Motivation Archives - Mike Monday

Have a Crisis You Can Be Proud Of

It’s a horrible feeling.

Every way you look at the same problem you hit a dead end. You’ve tried everything. No matter how hard you try you just can’t crack it.

At times you thought you were close to a solution, only for it to fall apart. You’re even further away than when you started.

Gradually you feel the fear winning. Before you know it you’re in a state of near panic, and seize up. The urge to give up completely overwhelms you.

Sound familiar?

But the very last thing you should do is give up. Sure, take a break. Don’t give up.

Every time I’ve made a major breakthrough in my life it’s been preceded by a crisis.

I had one yesterday lunchtime. But as I was trying to get to sleep last night I had a major “aha” moment. Then lying there in the dark I worked through everything that had been on my mind. I virtually skipped out of bed this morning. This also happens with my studio work.

A crisis is a sign that you’re about to work it out. And how fast you work it out depends on how you respond to the crisis.

So the next time you start to freak out remember you’re probably losing your marbles because there’s a solution just around the corner.

Don’t panic. Take a break. Think about anything else, but whatever you do, don’t give up.

Have a crisis you can be proud of.

Had the same experience? Does a crisis get you unstuck? Why do you think this is?

Are You Living Your Dream?

(At the risk of shooting myself in the foot…)

What are you doing now?

Now close your eyes and focus on the most ambitious dream you have for your life.

If you could do just one thing right now to get closer to making that dream a reality I bet it wouldn’t be reading this, would it?

“Each moment of our life, we either invoke or destroy our dreams.”
– Stuart Wilde

The 7 Deadly Sins Against Creativity

It’s hard to get your creative juices flowing at the best of times. But if you avoid these The Muse will have little excuse not to come and breath in your right ear.

1/ Tiredness

The average person needs between 7 and 8 hours sleep a night. Go to bed early and get up early when you can. This is my number one piece of advice for anyone who wants to get anything done.

2/ Choice

Too many ideas, too many tools, too many distractions. Decide on one idea and focus on limiting your options before you start. You’ll do better work quicker.

3/ Email

Including Twitter, Facebook and internet surfing. If at all possible don’t check your emails more than twice a day and set aside a specific chunk of time each day when you’re not working on your art for your social networks and RSS feeds.

4/ Clutter

Physical – start by removing anything unnecessary for you to do your work in your immediate vicinity. Each day move outwards until your whole workspace is free of distracting clutter.

Mental – begin every day with a little quiet time and try to empty your head of all thoughts completely. I’ve recently got back to meditating for 20 minutes every morning before I do anything.

5/ Envy

Ignore what anyone else is doing. You might covet their success; in your eyes it might be undeserved, but don’t waste time thinking about it. Anything that’s external to your work is irrelevant.

6/ Critics

Ignore them at all costs. Chris Guillebeau summed it up when he said that no one’s ever erected a statue of a critic. I don’t think there are any statues of electronic musicians either, but I’m trying to change that. 🙂

7/ Perfectionism

Just finish it! Its good enough already.

Stop Complaining

You’ve wasted too much time complaining.

The game has changed and you can either sit on the sidelines or start playing.

This is as big a revolution in the way we consume and distribute music as there’s ever been in history.

As big as sheet music. As big as recorded music. As big as radio.

If not bigger than the lot.

And you’ve spent way too long whining about it instead of getting your head around it. You’re missing a golden opportunity.

Or more accurately – lots of them.

Because the writing’s on the wall for selling recorded music it doesn’t mean the same is true for music as a whole.

Our new currency isn’t vinyl, cds or even mp3s. It’s attention.

So how are you going to get mine?

How I Beat The Fear (Today)

Steven Pressfield calls it “Resistance”. It comes from what Seth Godin calls “The Lizard Brain”.

I call it The Fear.

Anyone who’s tried to create, build or do anything knows The Fear; it’s what lies between us and our art. It’s the source of all procrastination and failure to complete.

Recently I’ve read voraciously about The Fear and how to overcome it. It’s been a relief and joy to find that I’m not alone, it’s something we all face every day.

But The Fear is such an wily foe that it’s hijacked my investigations. The more I read, the more I succumb to it. Researching and reading isn’t doing.

So today I’m back on the attack. I’m playing it at its own game. I’m writing this post about The Fear in order to overcome it.

And I just won.

(For today anyway)