Image: warren hanratty via photopin cc
The title in and of itself is an intriguing proposition. We live an age in which many musicians regularly fail to meet their goal of “just making a living”, never mind trying to make an amount of money that most would consider a hard-earned salary.
Much to my surprise, Hooper’s book was more about mindset than it was a practical how-to guide or step-by-step process to creating a six-figure income. However, it makes sense that one’s ability to earn six-figures, or any amount of money, really depends on and begins with the person who determines to create that type of income.
Musicians have to be careful in today’s world. Many of them are hoping for the ever elusive “big break”, waiting for the day they go quickly from zero to hero. Marketers know this.
For most musicians, there isn’t likely to be a quick-fix proposition that’s a winning one. Success takes work. It takes time. It takes effort. Six-Figure Musician does not tippy-toe around this issue.
I really liked this particular point from the book:
You don’t know how fast you can go unless you crash the car.
Success Mindset: Crash the Car
A lot of us tend to have self-imposed limits on what we’re willing to do to move our career forward. We tend to put the brakes on when we should be pushing forward. We start and stop, failing to create a consistent work ethic.
Why? Because we’re afraid.
I don’t know about you, but I know that I struggled with this in my music career. There were some rare occasions when I felt motivated to take on a lot of work all at once. Then, I would stop. I was never consistent.
Sure, you may have days when you are able to send 20 emails at once. You might have days where you can make 30 phone calls. However, unless you can sustain that on a daily basis, what’s to say you’ll continue to send emails or make calls every day?
In the long run, it’s much better to work towards your career goals on a daily basis. Two calls a day is manageable. It’s a very reachable goal. The idea of sending out three emails a day should not overwhelm you.
What if you have time left over after reaching your daily quotas? Do you take a break? Do you bask in the sense of accomplishment that you feel?
No, not if you want to crash the car.
If you want to crash the car, you’ll keep going when you have time left over.
“Wait, didn’t you just say that it’s better to be consistent than to binge?”
Yes, exactly. That consistency is necessary in creating enough momentum to be able to crash your career vehicle.
Consistency will help you to develop profitable habits. However, creating success will take everything you’ve got. Crashing the car is first about understanding your limits. You don’t know how fast you can go until you get going. Secondly, it’s about failing. Failure is the foundation of success, which means that you will need some failure in your life to develop a foundation for future achievement.
I wouldn’t advise failing for failure’s sake, but I would suggest going fast enough to crash the car; at least once. Failure always presents important opportunities to learn. If you learn from your mistakes, you will be better positioned to succeed next time.
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