Prepared For vs. Prepared With
It’s hard to know what to be prepared for because it’s hard to tell the future.
But we can keep building on what we’re prepared with.
The skills, attitudes, connections and habits we are building now will be the tools we’re prepared with when the next unknown rolls around.
Pretty Good At The Beginning
I had just bought my first bass guitar and quickly invited my guitar playing friend over. After arguing about which notes to tune the guitars to and a subsequent phone call to the local music store to clear the air…we mapped out our first four chords.
We did it. Four chords. The same chords. Playing together, in rhythm. Pure bliss. We were pretty good.
Thinking you’re pretty good at the beginning gives you the patience and time and curiosity to actually get pretty good. And once you’re actually pretty good, that’s when things really get good.
Bad Internet Slogans
This is not a good high speed internet slogan…
“We offer really fast internet although periodically throughout the day it’s really slow internet…but that only serves to teach you thankfulness and appreciation for the times when it’s fast, as to become a better person.”
I appreciate the honesty of the slogan but that won’t cause me to buy. I don’t buy internet for a lesson in thankfulness. I buy it for fast consistent access.
They don’t need a better slogan or a more honest one, they need a better product.
If your thing isn’t connecting with your people maybe coming up with a better tagline, or cooler photo shoot, or even trying to be more honest might not be the answer you or your audience wants. Maybe you just need to make your thing better to begin with.
»» Which sold more records the album art or the album songs?
How Does The Show Sellout?
Does the show get sold out because you’re coming to town with a great show, or does it get sold out because you had a great show last time and everyone told their friends?
If it’s the first one…that should be a good enough incentive to build a great show so you have a great show when you roll into town.
If it’s the second one…I hope you had a great show last time but if you didn’t, looks like you’ll have to start the cycle this time around…and that should be good enough incentive to build a great show so you have a great show.
I’m sure it’s a combination of both scenarios.
When it’s time to hit the road again what are you going to roll into town with? Are you going to inform people of your songs or perform your songs?
The funny thing is I’ve never heard a fan ask an artist to make a better show.
But I’ve seen and heard tons of fans lifted by the joy and magic and connection that happens when an artist decides to make a better show.
It’s up to you. No one’s going to ask for it. But it will make a big difference to everyone there (including you).
Nikes and Busses
Fifty percent of people who got hit by busses last year were wearing Nikes.
So if I’m wearing Nikes does it mean I need to seriously consider switching brands so I don’t get hit by a bus?
No. There’s no actual relationship between busses and Nikes.
But we forget this most often when we’re looking for shortcuts.
We buy a better guitar to write better songs.
We write on yellow paper instead of white because the ideas come easier that way.
We wear the lucky boots on stage because, after all, good things happen since they’re the lucky boots.
All of these things might be true but one does not cause the other.
The things are true because that’s what happened before, not because that’s what is going to happen next.
If the better guitar, yellow paper and lucky boots come through for you and you like them, great. But you don’t need them as much as you think you do. Or at all.
(btw, I made up the first line about the fifty percent simply for the sake of illustration)