28 – What is Soundfly, and how does it help musicians?

01:45 – What types of courses can you find on Soundfly?

03:50 – What are musicians missing about setting goals and achieving what they desire?

06:39 – Customized or personalized curriculums for music students

07:47 – Different styles of learning

10:27 – Self-directed learning

12:48 – Mentorship and accountability

15:35 – Why build a business serving artists?

18:29 – The opportunities music offers

20:43 – What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned about leadership?

24:57 – With knowledge being as commoditized as it is, how do you build interest in your business?

28:26 – Learning through repetition

30:10 – How do you market your business, and what’s working for you right now?

34:13 – Content marketing

35:42 – What have you learned from your recording and performance career?

39:19 – What are some of the biggest struggles you’ve encountered as an entrepreneur?

40:30 – What are some of the biggest victories you’ve experienced as an entrepreneur?

43:14 – Are there any books that have helped you on your journey?

47:10 – Providing value for your customers

49:21 – What tools and apps are you using to run your business?

50:36 – Is there anything else I should have asked?

Transcription:

David Andrew Weibe: Today I am chatting with CEO and founder of Soundfly, Ian Temple. How are you today Ian?

Ian Temple: Good. Thanks. How are you?

David: I'm fantastic. Thank you for asking.

Ian: Thank you for having me.

David: Oh yeah. No, it's an honor. So, what is Soundfly and how does it help musicians?

Ian: Yeah. Soundfly is basically a different kind of online music school. We exist to help musicians meet their goals. That can be many sorts of musical goals whether producing a professional sounding track from scratch or composing your first-string quartet or booking your next big tour. That's what drives us to do what we do.

And the way we do that is we have free daily articles that are of interest to musicians. We have free mini courses that take you through a kind of single musical topic in a sitting. And then, we provide mentor services to musicians either paired with content or not in which we help musicians by pairing them with a personal trainer. Basically, someone who has knowledge and expertise in their field who works with them for a month or more to help them meet their goals. So, multiple levels of helping musicians achieve things and learn new things.

David: It's fascinating and there's a couple things you touched on that I definitely want to dig deeper into. I think the first thing is what types of courses can musicians expect to find on your website? You just mentioned a few different subjects, but it sounds like you offer a lot and most topics are covered in a sense.

Ian: Yes. It's funny because when we started out we started... I'm a pianist myself so we started just by kind of messing around with like some beginner piano content to try and learn about the market. One thing we discovered pretty quickly early on was number one, there was already a glut of bigger piano content out there.

David: Of course.

Ian: And number two, you know I like to say going from zero to one as a musician if you know nothing about music it's really hard because it's not that much fun to practice when you don't know anything. Right? And yet that's kind of the area that so many people are chasing. I mean there are some amazing resources out there like [Usician 00:02:53] or Playground Sessions that kind of try and provide that service.

What we felt was missing was once people already know a little bit about music or already have some kind of knowledge and how did they learn all the things you need to know as a modern musician in today's music world to kind of succeed or to achieve their goals. And so, we focused a lot on courses on production, or composition, helping you with your song writing, or you know one of our most popular courses is orchestrating for strings, how to use a [da 00:03:30], how to make beats. And then some music business stuff - how to actually market yourself as a musician and stuff like that.

So, yeah. It's been really interesting seeing that that was really where there was a hole in the market and that's really where we've tried to fill in and support musicians.

David: What are musicians missing about setting goals and achieving the level of success they desire?

Ian: That's a great question. I think there are couple big things that we think about here at Soundfly. The first one is that you'd be amazed by how many music students just come to us with a really big dream and no idea how to get there. Right? So, when we in take a new student to work with one of our mentors, the first thing we ask them is what do you want to learn? What's your big goal?

So many of them are just like "oh write a hit track", or "be famous", "succeed with my music". It's really vague and hard to wrap your head around. Right? And that can be arresting for a musician. I mean having a goal that's that big and that vague, you don't really know how to start or how to achieve it.

Something we really focus on a lot, one of our core kind of learning concepts is making sure that we're creating really highly deliberate learning plans for every student that takes their big goal and breaks it up into achievable small steps with kind of interim milestones that they can actually achieve.

I guess a really good example for that would be -- we've had a number of students come to us who want to have their music in sync licensing live. Right? Have their music be on commercials and stuff. But they have no idea how to get there. That's just their goal but they don't know what they're doing. So, we work with them. We figure out where the music is now, and we say "Okay. We need to--. Truthfully, your composition needs a little bit of work, your production needs a little bit of work. And then we'll work with you once we've gotten through those things to figure out how to approach an actual library."

And so, we go step by step through those different things. The first month might be creating a sound alike of another track that is already on TV or has already been licensed and we'll focus on the mixing, we'll focus on tweaking the sound design, and just make sure that she or he is really able to achieve that. And then the next one will be focusing in on some other aspect of that track and just taking those really small steps. I think that's kind of the biggest picture thing -- is getting really focused and deliberate in how you approach your big goals.

David: I like that because I was a guitar teacher for over a decade. One of the things I tried to do away with was a standardized music curriculum. Instead, I tried to customize it for each student as challenging as that was because I must have had hundreds of students over the years. But I thought that was such a valuable thing to be able to do for people. And even though the enthusiasm level didn't necessarily change for some students, I think others found tremendous value in being able to learn things like Green Day or Blink182 as one of their favorite groups over trying to grow through this book that was like really painful, you know one string at a time.

Ian: Totally.

David: And reading notes and sight reading the whole works.

Ian: Yeah, that's one of the interesting challenges is that so many--. I love learning and how people learn. That's kind of what we obsess about here at Soundfly. The interesting thing is that people learn in really different ways. To have that ability to personalize an approach for how this specific student depending on what their goals are, I think is really that valuable. I mean you see a lot of research actually supporting that now in the field as well.

David: One thing I think about with different styles of learning is generally trying to provide three types of content and this is super challenging when you're both basically like a solopreneur with a couple of contractors working for you. It is creating video, audio, and text.

Ian: Yeah.

David: You can sort of repurpose it all, right. You can take your video. You can transcribe it. You can strip the audio, make it into a podcast or something like that. It's time consuming but I think it is one way of catering to different learning styles. What are your thoughts?

Ian: Yeah, definitely. That's a great--. Yeah. Yeah. I agree 100% there. I'm trying to think. There was one model we looked at when we're starting Soundfly. It might have been of Rosetta Stone, that language learning software. They always provide for everything you're teaching. Like you speak it, you hear it, you read it, you see it. I mean it's really just those multiple elements. I think that's really great.

I think the other thing that I would just add to that is that one of our big goals at Soundfly is that everyone should not just consume our content. That every piece of content we make should inspire action. Because really you can read and watch and listen to stuff all day and that's great and you will learn new perspectives and you'll hear a bunch of great stuff, but it really requires taking some action to make sure that learning sticks and last long term.

It's the difference between what's called passive learning and just kind of sitting in a… Let's say the best example might be like sitting in a college lecture and active learning which is ac

Every year, I live my life by three guiding words. These words help me make decisions that are aligned with my vision and cause me to stretch beyond my comfort zone.

In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I reflect on my three theme words from 2017, and share my theme words for 2018.

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Podcast Highlights:

00:14 – Goal setting and resolution

00:49 – Where I got the idea to set theme words for the year

01:10 – What happened as result of setting my intentions for 2017

01:16 – #1: Adventure

03:03 – #2: Collaboration

04:47 – #3: Health

06:27 – My three theme words for 2018

06:53 – #1: War

07:33 – #2: Initiative

08:35 – #3: Connection

09:16 – Final thoughts

Transcription:

“What’s your New Year’s resolution?”

This is a common question to ask this time of year.

And yet, the thing that I’ve found the most value in over the last few years is setting three theme words for the year instead of setting goals or resolutions.

I’ve found that these words can set the intention for the year, and if you keep them out in front of you where you can look at them and contemplate them regularly, you’ll be reminded of what’s important to you and what you’re looking to achieve that year.

If you set your intentions for the year and keep them in front of you, you'll be reminded of what's important to you and what you're looking to achieve.Share on X

You’ll find that people, circumstances, and events line up in unexpected and beautiful ways. Fresh opportunities will come your way if you remain open to the possibilities.

Setting theme words for the year is an idea I got from Chris Brogan, CEO of Owner Media Group. Since 2015, it has become a yearly practice for me, though I admit I almost gave up on last year. I’m glad I didn’t.

If you’ve never done this before, I would suggest giving it a try. And, maybe the stories I’m about to share will inspire you to do just that.

So, here are my three theme words from 2017, and what happened as result of holding these intentions for a year.

1. Adventure

I admit there was a lack of adventure in my life from 2014 all the way to the first half of 2017. That’s probably why I wanted to set “adventure” as one of my theme words for the year.

This is what I said in last year’s blog post about adventure:

Life can be too much “business as usual”. I’ve got to do things that make me come alive, and that means doing some things that might scare me.

So, how did adventure manifest in 2017?

I already talked about how I made some new friends in 2017, and that played a significant role in bringing about fresh experiences.

I know that a lot of you follow me on social media, and often comment on what I’m sharing, usually in person, including photos of the trips I’ve been taking and the blog posts I’ve been writing.

I’ve already mentioned a few times on the podcast that I spent a week in Chase, BC in August. One friend commented how he thought it was interesting that I approached my experiences there as though they were entirely new, even though they weren’t.

That’s the approach I took the entire summer. Sure, I’ve been to BC before, but I think it’s one of the first trips I’ve ever taken alone. So, the difference was that I got to experience everything for myself.

Many of my other adventures during the summer, and even fall months were driven by a new friend I had made, but I was also intentional about getting out into nature alone.

The most significant adventure was that of returning to Japan after 14 years for two weeks in November. It’s almost as if that trip was tailor-made for me, as I could never have planned for everything that followed. It was incredible.

My desire for adventure was fulfilled in many ways in 2017, and I plan to continue exploring in 2018, even if I don’t go overseas.

2. Collaboration

I was just beginning to collaborate with more people at the end of 2016.

There’s nothing wrong with working alone, and since I’m in a creative industry, most of my work must be done in solitude, or at least somewhere I can concentrate on my work, such as at a coffee shop or a library.

Last year, this is what I said about collaboration:

I’m looking forward to working with more people, even if it’s just in smaller capacities, whether it’s guest posts, three-question interviews, podcast discussions, or music.

In the first half of the year, I worked with Maveen Kaura on publishing podcast episodes for Using Your Power. There are reasons why things started to slow down a bit in July, but I’m certain we’re going to get back into a regular schedule in 2018. Maveen and I also collaborated on a successful crowdfunding campaign and an independent radio campaign.

As far as guest posts, interviews, and podcast discussions go, plenty of opportunities came my way.

You may be surprised to find that I’m not entirely hands-on with the guest programming for The New Music Industry Podcast. Typically, people will send requests my way, and I will decide whether I want them on the show.

This isn’t to suggest there aren’t people I haven’t hand-selected or want to talk to, but lining up, preparing for, and publishing those interviews can be hard work. I’m glad I decided to interview many of the individuals that approached me, because I think some great content came as result, and I got to talk to some cool people.

People also approached me about being featured on their blog and interviewed on their podcast. I cherished those opportunities.

I also enjoyed being a part of a couple of communities – The Listening Room YYC and The Question, and got to collaborate with some people I have a lot of respect for.

3. Health

Here’s what I said about health last year:

It’s time to get into a steady routine of eating well, exercising, and taking supplements to help me achieve optimal health.

That’s a great description for what happened in 2017.

For whatever reason, I didn’t have much success becoming healthier in 2016. I tried to walk more – anywhere from 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day – but that didn’t appear to be producing results in how I looked or felt.

I know now that I had to make some dietary adjustments. But in 2017, it all started with working out regularly. I had an invitation from a friend to work out with him at the gym, and I said I would join him. I was in for quite the surprise when, after our first upper body workout, I could barely lift my arms or sleep properly for nearly a week because I was so sore!

He also filled me in on what and what not to eat. I changed my diet gradually, and by the end of 2017, I had almost completely moved over to an organic diet.

I had another friend tell me about fulvic and humic acids. The verdict is still out on these, so I’m not necessarily suggesting you take them yourself, but I felt I was presented with another important opportunity to become healthier when I learned about these liquids, so I took it.

Through the summer, I went on a lot of walks, and tried hot yoga a couple of times.

I stopped drinking energy drinks by spring, because in the early part of the year, I was struggling a lot with anxiety and didn’t know why. As it turns out, it was probably a combination of caffeine and chemicals that can be found in energy drinks. Cutting that out of my diet hasn’t eliminated anxiety, but it’s rarely a major problem now.

I set the intention, and the avenues for betterment presented themselves.

Bonus: My 3 Words for 2018

I was in love with my theme words from 2017, because of what manifested, and how things changed for the better.

But this is a new year, and circumstances are already different than they were in December.

So, I was dragging my feet a bit in coming up with my next theme words, but I finally decided to write them down, so I could bring my focus to the present moment.

Here are my three words for 2018

1. War

This theme word came to me while I was in Japan. One of my favorite bands right now is Disciple, and I first came to love their music in summer 2017, though I had been aware of them for several years. One day I realized how they use violent imagery and lyrics in their music, and I thought to myself, “war”.

I did not set this theme word because I want to invite war into my life. Rather, I chose it because I want to wage war on mediocrity in my life. I want to associate with excellent people. I want to do excellent things and pursue high-quality projects. I want to be engaged in the work I’m doing, and do it with purpose. So, basically, I’m pursuing quality things in my life, more than anything else.

2. Initiative

People sometimes call me “passive”. Usually, what they’re referring to is my laid-back, easygoing personality, not my work ethic. If you’ve seen the amount of work I produce and the effort I put into it, I don’t think you could refer to me as passive.

But up until June 2017, I had relegated fun to the universe, because I didn’t feel as though there was anything enjoyable out there. I had given up on the notion of connection, and even romance, and unfortunately, I may have made people the enemy in my loneliness and resignation, most of which I decided not to acknowledge any longer.

But in 2017, my heart started to open again, and I allowed myself to feel and to want what I wanted. This did lead to some heartbreak, but it didn’t shake my belief in myself. If anything, it affirmed that I was far more capable and resilient than I thought I was. I became a far more confident individual.

In 2018, I want to take more ownership of my life. I want to take initiative in my business. I want to take initiative in relationships. I want to take initiative in my fitness and health, and continue to seek betterment.

3. Connection

In a way, I’ve substituted “collaboration” for “connection”.

Collaboration implies you’ll be working with others....

Dragging your last year into your New Year is a bad idea. You may have emotions, thoughts, and ideas that need to be processed, and if you leave those stones unturned, you’ll feel mentally and emotionally cluttered heading into the New Year.

In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I close the chapter on 2017, and share what happened through the year.

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Podcast Highlights:

00:14 – Reflecting on 2017

00:50 – Closing the chapter on 2017

00:58 – Michael Hyatt’s method for processing the year

01:58 – If the last year were a movie in my life, what would the genre be?

02:25 – What were the two or three themes that kept recurring in my life?

03:21 – What did I accomplish in 2017 that I’m proudest of?

04:09 – What do I feel I should have been acknowledged for that I wasn’t?

04:24 – What disappointments did I experience in 2017?

04:33 – What was missing from my life in 2017?

05:20 – What were the major life lessons I learned in 2017?

07:12 – Final Thoughts

Transcription:

2017 is over. Hard to believe, isn’t it?

In my life, there was quite a bit of push and pull. Not just at the gym, but also in terms of how I experienced time.

Albert Einstein has been quoted as saying:

Time is relative; its only worth depends on what we do as it’s passing.

I can’t even begin to unpack the depths of what that truly means. What I can share with you is that my life slowed to a crawl during the summer months, and quickly picked up afterwards. It was strange.

My summer was a life-defining one, and has had a huge impact on who and where I am today.

I made some excellent memories in 2017, but I’m still excited to close the chapter on it because I’m looking forward to what 2018 brings.

So, as with last year, I will be following Michael Hyatt’s process for closing the chapter on another year. It doesn’t make sense to drag your last year into the new one, so we must take adequate time to process our experiences.

Don't drag your last year into the new one.Share on X

Here are the seven questions he asks himself, the same ones I will be asking myself:

If the last year were a movie of your life, what would the genre be?

What were the two or three major themes that kept recurring?

What did you accomplish this past year that you are the most proud of?

What do you feel you should have been acknowledged for but weren’t?

What disappointments or regrets did you experience this past year?

What was missing from last year as you look back?

What were the major life-lessons you learned this past year?

Without further ado, here are my answers.

My Answers to the 7 Questions

1. If the last year were a movie in your life, what would the genre be?

Adventure and new experiences became the theme of the year, especially as summer approached. I spent some time away in British Columbia in August, and then two weeks in Japan in November. Both trips embodied a mix of familiar and new experiences I will value and treasure for a long time to come. I tried new foods, went new places, made new friends, and pursued new experiences.

2. What were the two or three major themes that kept recurring?

The first half of the year was dominated by conversations about business and what it means to be an entrepreneur. It helps that my best friend is a business owner as well. These were valuable conversations that formed the basis for questions I’ve asked other people in real life and in podcast interviews.

Discussion and rumors about relationships grew significantly this year. I shared and listened to people talk about girlfriends and boyfriends, engagement, marriage, honeymoons, children, and so on.

Moving became a bit of a theme in August. I didn’t expect to be moving sooner, which I recently did, though I’m still in Calgary at this point. I’ve had a lot of conversations about California, and the word has randomly popped up in a lot of places. These three themes kept coming up while I was in Japan as well.

3. What did you accomplish this year that you are most proud of?

Completing the manuscript for Flashes of Elation: Navigating the World as a Sensitive, Creative Soul. The book isn’t done yet, but the hardest part is.

Releasing two new singles through the year – “Waves” and “Your Eyes Give It Away”.

Performing with Frederick Tamagi at his CD release in March.

Publishing 49 episodes of The New Music Industry Podcast.

Publishing 50 episodes of Using Your Power.

Speaking at WordCamp.

Performing at and being a part of Listening Room YYC.

Being a part of The Question.

I participated in Wommy Saves Xmas – The Final Episode as a voice actor, and put together the theme song for it too.

4. What do you feel you should have been acknowledged for but weren’t?

Nothing specifically. I feel like the people I’ve been working with have been kind, supportive, and complimentary. I would love to see more of my work reach more people, but that’s been true every year.

5. What disappointments did you experience this past year?

Not finishing Flashes of Elation is probably my greatest disappointment. At least I got the manuscript done.

6. What was missing from last year as you look back?

There isn’t much I can think of. I lived by my three theme words in 2017: Adventure, health, and collaboration. I worked out harder than ever. I took vitamins and supplements. I changed my diet and quit energy drinks. I went for a lot of long walks. I got outdoors and into nature. I made a new best friend. I took breaks and got away from my life in Calgary a couple times. I went overseas for two weeks. I went to a business event and ended up meeting a new collaborator. I played musical genres I’ve never attempted before. I became more spiritual. I collaborated with people I respect and admire. Much of what I said would happen in 2017 indeed happened, but it was more than I’d even bargained for.

7. What were the major life-lessons you learned this past year?

I love what I said last year, and I quote: “Even when similar situations seem to repeat themselves in life, your past does not dictate your future. Just because you feel the same does not mean that things will turn out exactly as they did before.” This was a major theme in my life during the summer. There were some situations that appeared to be repeating, but turned out differently than expected. Now I feel like I was talking prophetically about things to come.

You can take a break, and it’s okay. On July 3, I was sitting down to have lunch with my best friend. Normally, I would be getting together with Maveen Kaura at 1 PM. You might know him as the co-host of another podcast I’m a part of called Using Your Power. My friend said to me, “Why don’t you call him and see if you’re still getting together today?” As it turns out, we weren’t. Maveen pointed out that there probably wasn’t much point in engaging the marketing work we needed to do, because summer was just beginning. My friend and I ended up going to Banff and had a great time. Surprisingly, a lot of things kind of worked themselves out while I was away that day. I was able to hand in some of my work a little late, and no one had any issues with that. That may not be how things go every single time, but sometimes you need a break, as I did, and taking that break won’t cause everything to fall apart. It’s okay.

Be aware of your surroundings before leaving on vacation. I was extremely burnt out, and had no choice but to leave a couple of projects hanging. For the most part, this was okay, but one client didn’t like it too much. Communication is always best when it’s clear. So, if you’re going to be away for a couple of weeks, make sure everyone knows what you’re up to. Even then, your clients may not be entirely happy with you. It’s never a good idea to leave them hanging, so if you can, try to have someone handle your work for you while you’re away, or have a system in place to deal with it.

Final Thoughts

What a ride. When I first started closing the chapter on the year in 2014, I’m not sure I had much to process or say. That’s clearly been changing fast.

My theme words meant a great deal to me last year compared to other years too. That’s another reflection for another time.

Have you taken the time to close the chapter on 2017? What did you learn, and how did you grow?

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Are you constantly getting distracted? Do you feel bombarded by options, and does that make it harder for you to make decisions?

In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I talk about why fewer options are better, and how to reclaim your focus.

Download the PDF Transcription

Podcast Highlights:

00:14 – Something I discovered about myself

01:40 – An important realization – the fewer the options you have, the better

02:14 – Prioritizing what’s important to you

02:47 – Our lives are more cluttered than ever before

03:06 – Imagine what it would be like if you had fewer distractions

04:55 – Think about what would be possible if you dedicated an hour per day to your highest priorities

05:25 – Work will always fill the space you’ve allotted for it

05:40 – Some questions to ask yourself

Transcription:

I recently moved into my new home.

Upon arrival, the internet was supposed to work. It didn’t.

I called the cable company, but to no avail. They couldn’t help me get my internet up and running from their support center either. They said a technician would have to come by the following week to get it connected.

But life goes on in spite of your problems. Deadlines don’t adapt to your circumstances. When you have work to do, you must find a way to get it done.

When you have work to do, you must find a way to get it done.Share on X

Where I live, WiFi connections are available everywhere, and I own a couple of laptops, so finding a place to do my work wasn’t exactly an issue.

But there are some slight inconveniences to working on one of my laptops versus my desktop computer. For one, I don’t have as much screen retail space to work with. For another, many of my most important files are stored on my desktop computer, which has more hard drive space.

But sometimes you must make do with what you’ve got, which is what I did.

As I took my laptop with me around town to do work, I had an important realization about the limitations I was forced to work with.

I discovered I was able to concentrate better on the tasks in front of me.

The problem with computers is that they are a gateway to a near infinite number of possibilities, especially if they are connected to the internet.

When working at coffee shops with limited connectivity, or working at home where I had no connection, I was better able to focus on what I was working on. While writing, I was fully in writing mode, not distracted by social media, Photoshop, email, an article that’s open in my browser window, and half a dozen other things.

This caused me to realize that the fewer options you have, the better, especially when you’re working on something that matters to you.

When you're working on something that matters to you, the fewer the options (distractions), the better.Share on X

I tend to spread my time between many things, such as graphic design, web development, email, songwriting, audio production, video editing, and writing. But one of the highest priority activities in my life is writing.

Wring is how I’ve built a popular music industry blog. It’s how I’ve earned two-thirds of my living for many years. It’s how I’ve built many valuable industry connections. It’s how I develop books, courses, and other resources that thousands of people consume and pay money for.

So, it would make sense for me to allot a larger portion of my time to writing compared to anything else. I derive some of the greatest value in my life from writing.

Spend the most time on whatever you derive the most value from.Share on X

The ability to focus on that discipline without being distracted has resulted in increased productivity, even though the lack of an internet connection at home has proven inconvenient at times.

I don’t know about you, but I can be easily distracted. It’s not a weakness to admit that. Rather, it’s something you should know about yourself, so you can come up with strategies to cope with it. For me, clearing away the excess clutter has obviously been beneficial.

It’s important to realize our lives are more cluttered than ever. We have so many ways to communicate and consume information, and so much coming at us at all times that we forget we’re being inundated with other people’s agendas and priorities. We barely pay any attention to what matters most to us. We live in the past and the future instead of in the moment.

If you aren’t convinced, then let me paint a picture for you.

What if you had a special room with only a guitar in it? What if you locked yourself in that room every day for an hour? What if you had no distractions, your mind was clear, and you were motivated to get some work done? Do you think you would get better at guitar?

Some people tell me it can be hard to advance as a player, especially if you’ve been playing the instrument for a long time.

I have to disagree. I find 15 minutes of focused practice time is more than enough to make progress as a guitarist, and I’ve been playing for nearly 16 years! Sometimes, I can learn an entire guitar solo in that time.

The problem today is people don’t focus. We’re under the illusion that we’re focusing, when in reality we’re allowing unnecessary distractions into our lives all the time – TV shows and movies, YouTube videos, emails, texts, instant messages, phone calls, postal mail, and the list goes on.

Here’s another example. Let’s say you’re an electronic music producer. Maybe you only own one laptop right now, so you use it for everything – email, word processing, spread sheets, video games, and so on.

What if you had a single laptop dedicated for the purpose of audio production? This would allow you to get away from other distractions and simply concentrate on the act of creating great music.

Please note: I’m not asking you to cut everything out of your life and stay focused on your highest priorities for the entire duration of your waking hours. Some people can do that, but for most, it would be ridiculous. Plus, I’ve been finding considerable value in having a life outside of my work, especially in the last six months. I think you would too. If you’ve been going at it hard lately, then please do yourself a favor, take the day off early, go see a movie, get out in nature, or do something that energizes you. You’ll thank me for it later.

What I am asking you to think about is what would be possible if you dedicated an hour – with every bit of attention and concentration you could muster – to each of your highest priority tasks every single day. This may surprise you, but I think you would find yourself more productive than 80% of people out there.

By the way, I would not advise picking more than two or three things to focus on, because that seems to be about what most people can handle at a given time. If you take on too much, you’ll wear yourself down and spread yourself too thin.

As it has often been said, work will always fill the space you’ve allotted for it. This doesn’t mean you can complete something that takes six hours in one hour, but it does mean one hour of focused effort can produce better results than six hours of halfhearted, distracted effort.

In closing, here are a few questions to get you thinking:

In what areas of your life do you have too many distractions? What would you consider your highest priority tasks? Do you think dedicating an hour of focused effort into each of your most important projects would allow you to achieve more? Where are you wasting the most time, and what could you do to reclaim it?

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We spend a lot of time and energy thinking about what to do with our time and who to spend it with?

And, while you can’t control all variables, all things being equal, if you were able to stick to a set of “defaults” that guided your life, how much easier would managing your time become?

In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I talk about the importance of setting your default.

Download the PDF Transcription

Podcast Highlights:

00:14 – Intentionally planning how you want to live

00:31 – You can’t live by your plan 100% of the time

00:58 – Why set “defaults” for yourself?

01:33 – Where’s the fun in defaults?

02:15 – Easy decisions versus hard decisions

04:12 – What does a default look like, and how do I create one?

05:21 – Creating contingency defaults

06:06 – Please question your defaults

Transcription:

Planning can require a great deal of time and effort.

But I believe it’s worth every minute you spend on it, because if you don’t plan how you’re going to live, you may never get to where you want to go in life. It’s like setting out on a journey with no specific end in mind. You will get somewhere, but is that somewhere a place you want to be?

I don’t know if it’s possible to live by your plan 100% of the time. Life is full of surprises, and the unexpected can happen. Just when you think you’ve got the hang of things, your plans can be derailed by people, events, and circumstances.

But if you have an agenda to fall back on, you can always get back on track. Maybe not the same day, maybe not even the same week, but usually within a short amount of time, you’ll find yourself back in your routine.

I believe an important part of creating your routine is setting your defaults.

Why Set Defaults for Yourself?

By setting your defaults, you can eliminate a lot of unnecessary thinking and conserve your energy for the things that matter to you most.

Steve Jobs was said to have worn the same clothing every single day, so that he wouldn’t have to go through his closet trying to figure out what to wear in the morning. He saved his energy for what he felt was most important in his life.

Since we all have limited willpower that diminishes through the day, using up that willpower for the minute details of life can steal energy and creativity that could be better applied to your highest priorities and projects.

Where’s the Fun in Defaults?

I can hear some of you objecting already: “If I set defaults for every part of my life, I will never have any fun!”

I know exactly where you’re coming from. I enjoy being spontaneous, and I have a lot of fun when others involve me in their spontaneity too.

But therein lies one of the benefits of setting defaults for yourself – you’ll probably eliminate a lot of boredom!

If you’re the fun-loving, spontaneous type, there’s a good chance you find yourself bored a lot of the time anyway. So, think about it – if you always had something new and different scheduled in your calendar, you would have a lot to look forward to, and you wouldn’t get bored or restless as often.

Plus, you can schedule spontaneity blocks into your life. There’s no rule against it!

Easy Decisions & Hard Decisions

If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably wasted a lot of time trying to figure out what to do on a given night. In the last six years or so, I often defaulted to work, because that was the easiest thing to do. I was already at work, so soldiering on and doing more work was an easy decision to make.

At that time, finding something to do, asking friends to join me, and going out was the harder decision to make, as weird as that might sound. And, that wasn’t part of my value system at the time.

The easy decision isn’t always the right one, though, especially long-term, as evidenced by the fact that I was severely burnt out before going on my trip to Japan. Yes, I did it to myself as much as anyone else, but at least I learned from it and took proactive steps to correct my mistakes.

I hadn’t taken much time off, if at all, in the last six years. At times, I was burning the candle at both ends. So, in 2017, I booked time off and set aside my work for two weeks. I was deliberate about this.

Was going to Japan an easy decision or a hard decision? Believe it or not, it was a hard decision for me.

When I reflect on my trip, I recognize it should have been an easy decision to make, because I enjoyed myself tremendously and created a lot of incredible memories.

The hard part was the cost and anxiety associated with making such a commitment. There can be opportunity costs associated with taking time off too, but in this case, that would not have amounted to much because I had no mental space or energy to handle more projects.

Setting defaults can help you make hard decisions when you don’t feel like it. Let’s say, for instance, your calendar app reminds you to practice your guitar at seven in the morning.

Setting defaults can help you make hard decisions when you don’t feel like it.Share on X

There’s a part of you that might dread having to start your day that early. But if you’re committed to your success, and you’re not a flake, then you would follow through on the decision to practice your instrument at the specific time you set aside for it.

Commitment begins with self. If you can’t commit to your own priorities, how can you expect to make a commitment to others?

What Does a Default Look Like?

Let’s say you go to book club on the first Thursday night of every month. So, that would be a default of yours, though you may not have identified it as such.

We all have defaults – work, church, meetings, meals, family life, date nights, social events, and so on.

It’s worth thinking about what your defaults are and mapping them out in a calendar app, or even on a piece of paper. I’ll talk more about this in a moment, but our defaults often go unexamined, leading to wasted time and energy drains. I think you’ll see this for yourself if you audit your schedule.

If you want to create a new default, look at the available time blocks in your calendar and schedule something new in an open slot. Let’s say you want to work on your personal growth. So, you set aside 7:30 PM to 8:00 PM on Wednesday nights as your default time for reading relevant, value-adding books.

Then, it’s just a matter of living by the defaults you set in your life. When experimenting with a new default, try it out for at least a month and decide whether it works. I would suggest not creating too many defaults at once, because it takes time to adopt new habits. Starting with one or two would allow you to get the feel for things before you commit to more.

Create Contingency Defaults

Let’s say Thursday night at 6:00 PM is when you hold band rehearsals. But things can come up, and sometimes rehearsals might get cancelled, right?

If you didn’t have a contingency default, you might twiddle your thumbs for a while and think about what to do with that time. Should you eat? Should you go out? Should you work on that recording project that’s been on the backburner for a while?

Meanwhile, if you had a contingency default, you would waste a lot less time and energy thinking about what to do next. Your contingency plan could simply be personal practice instead of band practice. That way, you would still be improving as a musician and preparing for your next gig or recording project.

I understand this can be a lot of defaults to be thinking about, but if you want to achieve big and enjoy life, you need to be intentional about your plans.

Question Your Defaults

Are your current defaults truly benefiting you? Are you making progress towards your goals and dreams, and are your habits supporting your progress?

As I already pointed out, everybody has defaults whether they’re aware of them or not. And, actions always reveal a person’s character and priorities. Words are unreliable, but actions never lie. I can always tell what someone’s priorities are by watching what they do.

I would encourage you to question your defaults, as more than likely there are items in your schedule that need not be there. They are holding you back from becoming the best you can be, and accomplishing what you’re truly capable of.

If you’re going to book club, ask yourself why that’s a default of yours. Reading can be beneficial, and I talk quite a bit about the importance of reading myself, but with something like book club, you also need to look at the material you’re reading and the people you’re hanging around.

Are you reading material that stimulates your creativity or benefits your life in some way? Are you meeting and spending time with people that add value to your life?

If you want to optimize your schedule, you need to be willing to question everything you’re doing. You have both positive and negative habits, as we all do. The goal of setting defaults is to create a set of habits that continually push you in the direction of your dreams.

Purging unproductive defaults can be challenging. It’s easy to get attached to an activity or group of people. And, it’s also easy to rationalize and justify an emotional decision later. But ask yourself – what is the long-term impact of what you’re doing? If it’s going to make you unhealthy, unhappy, or unproductive, you need to examine it seriously. There can be dire consequences for sticking with a bad habit for too long.

There can be dire consequences for sticking with a bad habit for too long.Share on X

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