Hi everyone,
Welcome to the 12th edition of my newsletter. I’m glad you’re here.
I’m trying to tighten up the messaging on this newsletter and I wonder which option you prefer:
- Option A.) I help people find stability, balance, and meaning?
- Option B.) I help people find time, money, and meaning?
Send me a quick email with your answer, I would greatly appreciate it.
Now, on to the newsletter.
Financial Stability Tip: Curb your spending
When I was in my 20s, I made too many impulse buys. I didn’t know how money worked and I felt helpless in the face of the huge pile of debt I accumulated. The vicious cycle caused me to go even deeper into debt until I came up with a plan to curb my spending.
Tip: Build intention into your budgeting process to get rid of the unwanted habit of spending. Track your spending for a month, see where your money goes and make adjustments as necessary. In his blog The Examined Life, author Amogh lays out a simple strategy for curbing unwanted habits.
Work/Life Balance Tip: Tweak Your (Early) Morning Routine
I am not a morning person, which is why my wife thought I was bat-shit crazy when last fall, I decided to start a routine of getting up at 5am every morning to write. I was in a creative rut and I found it difficult to be do my best work at night when I was exhausted from the events of the day. Five months later, I’m still committed and it is one of the best decisions I’ve made.
Tip: Commit to an early morning routine for one-month and see where it gets you. I find that I have more headspace for ideas and nobody bothers me, making the time between 5-7am a sacred time for deep work. Naomi Pham wrote this incredible article about the benefits of a morning writing routine that could translate into just about any creative pursuit.
Tips On Finding Meaning: Meaningful Goal Setting
The most meaningful work I do comes when I set desired outcomes at the onset. For example, when I serve the community I set extrinsic goals (How will this make the world a better place?), and combine them with intrinsic goals (How will this help me find meaning?)
Tip: Before you blindly search for meaning, take some time to set some goals. The folks over at morning brew break down goal setting into four simple categories: Make your goals specific and difficult, keep your commitments and gain feedback in the process.
Field Notes: Pitching Your Album Directly To Media Outlets
Performing artists need to be in control of all facets of their career, including social media, promoting their work, and even booking tours. In a marketplace with a lot of competition, a manager or publicist can only do so much to help propel an artist’s career forward.
Tip: Build skills beyond creating your art so that you can be in control of your career. Amanda Cook with I Care If You Listen created an incredible post about how independent artists can pitch their work to media outlets.
The Way Things Work: 10,000 Hours Of Play
Author Malcom Gladwell took a deep dive into the 10,000 hour rule of deliberate practice in his book Outliers. This rule suggests that gaining any complex skill involves dedicating 10,000 hours of time to the discipline in order to achieve mastery. During a pandemic motivation to practice for mastery can be a challenge.
Tip: Replace the word “practice” with “play” in your daily routine for a week and see if this simple switch brings some joy to the process. Like author Ozan Varol, I find this to be incredibly helpful in times like this, when many of us are in a practice rut.
Things I Loved:
- Tracing the Billboard Top 100 from 1958-2016
- Listen to the entire thing but 2:30-end is why I love music. Turn it up to 11!!
- We have a long way to go.
- The most mind-blowing wikipedia article ever.
- This incredible creative placemaking resource.
Join This Newsletter And Invite Your Unrelenting Friends!
If you liked what you read here, I would be truly honored to have you join this newsletter by subscribing below!