I’m almost to my 60th day of my challenge!

The 60th day of my challenge gives me a lot of things to think about and reflect.  One of the things I realized is that I am really good for staying dedicated to the challenge for thr first 30 days.  Then, life just start to get in the way.  Eventhough, I rededicate myself, some of things fall to wayside.  What I think I need to do is hire a coach or personal trainer to keep me ontop of things when I get tot ht 30 day mark…something I do at the start of the challenge.   Another thing that I really still do believe, is that just being in it to win it, is definitely life changing.  Your focus, although it may get a little swayed at times, comes right bak around and keeps you committed to your dreams.  I have still moved forward, although a little slower, during the second thirty days.

Back To The Grind

Sometimes I feel like I totally go off course and that I’ve been off course for a long time.  Thank God I am writing these blogs because it just proves to me that my little detours have only been for short periods as opposed to lifetimes.  I have so many things that I want to accomplish that I am not finding the time for and also getting held up in road blocks.  A couple of days ago I talked about not being able to actually upload my video content and not really knowing how to insert video from other sites…videos that I really liked and would recommend seeing.  So I need to give myself a little pat on the back for actually getting that help that I needed to be able to move forward. 

I have got to admit that that road block also transferred to my exercise time and my practice.  Its been about a week and half since I have a really good workout, a really good singing practice, and a guitar practice.  I wonder if the crazy weather attributed to it.   I know that the traffic to the city has been wearing me out, so I have made  a point to try and take the train a couple of time per week.  It is so much better for me stress wise.  I am not freaking out in traffic for and hour and half to go a distance that would regularly take me 20 minutes if there was no traffic at all.  AAAArrrggg!  It is so frustrating.

For a moment, my mind veared away from my singing and thoughts of another passion of mine, helping and motivating other women to live their dreams too, creeped in and took over for while.  I am formulating my plans to share with other women business owners how to utitlize the internet to take their dream business to the next level, especially mom’s, who feel like there is not enough time in the day for themselves nor their dreams.  I am going to keep developing on that plan but stay the course as far as my plans for my music career.

6 Steps to Stay Motivated with Your Music

I’ve got to admit, I did get discouraged at one time with my life in the music industry, and I just couldn’t keep going. Mentally and emotionally drained, I left for years, ignoring that music was my passion and I was my authentic self only when I was performing or doing anything that surrounded music. I’ve learned how to stay motivated to keep on going, which seems to me to be easier, with internet, because I have a sense of having my life in music in my own hands. Here are some tips on How To Stay Motivated and Focused in Your Music Career.

1. What Are Your Goals. Are you a singer and just want to get out there and sing. Do you want to be a solo artist or a background singer and travel the world with a big named act. Things to think about right? Figure out what is truly important to you, in your heart, and write it down. Then stop at noghting to achieve them. For me this takes some “time blocking” and life balance because I want to spend quality time with my family too. Write down your goals and focus on getting them done.
2. Dream Big – I am now always of the mentality that if something good or miracle like should happen to somebody, why not me. It’s like the saying, you have to be in it to win it. Well, you have to dream big, the dream that you really hold in your heart, and believe that could even happen to you. Your dreams kind of go hand in hand with goal setting and putting those goals into action and not just words.
3. Daily Action – Some days I am able to accomplish a ton of things that move me closer towards my goals and my dreams and other days I can barely get a thing done, but If I do even the smallest, thing, like making a phone call to a new producer I’ve met and want to cut a track with, I feel like I am still moving closer to my goals. I recommend even stead strides forward…yo’ll hit that mile mark faster than you think.
4. Don’t pile too many projects on your plate at once- Now I am a culprit for this…and you know what…it leads to procrastination and I don’t get anything done. Choose one to three things (three things IF you are a good multi-tasker which a lot of my music mama’s are) that you want to focus on completing.
5. Focus on Priority Items – OK…stop checking your email every two seconds, and responding and uploading your new status on facebook. Set those things aside for a specific time in the day to do them and knowck it out all in that on or 2 hours. That way you can concentrate on the things that really bring you the results you are looking for with your music.
6. Don’t let the Nay-sayers knock the wind out of you – You can do it.. You just have to keep making good music, great songs, getting them up on your site so that the world can experience the passion and the music within you.

Hey…it may not be easy, but playing music, marketing your music to the world, performing your music to an audience, can be the most rewarding life you can live as a musician. Remind yourself everyday that you are bringing emotional joy to your fans, by filling there sould with your music. You can do it…just remember the steps above and keep it going.

Music Mama – How to Be A Successful Indie Artist and a Mom

There are so many of my friends now, who are singers, songwriters, and musicians who are also mothers of young children. We all talk about continuing to make our livelihood with our passions for music, but how do we juggle the working in the music business without the long days, months, or even years on the road, away from our kids?

Many of us are turning to our local markets for tour dates, and performing on the weekends, taping our shows, then airing the performances via YouTube. We also connect the video to our individual websites. So, our fans that we have developed around the globe can still get a taste of our live performances. Here are some of the steps these Music Mamas are taking to keep their dreams alive and still be great moms.

1. Scheduling productive tasks and Every Day iInclude some “me” time in there mommies.
2. Write your 30-60-90 day, 1-3-5 year goals.
3. Perform at least once a month.
4. Build a website to showcase your music. If you can do it yourself use www.homestead.com or www.vistaprint.com on top of your myspace page.
5. Start a blog about you and your music. Sign up for www.thenicheblogger.com to learn how.
6. Video tape your performances or your recording in the studio and post on YouTube and your website.
7. Sell your music online using www.Tunecore.com and www.CdBaby.com
8. Read and sing to your children almost every night.
9. Include a date night each week with your significant other.
10. Always be your authentic self and don’t overwhelm yourself. You can still take baby steps to reach that milestone.
Tags: Authentic Self, Baby Steps, Dreams, Globe, Homestead, Indie Artist, Live Performances, Livelihood, Local Markets, Mama, Milestone, Mom, Music Business, Musicians, Passions, Productive Tasks, Showcase, Singers, Singers Songwriters, Songwriters, Tour Dates, Video Tape, Youtube
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