Show And Tell

Show AND tell.

Both elements were important back in elementary school, weren’t they?

If you forgot your toy, you had nothing.  You couldn’t just tell.  It had to be show AND tell.  If you forgot your toy, you were doomed.  You need the THING to show in order to have the opportunity to tell about it.

Also, you couldn’t just show something.  You couldn’t just set your baseball card, doll, painting, Pearl Jam cassette on the teachers stool at the front of the room and walk away, you had to tell.

The telling magnifies the impact of the showing.

Too many shows and gigs are all show but no tell.  So it’s like you’ve brought your bestest most awesomest toy, but just plopped it in the front of the room and walked away.  Glad you have a cool toy, bummed you didn’t serve the situation better.

Too many interactions online and everywhere else are all tell and nothing to show. So it’s like you get up in the front of the class and tell them what an incredible, mind blowing, life changing toy you have…but you forgot it at home.  But you swear it’s great!! Bummer.  Now everyone thinks you’re a liar.

Show (the thing, the thing comes first) AND tell (the glue, the staying power, the connection and belief).

p.s. Even Steve Jobs had to both show and tell…and his art/product is simple yet mind blowing.  If he has to do both in order to grow a company/empire, there’s a good chance you do too.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

If You Want Downloads

If you want people to download your next record, start giving them a string of free downloads now.  Groom them.

People are used to listening for what feels like free to them: Youtube, Spotify, Apple Music, etc.

So when you release your new record and you throw up a bunch of stuff online about “Go Download My New Record!” it throws a wrench in the norm of day to day listening.

You are not Adele.

Adele isn’t throwing you a bone by not having her record on streaming right now.

She’s throwing herself a bone, millions of them.  But 25 will be on streaming soon enough.  Just like the stars and whoever else who was sticking it to the man by not having their music on iTunes ten years ago. Every single one of them does now.

As for you “Go listen to my record” sounds a lot more hip than “Go download my record”.  Downloading is old. Listening is forever.

But if you want the downloads, it must become part of the culture of your fanbase and you need to start early early early in solidifying that element.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

Inches And Miles

Better to have ten great ideas, or carry out one great idea?

Better to have a three hour meeting rehashing the plan, or to take three hours and start carrying out the plan?

Better to have a million dollar idea that you won’t do, or a ten thousand dollar idea you will do?

The first parts of all these questions are romantic, fun to talk about, stimulate the senses, makes you feel like you did something.

The second parts of all these questions are all about the real work.  The work that doesn’t let you make excuses or mark yourself as the victim.  They are a lot scarier because they feel more real.

All the ideas and all the planning and all the money are great but…

…on your way to carrying out ten great ideas you must first carry out one

…on your way to a long complex plan you must do simple things today

…on your way to a million dollars you will first have ten thousand

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

Scary Email

I have written a lot of emails that have never been responded to.

Emails that if I told you who I wrote some of them to you’d definitely say I was crazy for thinking I’d get a reply.

But sometimes I do get replies.  And those replies open up new conversation and opportunity.  Maybe not the opportunity I was hoping for, but certainly more opportunity than before I wrote and sent the email.

I believe in writing good emails, emails from a thoughtful place, using words you can stand behind, writing emails when you’re in a good, applicable head space for the person you’re sending to.

I don’t think you should send a message to everyone under the sun asking for something, but if you haven’t rolled the dice in a while…if there’s a specific name that comes to mind for a specific reason, and you feel a specific fire…do it.

You never know when Puff Daddy is bored on a private jet, thumbing through emails and decides to read yours instead of deleting it.

Write a genuine, thoughtful, specific email to someone you currently believe to be out of your league and you don’t think you’ll get a response from.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

New House On The Street

Recently they knocked down a house on my street in order to build a brand new one.

I’m excited about this because it will undoubtedly make my property value rise.

So I drive past it every single day to view the progress.

So far?

I can’t see anything.

They poured the foundation what feels like a million years ago to me, and nothing has happened since.

And I’m getting restless.

I guess they’re waiting for the foundation to dry, to be ready to build on top of.

It’s like they know the foundation is the most important part even though no one sees it.

It’s like they know only when the foundation is ready can they build something of value.

It’s like they know that all the impatient, nosey people like me think they’re dragging their heels, when really they know exactly what they’re doing.

It’s like they know the most long lasting beautiful homes are built with more patience than haste.

It’s like they know even if a nasty storm comes and tries to ruin the house, as long as the foundation is good, it’s worth rebuilding.

It’s like they know if you don’t have a rock solid foundation, you have nothing.

It’s like they know a rock solid foundation takes time and it’s impossible to rush.

I want it all and I want it now.

They want it all and know how to get it…later.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

Scattered And Diversifying Energy

There’s a big difference between being scattered and diversifying your energy.

Scattered is running around from thing to thing, completing nothing, feeling everywhere and nowhere at once, lack of purpose, willy nilly, chasing squirrels.

Diversifying your energy might look similar to the untrained eye, but is very different…  

…While diversifying your energy, as you’re running around from thing to thing you know exactly how many things are on your plate, you give all of them some of your time, and the time you spend with each one is valuable to both you and the other party.  You’re all in with the time you spend there.  It’s meaningful.

Diversifying your energy makes you tired from doing so many things well.  Being scattered makes you exhausted while not remembering anything you did.

The person diversifying their energy is often time aware of it.  And they either love it and want to do it forever, or they’re in a season of it as a means to hone in one thing in particular as new opportunities open up.

The scattered person is most likely unaware that they are, indeed, scattered.

Viewing these two people from 30,000 feet, you probably couldn’t tell a difference.

Viewing these two people 30 years from now, worlds apart.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com