It seems like less and less people are succeeding with their music career. And I know the meaning of the word success can mean different things to different people, but lots of talented musicians simply aren’t reaching their full potential. Have you ever seen an act so talented you couldn’t work out why they hadn’t done more? Or seen a band that outshone their mainstream alternatives yet haven’t been swooped up by a label?
While there are many reasons a musician may not reach their full potential, there is one reason that continues to hold back many a talented musician: The lack of the right mentality!
What Is The Right Mentality?
When we say the right mentality, we mean having the right focus, drive, and frame of mind to carry out that which you want to achieve. Without those qualities your music simply won’t take off the ground, so let’s look at those points in a bit more detail…
If you want to be successful in music you need drive and focus. What is the driving force behind you wanting to do music? Do you want to use your music to become financially free? Do you want to be able to make a living from something you enjoy doing rather then working a 9-5? Whatever the reason, make a note of it and don’t lose site of why you need to make this work. As soon as you lose focus of the reason why you do music in the first place, you drive will begin to fade. This is why many people end up quitting before they have seen real results. Remember, when embarking on a music career you won’t see instant success. It’s not a get rich quick scheme, and it takes much work and dedication. We hope this website will help speed up the process of you learning the music business, but even then you’ve got to have the drive to keep pushing yourself till you start seeing results.
Once you know the reason you’re doing music and are focused on achieving your aims, you need to have the mentality to actually carry out what you need to do. Believe it or not, many people know exactly what they need to do to achieve things, yet they don’t do it. And I’m not just talking about in music, this is a trait a lot of people have when it comes to all different things.
Music can be a full time job, but not everyone may have the hours to put in. Therefore, when you do have time, you need to put it to best use. It’s easy to just lie on the sofa at the end of the day and say you can’t be bothered to do anything, but how far is that going to get your music? Sometime you need to push yourself and just do things, even if you can’t be bothered at the time. Eventually you’ll get into a routine and it’ll be a lot easier. The important thing is that you just get started and do it, otherwise nothing will get achieved!
From what I’ve seen, there are lot a lot of musicians who have drive and focus. They have a driving force behind why they want to do music, and they have focus as to what they want to achieve. But what many people lack is the mentality to carry out the necessary steps in order to achieve their goals. They may work towards it half heartedly or just do bits here and there, but many people never really get into full gear. How many musicians have you had tell you “My CD’s almost finished / is still being worked on” a year after they first told you they were working on a CD? These are the people that usually don’t end up putting out material, or if they do they hardly promote it then give up because it doesn’t do well.
As an independent musician, talent doesn’t mean much if you haven’t got the mentality to make your talent count. If you’re fortunate enough to get a good record deal and your label will take care of everything for you, it’s OK to just focus on making music. Otherwise, you need to seriously think about what you want to achieve, have a look at HOW you’re going to achieve it, and most importantly put in the work to make it happen!
Great advice and motivation! thanks!
-motivation-
The article’s great!
I somehow guess it’s very
Important reminder n ‘push’
Sometimes it’s good to have
Somebody as a ‘reminder’ because
‘forget ‘ n most kindda take things
For granted.
Agreed, having someone there to motivate you can be a big help. The life as a solo musician can be a lonely one, make sure you at least have people supporting you in the background.