You read that right. It’s time to quit! It’s time to quit all of those bad habits holding you back from your songwriting goals. Usually quitting has a negative connotation. But in this case, the best thing you could do is quit! For songwriters like us, knowing when to quit, and what to quit can be just as important as understanding what to do, and what not to do. Ya ya ya… nobody likes a quitter. True. But we don’t want them to like you, we want them to LOVE you AND your music! Here are five self-destructive career killers, treacherous traps, and manifested mistakes that you need to quit ASAP!
By: Justin Gray Founder/Chairman MDIIO Quit procrastinating - Put down your phone, turn off Netflix, stop scrolling TikTok, Instagram, Facebook. Who even cares about Facebook anymore? I should’ve said Meta. Of course, it’s OK to take breaks, but take breaks at points once you have forced yourself to sit down and focus on what you need to be doing. Work for an hour, take a break for 10 minutes. Sometimes inspiration strikes in those moments when you’re least thinking about things. But procrastination is the enemy of progress. So quit procrastinating! Quit making excuses - it’s easy to make excuses. I’m not in the mood, inspiration isn’t coming to me, I’m not a great musician. There are a million convenient reasons that we can look inwardly to stop us from doing what it is that we need to do. Part of avoiding the personal pity party, is to be able to acknowledge and adapt. So let’s stop saying I don’t have the time, I don't have the money, or I’m tired, or maybe I’m just not good enough. Don’t let yourself off the hook. Be accountable to yourself, and don’t let yourself down. Quit wasting time - Maybe this is an extension of procrastination. We are not getting any younger. Father time is undefeated. Not trying to depress you, just trying to instill the impatience that sometimes you need to channel in order to make those dreams come true. So when you quit wasting time, you can be more focused and understand that because time is finite. Get to work now! So why are you still reading this? Quit comparing yourself to others - Being a songwriter is already one of the most self-hating things that you can do. You create art that you’re passionate about. You share it with the world only to receive negative feedback, or no feedback at all. What’s even worse is that when you look at friends or other people that you know, and you judge your experience or your progress against theirs. Everybody runs their own race. The only person that you should be judging yourself against is yourself! Where were you last year, where are you today, where will you be next year? Judging yourself against others is a guaranteed way to feel like crap. Quit complaining - No one likes a complainer. Especially the universe. When the universe hears you complaining, it’s helping you manifest the very things you are complaining about. Sounds like a strange concept, but really when you think about it it’s completely accurate. Instead of complaining about things, try embracing that which you lament, channel it, and use it as an opportunity to be more creative, discover more inspiration, and be more excited about what it is that you’re doing. So quit! Quit everything that you know that derails your train. Quit all of those bad habits that sink your boat, and ground your rocketship. Imagine watching your best friend quitting on their dreams and trying to talk them out of the biggest mistake they’re ever going to make in their life. Well, guess what? You are your own best friend. So open that notebook, tune-up that guitar, warm up those vocals and get to work! You know exactly what time it is. Time to quit! Coda: Quitting is hard. It’s a habit that we all have inside us. We don’t believe that we deserve that success or those accolades. That sort of thinking will undoubtedly guarantee failure. But when we quit the bad habits that undermine our creativity, we open ourselves up to a whole new level of self-appreciation. Once we appreciate our gift, we will do everything in our power to make sure that we will never again let it go to waste. See you next week. Until then, Keep writing those hits! Justin@mdiio.com