Let This Terrifying Navy Seal Make Your Music a Priority

I used to have a morning routine.

Then my daughter showed up, took one look at my calm, zen-garden of productive writing, and threw a dirty diaper all over it. It didn’t matter how early I got, her ninja spider sense alerted her to me carefully tip-toeing to the living room. As soon as I opened up the laptop, the crying started. I swear I could hear her cackle in between sobs.

So you could say that Morning Routine and I are on a break for the foreseeable future.

Morning Routines are Boring Anyway

They’re all the same:

• Rise early
• Eat healthy
• Meditate (2 hours minimum…🙄)
• Exercise
• Create

All great things. All things I squeeze in whenever I’m not dodging diapers and mediating meltdowns.

How To Be Productive in a War Zone

But I still have to do my job, which mostly consists of thinking about things and writing them down to help my audience.

This is hard when your brain might as well be the Play-Doh my daughter throws on the ground after mixing it with all the other colors of Play-Doh. It’s challenging to find time to write in the mornings when it’s been invaded by the Toddler Tyrant. I’d love to be “mindful” and meditate for 30 minutes, do some core exercises and yoga, and drink a healthy smoothie to “kickstart my day!”

But let’s be honest, apart from the smoothie, these activities have been outlawed, and all productive activities are under strict scrutiny by new management.

The Mindset to Make Music

Writing online and making music aren’t so different.

They’re both creative processes requiring the same ingredients for the creative process to happen.

You need:

• The time to make it happen
• The commitment to showing up
• The focus to use that time wisely

Put another way, if you want the freedom to create, you need the discipline to do so.

Bring Me to Bootcamp

So, since I can’t have my zen garden anymore, I picked up some verbal assault on my senses from Akira the Don and Jocko Willink instead.

Jocko is a Navy Seal turned leadership authority. A No-Nonsense Get-Your-Shit-Together for Tough People sorta guy. His book Extreme Leadership is a valuable read for any aspiring high-achiever.

I think my daughter would like Jocko. They both seem to get what they want.

But his lessons are even better after Akira the Don overlays them with his musical productions. With the lessons inside The Path, with tracks like “There Must Be Discipline,” “Discipline Equals Freedom,” and “I Wake Up Early,” it’s easy to get pumped to be productive.

Prepared for Battle

So when the morning battle ends and the toddler gets dropped off to terrorize the daycare kids, I have the focus and clarity to be productive for the rest of the day.

I’ve shifted my schedule to adapt to new inputs; if anything, I’m more creative.

(My daughter does that to me).

So when your life gets thrown for a loop, and you don’t get to follow your perfect routine, develop the discipline to adapt and respond.

Then get on with your day, focus on the music, and prioritize creativity.

If you need any help making your music sound better, check out the various Audio Issues products to find what you need right here.

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