Starting again (and again, and again)
Did you miss me?
Our schedules have been shifting around at home. Last weekend, I found myself going from activity to activity with my kids and really enjoying the company of my family.
We had a great weekend full of music and friends and beautiful weather and I woke up on Monday morning thinking:
Oh shit.
In the midst of living all of that life, I forgot to sit down and write my blog… and I’m totally okay with that.
In the past, I’ve gotten pretty down on myself for how difficult it is for me to form habits. It seems like it’s so easy for everyone else but whatever unique brain chemistry I was blessed with (or cursed with, depends on the day’s perspective) makes it a real challenge.
I’ve learned a few things over the last few years though, one of which is that I’m as productive, adaptable, and creative as I am largely due to my lack of natural proclivity towards consistency. I follow inspiration, I chase creativity, I allow myself to follow the rabbit down the hole every so often and occasionally I end up in a pretty magical place. Weaknesses often have strengths associated with them.
Another thing I’ve learned is that there’s an art to starting again, and again, and again, and again, as many times as you need to in order to stay on your path. The consistency challenge we did during the pandemic gave me a tremendous amount of practice in chasing a streak, falling off spectacularly, and getting back on. So here I am, having missed a post, and getting back on the path with a post about how to get back on the path. How’s that for turning lemons into limoncello? 🍋
How to start again (and again, and again)
Plan to mess up, because you will.
Celebrate the opportunity to practice starting again. Pat yourself on the back and acknowledge that you knew this would happen. You planned for it. This is a necessary rest stop on your journey. You might feel like you’re off track, but actually you’re right on track because this was in the plan.
Be kind to yourself. If you need to wallow for a bit, give yourself a time limit and don’t let the negative thoughts consume you. Call a friend and get out of your own head. You know you’d never judge a friend as harshly as you judge yourself so maybe stop as soon as possible.
Start again. If you're feeling friction in starting again, try to identify why. Fear? Worry? Lack of energy? Whatever it is, remember that you decided this thing is important with your very own logical brain that wants the best for you. Trade short term comfort for long term gain and remember how good it feels when you do whatever it is you set out to do.
Visually track your progress. It can be a note on your phone, a white board, a journal, or any combination of things. The visual accountability actually makes a huge difference.
It’s simple, but it’s not easy.
Okay onto some music updates…
I’ve mentioned this before though not extensively, I have been actively goal setting for music and work for a few years now and I like to think about things in 90 day cycles. So, for this coming quarter (April 1st through June 30th), I’ll be focusing on creating a live set for my new songs and seeking opportunities to play in the Nashville area. At first, I’ll do a one-woman show and from there, I’d love to add a person or two or three into the mix as opportunities hopefully progress (my secret not-so-secret goal is to find a great booking agent and play some bucket list festivals in 2025).
At the same time, I’ll be finishing up the mixes (super close!), putting together a visual identity (get ready for content on branding as I learn how to apply that to music) and formalizing an announcement of the new project name & corresponding website. While all this is happening, I’m doubling down on my commitment to writing in the mornings and seeing where they go. I’d love to be on track to record another album next year.
In the meantime, the entire 4-song EP from The Narrative is streaming on Spotify. My personal favorite is “Crushed” but “Higher” recently got added to a bunch of playlists and is doing relatively well on the Spotify algorithmic playlist “Discover Weekly”.
Thanks again for being here. I’m hoping to covert all my Instagram & TikTok pals to becoming Substack subscribers (free option always available!) so I have one mode of communication that isn’t reliant on me posting to social media 3x a day to be sure it’s seen. If you know someone who would love to be here with us, please share this blog with them and maybe I’ll make a new friend. See you in two weeks… probably! :)
