213 – Restarting Your Engines for 2021

Have you ever found yourself in a frustration cycle as a musician? Do you feel like thinking more and doing more for your career just leads to more frustration? In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, I share some of my biggest takeaways from my two-week break in Vernon, BC. Podcast Highlights: 00:18 – Going on break 01:01 – Things work better when you stop? 02:45 – Are you overselling yourself? 03:58 – Life is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal 04:40 – How will you restart your engines? Transcription: Hey, it’s David Andrew Wiebe. I know I went AWOL for three weeks, but I’m finally back to deliver another batch of killer podcast episodes. So, at the beginning of November, I went on break. This happened a little later than expected, but it was still very timely, as I wrapped up my trip to Vernon just before local lockdowns started up again. And I wasn’t ready to get back into the swing of things the moment I came back, so three weeks went by without a new episode or for that matter, any new content on the website. I needed time to recharge the batteries, and as you may already know, I worked myself to exhaustion at the beginning of September, which is nowhere near as fun as it sounds. Yes, it has taken nearly three months to recover in full, and I know for a fact I’m much better now, but I’m not at 100% yet. But here’s the funny part. Have you ever noticed how sometimes when you leave something alone, it starts working better? If you ever find yourself in a frustration cycle, then taking more actions isn’t the solution. In that space, your actions just lead to more frustration, and even if something is working, you tend not to notice it. Sheep come out in wolves’ clothing as it were. So, the best thing you can often do to release all that pent-up energy is to stop. And that sounds completely counter-intuitive in our hustle culture obsessed with working hard, 16-hour days, fake it until you make it, “take my free webinar now” crowd. Here’s the goofy thing about it – I tried all that. I tried the 16-hour per day hustle. And it didn’t work for me. It just got me caught in a frustration cycle, like I said. These cycles are also known as pendulums. When a pendulum gains momentum, it keeps swinging and rotating harder and faster, until you find yourself caught in its grips, unable to escape. It’s still possible to interrupt that pendulum, but not without taking different actions. If you stop for long enough, and don’t resist, though, the pendulum will begin to dissolve, and you can start over from a fresh space. Maybe the 16-hour days work for Tony Robbins, or Russell Brunson, or Gary Vaynerchuk. And by the way, I’m not comparing myself to any of these guys. I’m not in the same niche, and I’m not the same type of marketer either. I’ve always been a little more on the side of a transparent marketer, sharing my blunders and stories, my numbers, and I’ve even touched on my personal matters several times. I know you’re supposed to bring your best self to your content, which is what I strive to do. And my delivery of the content has changed considerably over time. But I think we can easily oversell ourselves too. No one’s really talking about that. They just keep talking about the fact that you’re not posting enough, you’re not showing up enough, you’re not selling enough. Again, this hasn’t been my experience. My experience has been that the harder I try to prop myself up, the less things work. Because I’m trying to say, “look at me, look at what I’ve done, I’m amazing.” And it produces the opposite result. All it does is further envelope me in the shadows of obscurity. When I think about all the times, I’ve tried to prop myself up, I’ve come from a space of wanting something. And when you want something, you just attract more of the same. Wanting leads to more wanting. Wanting leads to more wanting.Share on X Maybe others are able to come from a different space when they’re selling themselves. Maybe they genuinely see it as giving. There’s nothing wrong with that. What works for others may not work for you. But you’ve got to know what space you’re coming from. Because whatever that is, you’re going to attract more of it. To me, giving and being generous is showing up and recording a podcast episode. It’s showing up and writing a blog post. It’s giving away free, high-quality guides that can help you in various areas of your music career. It’s all about creating the life you love through music. My story has always been one of progression. I went from working five jobs to working completely from home in 2016. Then I created my location independence last year in 2019 and moved from Calgary to Abbotsford. And now I travel and explore as I’m able, which isn’t much, and I mostly spend time writing content for music industry websites, but the point is that it was all created gradually. And that’s where I am. But I can see further now. And I want to give generously and profit generously. And I believe I have been able to do that. I’ve been doing that all along. There isn’t necessarily more to give, just that I keep showing up to give, which I don’t need to do. I do it because I know what’s possible for others. So, as you look to restart your engines for 2021, you might consider taking a break. Stopping and reflecting. Thinking about any pendulums that might have you caught in their grips. Finding a new space to move into mentally and emotionally. The world, sadly, isn’t going back to any sense of normalcy for a while. So, pivoting, rethinking your direction and strategy, and making the most of the time and resources available would be wise. Every time you stop, even if it’s only a day or two, you will come away with more clarity. Your vision will expand. You’ll see some things you never saw before, and then you’ll be able to act on what matters to you. Your purpose will not come to you in a flash. It will unfold gradually. And sometimes we need to stop for it to unfold, so we can see further. If you’re ready to figure out what to focus on in 2021 and beyond… If you’re looking to expand your music income… If marketing is something you struggle with and need to develop… Then head on over to davidandrewwiebe.com/Join and grab your free guide. This has been episode 213 of The New Music Industry Podcast. I’m David Andrew Wiebe, and I look forward to seeing you on the stages of the world.