Singer songwriters: Get your music heard & believe in yourself

5 common beliefs that hold singer songwriters back from the music career of their dreams

Which ones apply to you?

Belief: I’m not good enough

What’s the cost? Holding on to this excuse, will weaken your motivation. Why take action on your dreams if you’ve decided you don’t stand a chance?

What’s the benefit? By not putting yourself out there, you can protect yourself from criticism and rejection.

Solution: Bypass this thinking by taking action. What are my next 3 small steps I need to take? Keep moving forward.
Keep a file of all the compliments you’ve ever received about your music – screenshots, written reviews, write down what fans said – keep it all in the one place and read regularly or when you have a dip in confidence. This will counteract the minds naturally tendency to focus on the negative.

Belief: Pursuing music full time will leave me financially broke

What’s the cost? This causes a lack of motivation that means that the daily actions that need to be taken don’t get taken which means you’ll lose out on time and momentum.

What’s the benefit? Having this belief gets you off the hook with putting in the work. A lot of upfront effort is required with no real guarantee or certainty that it’ll pay off. Buy into the belief – and you don’t have to risk that upfront effort.

Solution: Most artists when they look closely enough DO have outlets to earn more income from their music – they’re just failing to take action. They have contacts, they have venues they’ve played before, they have a couple of teaching gigs they can do. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. With a strategic plan in place you can gradually lose the side hustle/ day job and transition full time into music… over time – carefully planned out and with income goals set up and achieved.

Belief: I must conform to succeed

What’s the cost? You sell your soul for music you’re not in to. The world misses out on the next ‘Prince’ or ‘Lady Gaga’.

What’s the benefit? The real you gets to stay safely hidden and you don’t put yourself and your ideas fully out there – it’s a great protection mechanism.

Solution: ‘I get paid to be me’ is a brilliant affirmation that I got from a mentor. What would your life and world look like if this was your truth?

Gather a list of all the performers and artists that you know and admire for whom this is true. If it’s possible for them, it’s possible for you.
Have faith that what you’ve got naturally and how you want to express your art is exactly what your authentic fans need from you and they’ll find you. You don’t need to change a thing about your music, just do you.

Belief: The music industry is tough / competitive.

What’s the cost? If you carry this belief, your brain will look for evidence that it’s true. You’ll gravitate towards others who hold the same belief.

What’s the benefit? It could be another cunning excuse for you not to take action, not to send in that application, not to make that phone call, not to approach that music industry person.

Solution: There’s a book called ‘Go for No’. It’s about not being afraid of rejection or getting a ‘no’ and in fact celebrating it when it happens. Now that’s a change in perspective! Closed doors are all part of the process, expect them and keep moving forward. Avoid people who have this belief. Put your blinkers on and keep your eye on the prize.
There’s actually never been a better time to make it in the music industry. You have direct access to your fans, you have social media platforms available on your phone to connect with them daily. You are your own media company. Take advantage of modern technology to build your fan base.

Belief: If I say no to this (crappy) gig there won't be another one / another opportunity that's better

What’s the cost?A mind muddle going back and forth between should I? shouldn’t I?

What’s the benefit? You get to feel in control of the situation and not have to live with uncertainty. Nobody likes uncertainty but there is a way around this, see below.

Solution: Move from a place of fear based thinking and scarcity into abundance thinking and a place of expansion. Think about how each of these places feels – the former feels awful and the later feels awesome.

Doing gigs that don’t pay well and have other crappy conditions is depressing. Step away from that energy. Trust your gut. Will taking this gig make me feel happy? If yes, do it, if no, pass. Have faith that better opportunities are on their way. Start setting the bar higher for yourself.

And there you have it. 5 limiting beliefs, how they hold back your career and solutions so you don’t succumb to them. Mindset is key to your success in anything in life.

Wishing you the best of luck with your dream music career & life!

If you would like some in-depth coaching tailored specific to your needs and action steps on how to progress faster in your music career, get in touch for your complimentary call.

Email: [email protected]

See www.marytoolan.com for more details.