I have been broke and depressed.
2016 was essentially my lowest point. I made a radical career change and thought I would be successful. I was taking terrible jobs like working at a gym daycare thinking it was all a part of the hustle and grind.
It wasn’t.
I was also at a community college taking music classes to see if I could break through. I heard all of these stories about others making it later in life and I thought that could be me at 26.
I didn’t. (at least not yet…)
Excuses
I’ve always considered myself an honest person. I will also tell someone what I think and I don’t think lying is productive. If I don’t think something, I just won’t say it. I used to stretch the truth, but that gets exhausting.
The only problem was, I wasn’t honest with myself.
That situation I was in 2016 was due to my laziness and I could not face that reality. Let me explain why it didn’t work out.
I didn’t spend enough time working on my craft. Music, career, nothing. Everything was half assed
I was sleeping in and didn’t take anything seriously
I talked a huge game and spent all my energy justifying to everyone how I had it figured out
This was accompanied by excuses.
“My toxic relationship is stopping me from getting anywhere”
“Nobody believes in me”
“That person is just being stupid and doesn’t understand reality”
“Everyone is trying to sabotage my dreams”
Being Honest
“Honest self-understanding liberates us from our stuck emotions.” – C Terry Warner
Here are some tips that helped me to be more honest with myself.
Ask Questions
Find some objective questions that you can ask yourself. Your brain is programmed to find answers and asking great questions can help you get there.
“If you ask better questions, you'll get better answers!” - Tony Robbins
Evaluate Results
Take a look at your life. Is this where you want to be? If the answer is no, find someone who is doing what you want to do and mimic them. It’s a great way to launch yourself into something exciting.
Don’t Judge
You will continually work toward something great. Give yourself a little grace and be objective about what you’re looking to accomplish.
Celebrate the Little Stuff
Look to have a celebration everyday for your successes. There has to be something that you can have a little dance about. Smile. Have fun. It’s meant to be fun.
Be Yourself & Work Hard
Be true to yourself and cool stuff will happen. That whole situation I described above was me not being honest or true to myself. Was I going to be Slash? Maybe, but it doesn’t really matter right now. Would I have the top selling album? Probably not, but I don’t regret giving it a shot.
Honestly, I wouldn’t have spent that year any other way. Taking the path I did helped me realize the direction I needed to go. It eventually helped me land in a job that illuminated my mind to marketing and social media. So, shrug off the garbage, stop lying to yourself, and make this life the coolest thing ever.
Comments