Have you ever seen how a young child is going after things?
As a dad of two, I see this on a daily basis. And it amazes me every time. They simply don't give up. They try. Try again. And try again. And... it goes on forever.
For example, my son tried to walk a few months back. And even though it seemed impossible first, he kept trying. Until he achieved it. And then he practiced walking over and over again.
This endurance is outstanding. And we should take a leaf out of (our) children's book. For us, this could mean practicing singing until we are so good that we can record a song.
(Remember, children don't start walking perfectly so you shouldn't wait to sing perfectly either.)
Another example could be marketing. Don't tell yourself you aren't there yet to build a mailing list. Just do it. And learn to get better by just writing emails. This writing tip counts for songwriting, too. The more songs you write, the better they are. Or do you think that all these big names just happened to become popular with their first writing?
It's all about doing things over and over again.
When I was a kid, I had a guitar teacher. He told me that I shouldn't learn one time per week for four hours straight but every day for 15 minutes. First, I didn't understand this. But then, I began to realize that it's about the daily small steps rather than the big imprecise jumps now and then.
Once I started learning in daily (I wouldn't call 2-4 hours per day small) steps, I saw huge progress.
This same thing happened in my life over and over again. When I learned DJing, I rather beat-matched two records per day than playing one whole set every other week.
It's the small steps that bring us to where we want to be. In time.
Here's a list of ideas that could inspire you:
- 3 x 5 minutes on social media every day to engage and bond with your fans
- 10 minutes per day to read a book about music marketing
- 15 minutes per day to sit down and write songs
- 5 minute per day to intentionally listen to a song that may inspire your music
- 10 minutes per day to learn your main instrument
- 5 minutes per day to visualize your goals and remember your mission
(By the way, these activities only take one hour of your time. So stop wasting your precious time on Youtube, TV or wherever, and continue building your music career every day.)
Tell me, what small step will you take from now on every day to get closer to your goals for your music career?