Craft mastery doesn't come without self mastery. Every Monday and Friday you will receive a concept, personal story, or idea aimed to aid you, the artist, entrepreneur, human, in the never-ending journey towards mastering your life.
The Rhythm of Regret
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If you're enjoying the newsletter, I've recently made a Twitter and TikTok. Follow me on those platforms for content like this, as well as an inside look on my creative process' for music. -------------- Embarking on the unique path of artistry and entrepreneurship, we find ourselves navigating uncharted territories, sculpting our destinies in the dense wilderness of human existence. In this jungle of a journey, where wrong turns and unintended detours are inevitable, regret becomes an almost inescapable companion; the unwanted acquaintance that invited herself to the birthday party. You don't realize she's there until you do, but when you do, she fucks up the vibe of the entire party. For the longest time, I've prided myself on living life unapologetically, immune to the sting of regret. Because every decision I made was a conscious choice, a deliberate step along the path I had carved for myself. This protected me from the feelings of regret for most of my life. I was always ok with the results of my decisions, as I've always contemplated the consequences before making any. However, As the sands of time sift through my fingers, I've come to realize that wisdom, not just age, plays a role in the rising prominence of regret. We only have so many grains in our life's hour glass so wasting them is almost criminal. Wasting time intentionally can feel awful, but you're at least aware of the choice you're making. The true heartache comes when you believe you're on the right path, only to discover years later that you've been standing still, or worse, moving backward. It's a gut-wrenching revelation that no one wants to face. Let me specify that moving in general will always be more valuable than analysis paralysis, imperfect action will always be infinitely greater than inaction, however it is very possible to find yourself (seemingly) starting at square one multiple years into your journey of mastery, That's when the feeling of regret will creep in. You will regret your ignorance, but at the end of the day ignorance can not be avoided. We all have to go through it in the learning process. So today I have summed up a few ways to help you minimize your future self's regret. Think of these as weapons to fight your own ignorance, and sharpen your discernment on your way to mastering your craft. Run Towards DiscomfortYour future self will regret choosing comfort over discomfort. Your future self will regret you choosing to skip your workouts because you were tired. Your future self will regret you avoiding the things that felt difficult, because it will only become harder. Discomfort's power is multiplied the longer you procrastinate. Think of how easy working out was when you had a nice streak, and how it feels like shit after taking a month off and trying to get back right. When I was in college, reading music while playing was very uncomfortable, so I got really good at memorizing songs after reading the music a few times, to avoid the discomfort of reading while playing. Years later my reading fluency is holding me back from reaching a new level musically, and I regret running from the discomfort of sight-reading all those years ago. No matter the discomfort you are evading, you will need to address it eventually. And the longer you wait, the more uncomfortable it will feel when you do. Immediate ActionWhen you have an idea, act on it at once. Begin developing the idea the moment it is conceived. Avoid the trap of believing you must become more skillful to execute on the idea. It is through executing on the idea that you become more skillful, not through practicing for the idea. Reading 30 books about business will not teach you more than starting 1 business. Practicing 1000 hours for jam sessions will not teach you as much as playing in 20 jam sessions. Reading about the thing will not teach you half of what actually doing the thing will teach you. I'm not saying you shouldn't read about your craft, or practice for jam sessions. You 1000% should. I -am- saying that over practicing is its own form of procrastination, Over preparing is its own form of avoiding discomfort, and if you haven't realized that you're doing this yet, you will regret it when you do. Prioritize Consistency NO MATTER WHAT or else...Running towards the things about your field that scare you, bore you, and trigger you will undoubtedly make you exceedingly uncomfortable, as will taking action when you're not fully confident in your abilities. This overly uncomfortable feeling will make consistency feel impossible, sometimes it straight up feels like death, but you must power through and prioritize consistency over everything or else... Or else what? Or else you'll get the worst of both worlds: Extreme discomfort, AND No fruit for your labor. You see, Queen Consistency doesn't care if you had a groove 5 months ago, the moment you fall off, she will cut your progress in half, almost like you didn't do anything at all. Yo-yoing up and down in a limbo of consistency followed by inconsistency, is just putting you through the fire of grinding towards your goal, while simultaneously sabotaging yourself from ever actually achieving it. It is the worst thing you can do to yourself, and you will regret it every time. And the bright side is, The longer you remain consistent, the easier, and less uncomfortable it actually gets. And then your probability of success becomes skewed in your favor. To recap, These are your weapons:
Use them to fight your present ignorance and as a result, minimize your future self's regret. If you enjoyed today's article share it with the homies by copying and pasting this link: https://thriving-artists.com/2024/02/26/the-rhythm-of-regret/ Until Friday! Dio Dio Deji Oduwole Creator of The Thriving Artists’ Newsletter Musician, Music Producer, Music Therapist and Educator https://newsletter.thriving-artists.com/ |
The Thriving Artists' Newsletter
Craft mastery doesn't come without self mastery. Every Monday and Friday you will receive a concept, personal story, or idea aimed to aid you, the artist, entrepreneur, human, in the never-ending journey towards mastering your life.
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