The key points if you want to keep your brain in check when you’re working on something really difficult. You’ll never know your true potential if you’re not fully present for the task at hand.

There is a tremendous amount to be learned from musicians, but as creatives we would do well to remember that any discipline can teach us the way toward trusting and growing our artistic instincts and coming closer to a true expression of what is in our minds and hearts.

No matter whether you like to play outside or not, the reality is that we want to sound our very best no matter the circumstances. With the outdoor odds stacked against us, playing our best just requires a little more preparation and planning.

Our perception of the life we can live is what creates our lives, and a willingness to prioritize what feels valuable and satisfying to us is both practical and necessary; an earnest type of genius that ushers us onto the main stage of our own life.

When we get lost in something that catches our eye or attention and we allow that thing to take over our view, it grows in size as we recede. We become small, but not in an insignificant way.

Is music a practical major? Absolutely not. Is it a way to open doors to better versions of myself? Absolutely. Majoring in music isn’t our problem, and odds are that all of us will have a portfolio career to some degree. The problem is that we’re still framing this as novel or even as a second prize to a more ideal scenario that doesn’t exist anymore.

Our culture has a do-it-all-all-the-time mentality, and musicians embrace the high octane version. The great challenge of managing doing remains that we spend so many years doing so much to the point where we begin to choose and exercise discernment around our time we can end up feeling so guilty it’s paralyzing. It helps to think of moderation and to clearly label what value and necessity activities hold.

If we all continue climbing for the one peak our training presented as Mt. Everest we risk remaining blind to the beauty of the entire range and susceptible to the dangers and pitfalls brought on by too many hikers using one path.

The way being busy makes us feel and what we need to do to cope with high-demand periods of work will change as we get older and more experienced. Intentional planning can create success and prevent burnout.

Four books on process for creatives with work to do.

If pain blocks awareness, then maybe the reverse is true - building awareness builds proprioception, which in turn builds the effectiveness and ease of the skills we work so hard to develop and maintain.

What we are willing to lovingly layer into our every day life with consistency is what will create the greatest impact in our well being long term.

When was the last time you enjoyed a little silence?

Taking a step back and challenging your view, looking at things from a new angle, checking your intentions, and encouraging yourself not to cling are just as valuable as fixing the problem. They create lightness and space around whatever it is we are dealing with, and that’s helpful for all of us.

Maybe what I knew deep down years ago and am just now able to articulate is that I didn’t want to teach music in the first place. What I wanted was to at least try to experience and teach the satisfaction of depth and exploration.

Social media is unpaid work. Remember that we can all be empowered in our own choices about how we interact with our life, and especially in our enjoyment of the passage of time.

What are the ways you could explore your unique interests and skills to connect with others?

Our culture pushes make-your-own schedules, self-employment, and autonomy as the ultimate freedoms, but we’re missing the mark thinking that everything should be unbound. Healthy structures help us achieve our goals and enjoy the time we spend in work and activities.

“The more firmly you believe it ought to be possible to find time for everything, the less pressure you’ll feel to ask whether any given activity is the best use of a portion of your time.”

It is good to remember that there is meaning whether we reach one person or a thousand, or maybe we only reach ourselves.