Just Do It

Nobody can deliver the way you can. The timidness (timidity?), fear and anxiety about that next step…just bring them along with you, but you need to get up and GO.

When is the best time? NOW is the best time.

The way your imagination runs wild at night with all the possibilities, all the ways you’ll handle yourself in different situations, all the dreams of “One day…”, all the musings of “If we could just…”

YOU need to rev the engines NOW.

You are the one who leads the charge.  Whether you’re the type who leads from the drivers seat or the passenger seat, we need you to step up and do it.

A plan? You already know what to do, at least what to do for today.  

Do not waste any more time.

Just do it.

 


p.s. It’s interesting that Nike’s phrase isn’t simply “Do It”.  “Do It” is too open ended. DO what?  There are a million things to do.

The “Just”, brings the “Do It” into focus.  Written in long form, Just Do It means “You Already Know What You Need To Do, Now Go Do It”.  The short form, while easier to digest, is also easier to overlook.


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

Knowing Where To Go

Knowing where to go turns you from an outsider into an insider.

When you show up at a venue you’ve played before, it feels good when you don’t have to ask where load in is, where the green room is, what coffee shops are within walking distance.

Familiarity on the road breeds confidence, confidence consistency, consistency reliability, reliability trust, trust…a long career.

Not too bad for just knowing where the bathrooms are going to be.

On the other hand…not knowing where to go turns you from an insider to a question asker, a question asker to a connector, a connector to a helper, a helper to a reliable source, reliable source into a trusted source, trust…a long career.

Embrace the inside.

Embrace the outside.

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

To Be Where There’s Life

We all know it when we’re there, when we experience it.

We’ve all been there before.

When there’s not only lots of people in the room, but the spirit is weaving between everyone too.

When you’re on your own, and the spirit is weaving inside you too.

True life, true presence has a magnetic pull.

We all long to not only be alive, but to be where there’s life.

There wasn’t a whole lot of magnetic pull happening on the Grammy’s last night…I was hoping there would be (and in the Grammy’s defense, the last few years’ shows have been pretty legit, so a dull year is forgivable).

But that didn’t matter…there was life in our living room, new life, our sweet little baby girl’s first night at home in our living room.

Oh to be where there’s life.

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

SXSW Update

Here’s the update: I don’t remember any bands I saw for the first time at SXSW.

Here’s the second update: I keep in touch with a lot of people I met for the first time at SXSW.

If you’re planning on taking part this year, remember these updates.  They are shared by a lot of people I’ve talked with about SXSW.

Prioritize your time, money, effort and intent.

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

“We spent a long time on it...”

“We spent a long time on it.  Lots of long days, late nights.  Had a handful of people working with us who we really trusted.  It was great.  Lots of ideas thrown around, lots of creativity.  There was some butting of heads and even some all out shouting matches and people walking out.  But we were all after greatness, and in the end, we used that shared vision to unite us and over come our differences.  We can’t wait for everyone to experience what we’ve worked so hard on.”

What is this paragraph referring to?

Most artists associate it with making a record.

But what if it was (also) about creating your live show?

Yes yes yes, we need more live shows with this kind of attention and effort.

Where can I buy a ticket to a show like this?

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

Your Short Little Essay

Here’s an interesting and extremely educational exercise for you and your band to do, separately and together…

Write a short little essay, 3 or 4 paragraphs about why the venue/promoter/agent was correct in turning you down for the gig.

If you’re willing to dig into this, my guess is you will not only find some grace for the person who turned you down, but also some definition about who you are and who you are not, and some added awareness of aspects you and your team can tighten up on.

Notice the last paragraph started with “If you are willing to dig…”

So the flip side would be…If you are not willing to dig into this, my guess is you will keep harboring negativity (even slightly) toward the person who turned you down, you’ll likely forfeit an opportunity to become more aware of your identity, and miss out on discovering ways of improving your team’s culture.

Doing exercises like this is out of the ordinary.  Your brain will play tricks on you, probably saying “no one else does this, so why should I do it”.

But if you will get over that initial fear hurdle and just start putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard…you will increase the value of your day.

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