Olympics 2012: What London teaches musicians about success

The Olympics are here again! Watching the games is an exciting and enjoyable time, and it always seem to bring people and nations together.

But what does this mean for musicians? Here are five of the many lessons that pro and aspiring musicians shouldn't miss while watching the games.

1. Music matters. If you didn't watch the Opening Ceremonies, go find it. Not only was there a feature performance from Evelyn Glennie, but a Stomp-esque element was prevalent and central throughout. Not to mention the amazing performances by Paul McCartney and others, the theme song written by Muse, and the unique and moving music throughout. And it goes without saying, but the most emotional moment for most medal winners is when they stand on the podium and and are honored with the playing of their country's national anthem.

2. Focus, focus, focus. The attitude of the competitors is, "now or never." They all know that there's nothing else that matters right now. Not that other things (family, school, career) don't matter, but that there's a time and a place for everything, and right now it's all about one thing - competing at the Olympics. 110% effort, 110% of the time - at the exclusion of all else - for a defined period of time.

3. The difference between success and failure is sometimes a razor thin line. Some races are timed by the thousandth of a second, matches are often won by a single point, and scores can come down to a single factor. Winners and not-so-winners are performing at an exceedingly high level, and almost anything can be the difference maker.

4. "When opportunity knocks, it must find you working." This is one of my favorite cliches, and I believe that it's true. None of the athletes competing at the games were chosen due to their potential. They were chosen because they were ready. They were ready because they've been working, training and honing for years - some for their entire lives.

5. There's something bigger than the individual. Not only are there many team sports, but each individual athlete is part of a team representing their homeland, taking their place among the global community. Probably the best thing about the games is that it celebrates the best attributes of the human family, including dedication, sacrifice, humility, joy, honesty and love.

The Olympic games are a microcosm of life, and these are only a small handful of the lessons that can be learned and inspiration gained by watching and participating in the games.

Like it or not, you ARE a business

For the best financial advice on the planet, click here. And no, I'm not getting anything out of it. I legitimately feel that he speaks financial truth, and that it's valuable information for anyone who is breathing. 

Are you running a business?


The answer, no matter how you slice it, is yes. And if you're in denial, it doesn't mean you actually aren't in business, it just means that your business is being run poorly.

In an earlier post, I mentioned a masterclass I attended with Evelyn Glennie. At one point the discussion turned to the matter of running her tour schedule and finances. With her was an assistant who handled a large portion of those duties. Everyone thought she was joking when she finally said that if she had it to do all over again, she'd get a business degree and minor in music!

But she was very serious.

No, I'm not suggesting that you give up your aspirations of majoring in music (nor was she), but it's a lesson well taken that you need to be able to run your career and life in a profitable, organized manner in order to achieve meaningful success.

Courtesy of Dave Ramsey, here's the question: If you viewed your life like a business, and you hired you to manage things, would you fire yourself? What are your goals? Are you accomplishing them? Why or why not? How do you know?

If you haven't ever asked yourself these questions, take some time when you can think about it thoroughly, discuss it with a friend/parent/spouse/etc. and write down the answers. It may surprise you to find out that you aren't as focused or efficient as you think.

And before we talk specifically about money, I want to clarify my position. I believe, no - I know - that life is not about money. Life is about making a difference, being happy, having great relationships, caring about people, family, spirituality, and enjoying the precious time that you have here. Life is about making music, for crying out loud! 

But while money can't buy any of those things, and it certainly can't buy happiness, it can provide you with a certain amount of security and freedom of choice. For example, imagine that you get called for the gig of your life, but it requires a certain dress code, or drum finish, or whatever - and you're broke! If you can't come up with the money, you must turn down the gig. And that leads to making less money, and so on.

Having a little cash also means greater choice in how you live - what kind of house, car, clothes, food and DRUMS you can afford to use.

So, life's not about money, but you need some. Clear? Okay....

Allow me to offer a few simple (but not easy) suggestions that should make your music and drumming career pay off for both your soul and your pocketbook.

1. Give some of your money away. Many religions advocate giving a tithe, or tenth, of your income away. Pick your church or a worthy charity, and give them some of your hard-earned dough. Even if you're an atheist, trust me on this one. The universe will give you back more than you've given away.
2. After giving, pay yourself first. Some of your money should go in the bank - or even better, a retirement fund - and not come out until you're ready to retire. I know, I know - musicians don't retire. But at some point, you're going to want to have the choice whether to work or not, and you can only do that by having a decent sized nest egg stored away.
3. Let your music pay for your music. If I had a dollar for every time I've given this piece of advice, I'd have......probably about fifty bucks. (Hey, it'd be better than no bucks!) Take a percentage (I take about 15%) of the pay from every gig you play and every lesson you teach - anything music related that earns a little money - and save it for music related purchases. Want a new drum kit? Fine. Need cymbals, a snare drum, or even sticks or heads? New mics, cases or bags? Great! Pay for them by saving up money from gigs, lessons, lectures, clinics, etc. and pay in cash.

Sorry if this feels like a lecture, but I'm getting tired of seeing musicians who give their souls for the art and live in rags, ratholes and relative squalor. Even if you don't make a lot, you owe it to yourself to make your future as bright as it can be. 

Make a difference, make some money, and make it count!

Do you have commitment issues?

Several years ago I attended a masterclass with the legendary Evelyn Glennie. It concluded with the usual Q & A session, and that's where things got interesting. The questions that students asked ranged around the usual topics - her hearing (she's deaf), her history, favorite mallets/sticks/instruments, and the like.

Then one student asked this question, "I notice that you're still playing some of the pieces you learned in college. Don't you ever get tired of performing the same music over and over again?"

She gave the student one of those kindly, I-can't-believe-you-actually-asked-that-but-I'll-answer-it-anyway looks, and proceeded to give one of the finest discourses I've ever heard on music and commitment.

"Music is like a marriage," she began. Of course, I don't remember it word for word, but in essence she explained that good music is something worthy of your commitment. And if it was good music way back when, it should still be good music now.

She talked about how, with almost every piece she plays, she's still discovering new things about it or inventing new ways to play it and enhance her expressiveness. I'm paraphrasing, but she talked about how, while there's excitement in learning new music, there is a great pleasure and satisfaction in performing music that you are intimately familiar and comfortable with.

You can always take old music - if it's truly great music - to new places and experience it with new people.

It's an interesting take in a world where new and now are the only buzzwords you can hear.