All an artist can do is try to stay alive and keep putting work out there, day after day, come hell or high water. Whether anybody sees it or not. Whether you feel like doing it or not. Life will be painful no matter what, so might as well be working on your own craft on your own terms, right? Beats the living hell out of working on mindless assignments for people and projects I don’t give a damn about.
So I’ve rolled up some tips and tricks to help keep me on track. See if any of these work for you…
Always be open to new information, otherwise known as having a “growth mindset.” When you insist on clinging on to only what you (think you) already know, not only will you never learn anything new, but the world will pass you by and leave you looking like a knucklehead at some point. Guaranteed. So adapt.
The concept of “Climate Change” is a good example. Consider that if practically everybody else out there who has any credibility at all (aside from having lots of money or followers on social media) believes climate change is real and happening and is absolutely fucking up the future of the planet.. and you don’t want to adapt and get your head around the truth, that’s up to you. Bu maybe you ought to consider that you’re probably either just refusing to pay attention to the latest information (as in “HEY MAN! Your house is on fire!”). Or perhaps you just need a better source of information. And a growth mindset to process it all.
It is definitely tough to concede you’ve been wrong all these years. I was. I confess I used to listen to Rush Limbaugh back in the 1990’s and then Fox News. I bought into so much misinformation that I totally get how it happens even today.
But I can see and own how wrong I was. Again, the key is having a growth mindset. I used to freak out when, issue-by-issue in debates with my Millennial sons over the years, I was forced in the end to conclude that just about everything I was taught growing up in the 1960’s was wrong. Coming to the truth is humbling, to say the very least. But being wrong doesn’t bother me anymore. I told my sons way back in the day that I’ll follow the truth wherever it leads.
Go anonymous! Wall off and set aside some portion of your life where you can safely express yourself anonymously (like I’m doing right here in this blog and in my music). I’d suggest it’s the only way you can truly be who you really are and express what you fully believe without being judged, unfriended or possibly fired.
At some point, you won’t even self-censor anymore. Because you won’t need to. Because nobody will know it’s you, anyway. And you’ll be able to set aside your ego, as well. Then, from that day forward… you’ll be free!
Be flexible. Don’t be bullet-headed or otherwise afraid to question yourself, abandon a project, change course mid-stream, stop reading an unfulfilling book… Instead, listen to your internal voice and make adjustments, as necessary.
For sure, don’t let momentum bulldoze you into something you don’t want to do; conversely, if the facts on the ground change, be open to embracing unexpected opportunities that arise in the moment. Get good at moving calendar items around and constantly reevaluating and optimizing your time. You don’t have to always think in terms of a hard “yes” (or “hell yes!” as Derek Sivers would say) or “no” when instead, something could better be framed as a “now” or a “later” – if you’d only allow yourself to be more flexible.
Keep tabs on your time. On the flipside of loosening up your calendar to be able to be more flexible, I highly recommend keeping track of things you’re doing and have done.
Tonight, for instance, I had to erase off of my calendar a recurring item to take a walk this afternoon. Why? Because I didn’t get to take a walk. And so now, I can accurately look back and see that I walked only three out of five days this week. And on Tuesday, I had lunch with my client’s COO and my new “boss.” And that I invoiced a client to be paid next week. And did an Insanity workout three days out of three. And got a haircut (so I’ll need to schedule another one in about five weeks). And swopped out my razor blade (I do it every 11 days)… It’s almost as good as a diary or journal, and really keeps me in the loop and accountable to myself.
Seek balance. It’s one of the most important concepts I know of. When you’re out of balance in any way, you’re an accident waiting to happen. Nothing feels quite right because then you’re off center. But when you can have just enough of what you really need and not too much of everything else, you will feel at one with the Universe.
Capture your thoughts. Write ‘em down (on a Post-it, a napkin, a piece of scrap paper, the back of your hand- whatever you can find!), record a voice memo, send yourself a text, whatever it takes. Do it NOW! When you put off capturing a thought, you risk forgetting a seed of a really great idea that you may savor someday.
More than once, I’ve awakened from a dream just enough to say to myself “Wow! That was a great idea (or tune or word play)” and in that bleary moment believe it’s so strong and memorable that I couldn’t possibly forget it in the morning. So I’d roll over, go back to dreamland, and guess what? Damned if I didn’t forget it when I woke back up! Poof! Gone without a trace. Sure was great, I think, but I have no recollection at all. Don’t let this happen to you!
Capturing your thoughts is also a good way to declutter your mind, as opposed to having a lot of half-baked bytes or musical notes bouncing around in your head, distracting you from being fully in the moment. Get it out into the world and out of your blinking mind.
Live fully in the moment. If you think that being glued to your smartphone or constantly multi-tasking is better, I wholeheartedly disagree. It may be necessary sometimes (for instance, don’t ignore a truly urgent need or text), but it’s far more enjoyable to live and love and experience life, as deeply as is humanly possible, as a fully engaged participant in the present moment. Which also means you need to let go of the past and stop worrying about tomorrow.
Revisiting memories of significant people and experiences can be a beautiful thing. But most of what is passed is pure fiction anyway, a dreamy re-creation of our story-telling minds with narratives that continuously shift and evolve to reframe our historical failings and cast ourselves in an increasingly better light over time. So for now, just let go of it. You were never always the hero you thought you were anyway. And those fond memories will always be there when you want to revisit them. It’s just probably not the time right now, is it?
Interestingly, both Buddha and Jesus spoke of the importance of living life in the moment. You don’t need to be religious to take in the significance of that. Some call it “mindfulness,” that is, being fully alive in the moment, unhindered by distractions; in communion with each other and with the cosmos.
We need to get out of our own way to enjoy completeness now, and in every “now” to come. That’s where life is, so that’s where we should want to be. And while I’m at it, I would posit that Heaven isn’t something to look forward to, but rather is already in the here and now if we will just believe and allow ourselves to be here.
Dwelling on a future yet to come can provide us with inspiration, motivation and hopefulness; but it can just as likely bring with it worry and anxiety, not to mention cause us to miss out on at least some of the beauty and awe of life as it is fully in the present. Besides, time passes much too quickly as it is. So why rush it?
Take care of yourself. At least while we continue to inhabit our physical bodies (or “temples” as they’ve rightly been called in many religions), I highly recommend eating well and regularly working out. Nobody is gonna do it for you, so you need to take charge of yourself and be disciplined.
Being out of shape drags you down at best, and will eventually bring on a lot of health issues that will make you old before you know it. Good health not only helps you live longer, it helps you live better. For some reason, quality of life is a crucial point that a lot of people somehow miss.
Although it seems counterintuitive, a vigorous workout actually gives you a net energy gain to help you do all the many things you undoubtably want to do. As for my favorite workouts, my wife and I like to frequently hike in the mountains near our home. Plus, we walk a couple miles in our neighborhood just about every day, use standing desks, rarely ever take elevators; we even do mini workouts when we watch the news on TV. Then there’s my Insanity workouts (high-intensity interval training) 3x a week. People often tell me I look 10-20 years younger than I am. Which is great, because I’m not ready to look old yet! But even better is how I feel most days. And again, I’d take quality over quantity every time.
More suggestions: Eat smaller meals, drink water instead of pop or milk, cut out in-between-meal snacks, don’t eat late at night, eat a lot less meat, pay a little more for better quality food (e.g., cage-free eggs, hormone-free milk, organically-farmed, local or less commercial sourcing, no preservatives, etc.); and work with your doctor to reduce or ideally eliminate all prescription meds if possible (there’s usually a healthier way to, for example, lower blood pressure or cholesterol).
And if you struggle with low energy? I used to feel like taking a nap around 3 or 4 PM most days. Couldn’t concentrate. Could barely keep my eyes open. And I tried all sorts of things to boost my energy, but either they didn’t work or got me too wired instead (which I also hate). So, I kept researching and asking around and trying things. Until…
FINALLY, I found an answer (for me, at least): it’s called DHEA. I take one 25 mg. tablet at breakfast, and another 25 mg. tablet with lunch. And I have good, clean (i.e., non-jittery, steady, clear-headed) energy all day long until I go to sleep at night! It’s truly amazing stuff and at the dosage I take, it has zero known side effects. I take that back. It will definitely make you horny. So make sure your partner can live with that.
Appreciate everything in your life. Take stock of your many blessings and be immensely grateful for them. People included. Chances are, you already have everything you really need. Don’t take anything for granted. An unbelievable number of people in this world (people just like you and me but without adequate resources) don’t even have their basics covered. It’s like half the world is suffering on any given day, so shut the fuck up about not having a bigger home or a newer car or the latest phone. Seriously??
If you have love in your life, treasure it more than anything else (!!!) and then give it back tenfold!
If you have meaningful work, thank your lucky stars every day and night. Make wonderful contributions to the world with your efforts! Far too many slave their lives away at jobs they can’t stand, that demoralize and rob them of their time (the one thing money can’t buy), and when it’s all said and done, that don’t even add value to the world in any significant way other than satisfying this-or-that person’s selfish material gain.
If you have your health, stay in shape so you can live life fully. Slow it down. Smell the flowers. Be amazed. Hang out with good people (and avoid bad ones). Be the change you want to see in the world. Quit social media. Do nice things for people, including strangers. Read lots of books. Take long hikes in the woods.
Write off your perceived shortcomings. If you lack anything, try to be patient and stay positive; and remember that whatever your circumstances, this is all temporary anyway. Stay focused on the good no matter what the world dumps on you. And eventually, you (we!) will rise above it.
Stay focused. Don’t let your mind wander in unproductive or unhealthy directions. For instance, it really doesn’t do you any good to compare yourself to anyone else. Other people will always appear better or worse off than you depending on your mental state at the time. They may be smarter, richer, better looking, more talented, more loved… whatever the case, all comparisons will make you feel like crap. So the best thing, then, is just don’t go there.
Instead, remind yourself that everybody has their day in the sun. Be at peace with that. Sometimes it will be you. So focus on who you are and what you’re trying to do and be and create. And in the meantime, celebrate everyone’s victories in this life. We all know how hard they are to come by. And hold onto.
Communicate well. Know your audience and what you want to share with them. Be prepared and choose your words thoughtfully, speak slowly, enunciate; and make sure you continue to read and engage them. Pause and take a breath, listen, and keep your conversations fluid and dynamic.
Do your best to write well, too, even if you’re not a wonderful writer. Take the time to proof and correct your emails and texts before hitting send. Do these things and not only will people enjoy it more whenever you reach out and send them something, they might even assume that you’re a lot smarter than you really are!
Encourage others! There is nothing I enjoy more than when I can give someone a shot of self-confidence with a shout out, a compliment, a pat on the back, a “like” or a “follow” when it’s deserved, a recommendation, or a helpful tip. If you try, you can always come up with something nice and constructive to say.
I can’t tell you how much of a boost it is whenever somebody even just says a few nice words about my work. It’s like a flood of adrenaline that can stay with me sometimes for hours on end. It’s like I’m floating on air. Do this for others as often as you can. Obviously make it real and not just empty flattery. If you lay it on thick then you may have the opposite effect. But just try to be on the lookout for the best in others and let them know how much you see in them.
Laugh! Sometimes I’ve gone for days or even weeks (I’ve had some rough periods in my life and career) without having a good laugh. But then, when I finally do bust a gut, it feels so amazingly good. And I wonder why I don’t make a point of laughing more. A half hour of standup comedy on YouTube may be all you need.
Medical studies back up the notion that laughter is good medicine. And the best part is that a good laugh doesn’t require an insurance copay. So you might as well take advantage of laughing as often as possible. It’s difficult enough living in these anxious times just trying to keep it together. Sometimes what we all need is a good cry. But then again, sometimes all you can do is laugh.
Hang in there. Since you’re still reading along, one final thought or “tip” that comes to mind is, “Be the last one standing” in any bad situation. However jacked up things get, remember that tough times always do pass. And that if you can just power through the bullshit of this difficult moment—a few more minutes here and an uncomfortable moment there—and hang in there just a little bit longer, then eventually you will weather any storm. Then YOU WIN. You’re still standing! You rose above it and prevailed. You got through it. And now you know you can do it again and again as necessary.
I’ve asked myself (over and over again!) why do I write this blog? And who am I writing it for (besides myself, of course)? Is there really a YOU out there? And are YOU really reading these words? (Haha: for an awesome study of the modern psyche and the concept of having an “audience,” I highly recommend “The Movie Hero”)!
Make my day—tell me what you think about any or all of this rant. Or anything else that’s on your mind. If the spirit moves you, say something. I’d love to know I’m not alone today. Thanks.