Sounds harsh, right? The idea that everything that –
A. Has happened in your life,
B. Is happening in your life, or
C. Is GOING to happen in your life, is your responsibility.
But it’s true. Sorry.
Now hang on, hang on, don’t give up just yet, hear me out first…
My wife came into the room the other day and said something that resonated very deeply with me, something she heard on a podcast while working away. (She’s also a creative, an amazing photographer in fact!)
She said, “your situation may not be your fault, but it’s certainly your responsibility”.
So let’s make the distinction here with what I said at the start. I’m not saying that events in the past, present, or future are your fault. Of course not. How could they be?
A lot of what we experience in life is out of our hands. But, it’s the simple understanding that although it’s not our fault, it is still our responsibility.
Wow. Man! That knocked me down… Your life, your responsibility. What a powerful way to think. Right?
Let’s dig a little deeper, oh, and try and figure out how this relates to drums too… lol
All I am talking about here is the simple idea of accountability. So taking full responsibility for the day-to-day structure of your life.
Looking at your day as a simple 24-hour period, breaking it down, and actively planning it in a way where, among all the things you have to do, you’re making time and fitting in the things you want to do too. Even if those things are hard. (By the way, hard generally means good).
And look, although it may sound like it, I’m not trying to be some sort of Tony Robbins wannabe here, I’ve never actually read or listened to any of Tony’s work, (although my mum did when I was young, and I am a little partial to his mentor – Jim Rohn), I’m just trying to say that we are sitting on a goldmine here, and we often don’t realise it.
That this one word, accountability, could quite possibly be one of the most powerful and progressive words you will come across in your lifetime.
It’s about looking at your life on the micro, breaking it down, structuring it, figuring it out, then zooming out to the macro and making the necessary adjustments to make sure you show up.
Once again, how does this relate to drums? Don’t worry, the big revelation is coming, and it’s simple…
PRACTICE. Daily PRACTICE.
Knowing your goals, identifying your weaknesses, making a plan, and getting to work.
Goal. Identify. Plan. Work.
——————
Every student that comes through my door, or that shows up online, starts off with the best of intentions.
“My doubles are rubbish” – This is common, and in most cases, is what is holding you back. BIG-TIME!
“I want more dynamics and control” – Don’t we all?
“I want more flow and creative ideas around the kit” – A biggie, and something I care a lot about.
“I want to develop my single kick” – Now you’re speaking my language!
These are all very common problems, and plague EVERYONE, regardless of style or genre. Actually, regardless of ANY drumming belief system you have been indoctrinated into along the way.
“It’s all about the pocket man”….
“Chops for life”… etc
All of the above is just referring to mechanics, and mechanics does not discriminate.
Great, so we’ve identified some problems here. That’s the first step, right? What good is working on anything at all if you don’t know what the problems are in the first place, or the areas you need to develop?
To quote Earl Nightingale, “a ship needs a destination…” So true.
So, we are in my room, you’ve told me what you want to work on, and I then identify, let’s say, 3 concentrated and potent concepts that will pull you out of this limiting rut you’ve found yourself in.
A solution! Excellent. A pathway to success. We are on our way now.
#resultsguaranteed
Man, we are buzzing in the room now. The energy is flying. I’m showing you how to get from A-Z, a structured way in which to approach the problem, and I’m showing you what the results of your labour will be with examples and demonstrations, and you are pumped!!!
You are on board 100%! We are having a blast. You may even say ‘we are vibing!’.
Now at this point, I make it very clear that, like most things, the solution itself is actually quite simple in theory, (often the student is even partially aware of how they would need to tackle this problem), BUT, it’s extremely hard to implement. Why?
Well, to be blunt, because of YOU.
In simple terms. You’re actually the problem here. It’s never the concepts, ideas or workload. It’s you.
It requires you to show up literally DAILY, to override any and all presets and bad habits you may have, by locking in and connecting new physical and neurological pathways. This is not easy.
I’ll be honest, it’s actually incredibly hard.
BUT!!! It is necessary. There is no other way.
It requires you to take full accountability for your own progress here.
Your life, your responsibility.
At the time, in the comfort of my studio, which is such a creative environment, (and most likely over a beautiful coffee that I made you on arrival too), this is an easy commitment, right?
It’s almost laughable how confident you are at the idea of putting in the work.
What I’ll hear next usually, is this…
“Yeah man, of course I can show up daily. No worries at all. I can do 3hrs a day, easy!!!!”
Me – “Woah buddy, cool your jets. Let’s just aim for 30 minutes daily. We’re looking for sustainability here. I’d rather you commit to something realistic and sustainable, something you can show up for daily that is guaranteed, rather than coming in too hot, too soon, and burning out on day 3.”
Sustainability assists accountability. They are good friends, they need each other.
You want to be accountable? Start with making it sustainable.
Everyone has 30 minutes.
Tell me someone who doesn’t, and I will call them a liar.
Everyone has 30 minutes. EVERYONE.
So, anyway, back to the lesson.
We wrap up, and I offer you full text support going forward. I let you know you can DM me regarding anything we went over, and I’ll hit you back when I can.
You feel great, and off you go!
You’re pumped, you’re jazzed, and you’re excited!
You’re ready to start logging the reps and hours required for you to break through that ceiling your head has been hitting lately.
Then you get home.
This moment is crucial.
You’re not with me in my room anymore. The energy we created is now dissipating, and quickly.
You’re now back in that comfortable and familiar environment you were in prior to the lesson. Your yummy food is in the cupboard, your favourite show is about to start, and the couch, oh the couch, is staring straight at you…
The home environment has its own energy. Its sneaky and cunning. It wants you to take a load off and relax, because “you’ve earned it”.
Yet, coincidentally, it’s that very energy that surrounded you while your head was banging against that ceiling before the lesson. Don’t forget that.
We need to act quickly at this moment.
Two things need to happen here for guaranteed success going forward.
First. You need to jump on the practice pad to lock in EVERYTHING we went over, while it’s nice and fresh. That’s very important. Lock it in!
And secondly, you need to make a plan. A very clear plan. A plan that shows you where all this fits into your day going forward. A sustainable plan.
The way to do this is to sit down, open the notes app on your phone, or grab a pen and paper. I do both.
What you’re going to do here is something that I’ve done for years. It’s called ‘Time Blocking’. This is a very simple yet incredibly potent productivity tool that helps organise and structure your day in a logical way.
But why is this such an effective productivity tool?
Because it puts a magnifying glass on the actual free time you have in your day. And trust me, you have much more than you think.
So, to efficiently Time Block, you basically write down the days hours, eg. 6am – 8pm (or in my case, 4am – 9:30pm), and you fill in every hour with the things you need to do each day.
Once you see all the things you need to do each day, and in a structured way, you actually see very clearly all the free time that surrounds those things. And guess what, there is lots!
This is where you can slot in that sustainable 30 minutes of daily pad work we spoke about (or 1 hour if you’re feeling frisky).
But at the very least, you’ve organised yourself in a way where nothing is left to chance, all your daily responsibilities and requirements are being attended to, and you’ve scheduled your much-needed DAILY practice time, so you won’t miss it.
Rain, hail, or shine!
Essentially, you’ve just leveled up a little more. You’ve actually got yourself organised!
Now the other option here is you DON’T jump on the pad immediately, instead, you grab a bite to eat, you gossip to your partner about the neighbours weird tan line, you jump on your phone, and you sit down to watch the latest episode of your favourite bingeworthy fictional Netflix drama.
Sure, that’s an option…
But you’re not going to do that. And why? Because you’re an adult, not a child.
You’ve made a decision, and you are going to follow through. That’s the only option here.
You’re going to step up, get organised, make a plan, and start showing up, daily. You’re going to start logging those reps, without question, and in turn, start reaping the rewards.
Now, I don’t want to alarm you, but there is actually another incredible thing that has happened in this process of carving out time for your daily practice sessions.
It has put a full-beam spotlight on all the other free time you have in your day too. Free time that can be used for other things. Things outside of your creative pursuit.
Things such exercise, reading, study, home-cooked meals… All the things that I know you’re already thinking about, and wishing you currently did more of. We all do. The list goes on.
And interestingly enough, the crazy thing is that those things actually impact your creative pursuits too, in a ’10x’ kind of way!!!
And then what if we did something crazy like move our Time Blocking window out a little wider??? To say, 5am – 9pm?
“What??? An extra two hours in the day? It can’t be done, you’re crazy!”
Maybe I am? Actually, let’s be honest here, I know I am. But it’s food for thought nonetheless.
But hang on, we are jumping way too far ahead here. I don’t want to scare you away just yet. We have plenty of time to dig into all this. No rush.
Look. All we are talking about here, is, in a sensible way, making time each day for the things we WANT to do.
Actually, let’s just put all this in true perspective. The idea that showing up daily for something we love, is actually hard? Come on now. It’s such a strange concept, right?
This shouldn’t even be a question. But it is.
If you can’t show up daily for the things you love doing, there isn’t much hope for the things you know you should be doing, but don’t really enjoy as much.
Think about that.
Start showing up. Daily.
Your life, YOUR responsibility.
Stay hungry, and see you next week,
Stan