Hi everyone,
This week, I’m happy to provide a note from Naomi, creator of the Mind Your Bite Newsletter. I connected with Naomi over Twitter a couple of months ago, immediately signed up for her newsletter, and I truly appreciate the tips she brings to my inbox every week.
From Naomi:Do you ever wish there were 48 hours in a day so you can squeeze in more tasks?I get it. The creator’s life is busy.But consider this: “By trying to do too much, you risk not doing enough.” You can’t make the highest contribution until you refuse to be a busy creator.That’s why I make it the mission of Mind Your Bite Newsletter to deliver one big idea each week that helps you STOP being busy and create meaningful gifts to the world.What I give: one idea, 4 links to inspiring reads, a recommended newsletter or podcast, and 2 task-automated tools. What you gain: The peace of mind to focus on what’s important. Here’s a sample issue and you can subscribe hereThanks!”
Thanks, Naomi and I hope you’ll check out her valuable newsletter!
Now, on to the newsletter.
Financial Stability Tip: Understand What Is Needed For Financial Stability
My understanding of personal finance has grown over the past decade and I’m now on a solid path towards retirement. Digging out of debt, developing better spending habits and saving more than I make have been my ticket to financial stability. I intend to continue to develop my relationship with money as I embark upon the second half of my career.
Tip: The sooner you can develop the habits that lead to financial stability, the sooner you will be comfortable with your path towards retirement. In his post The Algebra Of Wealth, Scott Galloway discusses four elements to attaining wealth: focus, stoicism, time, and diversification. Taken together, these elements provide a clear path to long-term financial stability.
Related: The Value Of An Hour Of Your Time
Work/Life Balance Tip: There Is Nothing Wrong With A Traditional Career
Pursuing an entrepreneurial venture is trading one high-risk pursuit (IE a career in music) for another. Entrepreneurs often glamorize the pursuit of working for themselves and fail to mention that it often takes years for an entrepreneurial venture to provide the type of financial stability that musicians often crave so that they can continue to make great art.
Tip: Instead of pursuing your own venture as a source for financial stability, consider making your side-hustle a stable job with regular hours. That way, you know how much money is coming in the door each month, which gives you the confidence to pursue your creative endeavors more comfortably. Check out Nick Maggiulli’s recent post on the pursuit of a traditional career.
Tips On Finding Meaning: Effort Through Process
In the year 2000, I arrived in Ann Arbor Michigan two months before the start of school to prepare for auditions to start my masters degree at Michigan. My goal was clear, I wanted to get into the top orchestra. Over the 8-weeks, I practiced 2-minutes worth of excerpts for over 3-hours a day. The effort was 100% dedicated to the process of perfecting my craft on the instrument.
Tip: My hard work paid off and I made it into the top orchestra in the fall, but that wasn’t the big win. The true win was the realization that focused effort into a process helped me achieve my goal. Your effort in perfecting your process through the practice of your art easily transfers to all of your other efforts in life. Channel this super power now.
Field Notes: Work From Home And The Crisis Of Trust
As I approach the one-year work from home mark, it is clear is that we can retain a high-level of output, regardless of where we turn on our computer. One thing that I miss is the ability to regularly connect with my colleagues at the office to hear about their work. While most of those connections are informal and serendipitous, not being able to see each other in person can be problematic when it comes to lines of communication and retaining trust.
Tip: If you are in a work from home situation, the number one thing you can do to retain trust at your place of employment is to be in regular communication with your team. Give updates, hold office hours, and share strategic goals for the business. The Harvard Business Review wrote this article about the crisis of trust which has some great suggestions for building positive relationships when working remotely.
The Way Things Work: The Rise of The 10x Class
One of the benefits of technology developing at such a rapid rate is that musicians now have the ability to produce stunning content and a greatly reduced cost. Historically, our wealth was derived by giving live performances for large, ticket purchasing audiences, which limited our ability to automate our work and earn more money. With platforms like TikTok and our ability to record in 4k, musicians have the ability unlock a pathway to unlimited earning potential from their bedroom.
Tip: Jack Butcher kept his advice simple: “Make $1 On The Internet.” As technology advances and more automation occurs in areas that don’t require creative thought, the pursuit of our art has never had more value. The time is now to focus your energy on pathways to find online financial stability. Check out this amazing article that calls this type of work the 10x class.
Related: My thoughts on automation as it relates to classical music.
Things I Loved:
- How to combat time anxiety.
- Ten simple questions that changed Greg Isenberg’s life.
- How to add an expiration date to your email.
- This amazing video by Jon Batiste.
- An interview with Jazmín Morales about the Fortissima Program at Colburn.
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