Last week I had the pleasure of running into a musician we used to work with. As the conversation progressed we started talking about songwriting and recording. As soon as she mentioned songwriting I could see her eyes light up! The passion and excitemnt shined through her voice. During our chat I could also tell she was struggling with the day to day challenges of finishing a project. By the end of the conversation she revealed too me that the album was on the back burner.
A couple of day later I touched base with my favorite videographer. Man, this guy can create. Everything he produces is top-notch. Awhile back he told me about this unique concept for a workshop. But the same thing happened, his workshop ended up buried on the counter top.
I stayed up late that night pondering a strategy that would benefit my friends. How could I help them reach the next level? I started thinking about the conversations Ive had with most artist. And the one thing that stood out was their word choice and tone. Words such as never, nobody, and nothing kept appearing. I bet these artists are being hampered by negative voices!
Silence The Negative Voices!
You must learn a new way to think before you can master a new way to be. – Marianne Williamson
I spent years upon years doubting my abilities and talking down to myself. To this day I still struggle with self-talk. I was unable to make a change until I read the book “Change your brain change your life.” by Daniel G Amen.
There is a section in the book where author Daniel G Amen talks about Negative thoughts. And how they can kill all motivation and even damage your body. Could the concern of not finishing your creative project be robbing you of happiness and joy?
So how do we fix it? Simple as saying the word ANTS. You heard me right…… ANTS.
Dr. Amen coined this term while helping patients overcome a roadblock. ANTS stands for Automatic Negative Thoughts. We all have them. “I am not good enough.” “No one cares about my creations.” “My art doesn’t matter.” When the ants start marching around our minds bad things happen. Negative thoughts release chemicals that activate your limbic system…. and then you feel bad.
How impactful would your project me on a mind full of negative thoughts? How can you produce content with that frame of mind? Here is the solution that Dr.Amen covers in “Change Your Brain Change Your Life.” This is “How to finish your project.”
“Once you learn about your thoughts, you can choose to think good thoughts and feel good, or you can choose to think bad thoughts and feel lousy.”
“One way to learn how to change your thoughts is to notice them when they are negative and talk back to them. If you can correct negative thoughts, you can take away their power over you.” Dr.Amen
It’s that simple. When a negative thought comes marching in and invading your grey matter. Recognize it as an ANT ( Automatic Negative Thought.) And talk back to it with a positive statement. Reinforce your thought patterns by writing out each negative statement.
Here is an example.
Negative: I am never going to get a call back from the booking agent.
Positive: There are five other local agents I can reach out to.
We want to see you finish your next project. To do this, change your daily thought pattern by recognizing ANTS and you will take your game to the next level. Once you change your thought pattern the next step is the Follow Through
Share your success stories with us by leaving a comment.
