MasterMind Drummer
July 22nd, 2024
Newsletter #31
You’re A Little Weird… And Thats Ok.
I wake up between 4 and 4:30am.
I then read for an hour.
Write for an hour.
And exercise for an hour.
To get the results I am after, I have determined this is my perfect morning routine. This is not including EVERYTHING I do after these 3 hours, this is just talking about the way I choose to start my day.
Is there nuance to this? Of course. There is nuance to everything. But this is my perfect morning routine.
Let’s discuss some of that nuance.
I base my wake-time on when I go to bed. I do my best to get a minimum of 6 hours.
Do I always get 6 hours? No. Far from it.
Let’s get some perspective here. I have a 10-month-old, a 12-year-old, and a 20-year-old, so I can tell you now, I have had much less than 6 hours of sleep a night. Many, many times.
But! I do my best to get 6 hours, as that is all I truly need.
Like Arnie said – “And if you say you need 8 hours of sleep, I say, SLEEP FASTER’ lol.
Upon waking, the first thing I do is make 1.2L of very weak coffee.
I make weak coffee as it’s not the caffeine I’m after. It’s the routine of making the coffee, followed by the comfort of a large mug of warm liquid. That’s what I’m after.
I love making coffee. And I love sharing a moment over a coffee with a friend. But the caffeine – not so much.
I spent many years in the coffee industry, alongside my drumming pursuits, and as a business owner, I had to drink a LOT of coffee throughout the day. It was my job.
I would dial the coffee in every morning, upon arriving to work, making sure that everything was tasting ok. I would then keep checking in on it, throughout the day, and often get coffees made for me by my customers too – proud to show me how they have it tasting.
But once I sold up and left the industry a few years back, I realised I don’t actually need the caffeine, nor do I want it. It’s more the experience and the ritual that I am after.
Hence, the large pot of weak coffee I make each morning.
I then read for an hour. This is a non-negotiable.
I do this because when I wake up, my mind is clear, fresh, and in an open state. All our minds are. We are clean and unattached. We aren’t bogged down by the day yet. It hasn’t ruined us. But if we are not careful, it will.
So I don’t let it.
At the very start of the day, I make sure I load up with all sorts of interesting and positive information to strengthen my mindset, and prep me for a great day. I galvanize my mind early, each and every day.
We ALL have this ability. We are all in FULL control here.
And what I have learned over the past couple of years, is that by prioritising reading each morning – as opposed to just watching videos and listening to podcasts or audiobooks (I do this also), I retain information differently.
I became aware of this cognitive switch, anecdotally, but the data now supports this, too. We receive information very differently when it comes from books. Details are sharper, and it creates a much healthier brain. We also get much better at simple tasks, such as focusing.
So, reading, for me, is not optional.
Then, while my mind is open and free, I write.
This is the best time for me to write, as I can enter ‘flow’ much easier. In the morning, and after reading, the words tend to come more naturally. It’s actually quite effortless at this time.
After that, I do my stretches and I exercise for an hour.
I exercise early as it sets the tone for the day. When I start the day with doing something that is hard and physically challenging, from that point, nothing can rattle my cage.
Yes, I get all the physical benefits of exercising daily, but the true benefits, I feel, is what happens to my mind.
This world is a tough place to live. It’s set up in a way where we are constantly bombarded with, and challenged by things designed to limit us, and our way of thinking.
Whether it’s the 15 billboards of advertising you see on the way to work, the ads before your favourite YouTube video, or the Facebook posts by every man and his dog discussing the latest trending ‘global’ topic, it’s all designed to get you off track, and stop you from showing up daily, consistently, and being truly exceptional.
But, when I exercise, nothing can derail me. I stay on track, and I stay in control.
So I do this every day.
So 1hr reading, 1hr writing, and 1hr exercise.
This is my morning routine.
Do you think this is extreme?
Do you think that waking up at 4am every day, so I can fit all this in, before 7:30am, and get ahead of things, is a little intense?
Good!
I truly hope so, and I mean that.
For the level I am aiming to get to, on and off the kit, I would hate to think that my efforts are comparable to most.
That would actually be the worst thing.
Why? Because I do not want to be like most. Actually, far from it.
And neither should you. Set your standards higher.
Think about that for a second. Your daily habits and routines should be unique to you. They should not be comparable to most, otherwise you’re doing it wrong.
If you want exceptional results, yet everyone around you does the same thing, then how could they truly be exceptional?
I use to get made to believe that my approach was ‘a little much’, because it was different. And generally by friends and family, too.
Then one day, I realised –
A. People are threatened by someone doing something different, as it puts a mirror up to them, and highlights that they themselves do not have the ability, strength, or self-control, to do it themselves. This is a hard pill to swallow.
You’re an outlier, and they are not.
B. This ‘point of difference’ in our approach, is actually our north star. Remember, if you want average results, do what everyone else does. If you want exceptional results, do what no one else does.
Don’t forget, too, you are here right now because you are different.
You are here reading this because you are looking for more. You’re hungry.
You’re looking for more ways to help show up daily, consistently, and get yourself to the next level, on and off the kit.
I say this often, but it takes extreme processes and effort to get extreme results.
For me, I have nothing less than ‘world-class’ standards when it comes to my drumming goals.
Within the time I have, I want my playing to rub shoulders with the best.
Why strive for anything less than that?
I am after ‘world-class’, so I work at it each and every day.
Does it need to happen immediately? No. And don’t worry, it won’t. Hahaha.
It’s like, when I tell people they should be lifting weights every week (because you should), and the response is, ‘I don’t want to get big’.
Don’t worry, you won’t. Hahaha. These things take time. And a lot of time.
You’ll come to find that anything that actually matters in life, whether it be on the drums or not, takes a crazy amount of time. It’s what I call ‘long-term slow-burn’.
But don’t worry, that’s actually a good thing.
Why? Because that is ALL it takes. Time. (It’s how you frame it).
Instead of being bogged down by it, I’ve actually been completely set free by the idea that all I have to do to become a world-class player, is spend a crazy amount of time working on it. Thats it.
I can do that.
Don’t forget, discipline truly is freedom.
This sort of approach towards life is not for the faint-hearted, but guess what, it guarantees results. #resultsguaranteed
So make sure that your daily routine, and the habits you have, are not like anyone else’s. Make sure that you are an outlier in your life. Make sure you are a weirdo.
I give myself 3hrs of pure mental clarity, each and every morning. And because of that, the day starts on my terms, and it stays there.
I have control over this, and as mentioned, you do, too.
It takes practice, and a bit of refinement, but spend the time figuring out what works for you, and your life.
Your biggest asset is your mind, so look after it. Give it the daily helping hand it needs, to get you to the next level. Don’t let it atrophy.
Everyone has the power to regulate this.
So, when it comes to being an outlier, and achieving a higher level of results, it requires you to do things a little differently, and that’s a good thing.
Basically…
You’re a little weird… And thats ok.
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Let’s leave it there this week.
I am 5 shows into a nationwide tour with Black Comet, and 4 clinics into my nationwide tour for the MasterMind Drummer Clinic. Lots on, lots happening, lots of great things.
As always, thanks for taking the time, and thanks for all your feedback, too. I really appreciate it.
I read them all. So please, if you have any thoughts, send them through, and let’s get a dialogue happening.
Don’t forget… Stay hungry (and stay healthy!)
See you next week.
Stan