If you’re trying to find more people, customers and fans who will check out what you’re doing you might ask the existing people, customers and fans who they are…and then go look for more people like that.
If you’re trying to find more stuff for your people, customers, fans to check out, your job is simply coming up with the next thing.
So the question is…
How long do you need to, or how long will you employ the first scenario before switching to the second?
The bases are loaded and you’re up to bat. Opportunity is knocking. It’s your time to step up to the plate and crank that homer, four runs, the grand slam.
All you have to do is hit the ball over the wall and you will have accomplished the best case scenario.
‘But maybe, just maybe on this one, if I step up to the plate and put even more energy and focus and blood and sweat into it…If I can hit this one a little higher and harder and further, I’ll finally be able to drive in five runs.’
Five run homers don’t exist. No level of extra anything will make it go from a four run opportunity to a five run opportunity.
Take a breath. It’s a long game. No need to try and squeeze more out of the opportunity than is there to be squeezed.
It’s one thing to tell your audience ’thank you’.
It’s another thing to recognize when it’s six months before the show and you know you’re going to be thankful while you’re standing on stage in front of that audience six months from now so you act on behalf of your future thankfulness and take the time and energy to put together a great performance.
That’s what real gratitude for your audience looks like.
The real ‘thank you’ to the audience starts long before you ever step on stage.
Cancelling the dinner date last minute to stay home and eat a sandwich.
Talking at the front row of a show.
Scrolling Instagram at the beach.
In theory, the thing we are giving up is way better, way more valuable, way more expensive.
So making a flippant decision in the other direction helps us feel immense value about the mundane choice we made.
The sandwich tastes extra special because you gave up the prime rib and got to stay in your house slippers.
You’re not just talking, you’re talking while world class talent is right in front of you.
You’ve great at ignoring your surroundings while scrolling Instagram…but when you scroll while ignoring a beautiful ocean view, it’s just a better scroll.
That’s pretty expensive sandwich, talk or scroll so it brings the feeling of importance…but probably brings some naive arrogance with it too.
Telling you what it’s like is different than you knowing what it is.
(It’s why John wanted Yoko there…among other reasons.)
When you’re there, when you’ve done the thing, you know.
Stop reading up about drum kits and get a drum kit.
Stop talking about putting on a show and put on a show.
Stop getting advice about making an album and make an album.
Watching the Rocky movies will only take you so far in your boxing career.
Step in the ring.
It’s more fun when your friends have heard the same song you’ve heard.
I send out an email every Sunday night to songwriters and publishers with a bunch of information from a couple of the big charts (you can check out a sample and sign up here).
When a song gets released and immediately goes to number one on the Global chart and the US chart…it’s probably the closest thing we have to a water cooler song. The closest thing to ‘this is what’s happening in music right now’.
You can bring it up with friends and odds are everyone has heard it...as opposed to the more common, ‘Hey have you heard this song by this artist...no?...oh go check it out sometime'.
We love our niches, our personal gems and the deep cuts that feel like they are just for us.
But it’s pretty fun (and more rare these days) when everyone has heard it.