Many people still think that real talent shows, if you book great results in your field without putting any effort into it. And that if you are not really talented if you have to put much energy into it. Carol S. Dweck shows in her book “Mindset: the new psychology of success : how we can learn to fulfill our potential : parenting, business, school, relationships.” that this assumption is not only wrong, but also very counterproductive. She calls it […]
Yesterday I was getting tired on Trump getting the headlines again with one of his discriminating laws. Tired also of all the posts on my FB timeline from people sharing their outrage. You only reach like-minded people with it, so what’s the use of it? Actually, that’s exactly what all these laws are about. They want us to get tired of being outraged, they want us to get used to it! It’s time to wake up. Since January 20, Trump […]
Last month I did a ‘Career Clinic’ about passion and burnout for students of the pop department of Conservatory of Amsterdam, earlier this month I did a masterclass about this subject for students at the Herman Brood Academy in Utrecht. Passion gives you a positive vibe that can protect you against burnout. And the same passion can make you go too far, so you are more likely to burn out. In Amsterdam I talked to a small group of students. […]
If you want a life without stress, don’t become an artist, don’t become a musician! As a musician, you better know how to deal with stress! You need stress if you want to be a good musician. The most common form of stress is to live up to expectations – from others or from yourself. Don’t underestimate your own expectations. At all levels you meet expectations: how you want to sound, how you want to play your instrument, what kind […]
Doesn’t it feel great when you put your heart and soul into something, music for example, and you feel the enthusiasm? You’re in a flow, the world is at your feet. This is what you need to succeed. How can enthusiasm slow you down?? There are two different versions of enthusiasm. The first version is the enthusiasm that I describe above. It’s the enthusiasm you feel after you’ve accomplished something. The inner fire is burning, you feel happy. You feel […]
After some weeks of gray and rainy weather, the sun is back. I now know again why fall is my favorite season. The yellow-orange-brown leaves in the sunshine give everything a golden line. It’s really beautiful to see, the trees are shining like stars! The beauty outside comes with a melancholic touch. I know hat the golden beauty outside is only temporary. End of November you can count the last leaves on a tree on the fingers of one hand. […]
On September 15 I start with a new edition of the workshop “5 empowerment tools for musicians – online workshop to learn in 6 weeks how to move from despair to an upward spiral towards success”. I’m now halfway of the first edition. It’s great to see how the idea works in action. After only 6 weeks: – you will have the right network to support your musical career – you will know your purpose, the flame that keeps you […]
Energy is important for everything you do. When someone gets a burnout, we think that he/she spent too much energy. On the other hand, we all know people who seem to have endless energy without getting burned out. How do they manage? In the music business, everyone I know more personally who is working there for more than 10 years has had a burn-out. To start with, it’s important to know what activities give you energy and what activities take […]
Last night I went to the city theater to hear the Dutch comedian Daniel Arends talking about plan A and plan B. Plan A is who you are. You can grow in who you are, but you can’t really change it. Plan B is how you appear to others. You are authentic when you appear as who you are. Often we want to appear different than who we are. Many musicians are shy but want to appear spontaneous and confident. […]
Some weeks ago I heard a very interesting lecture by John Cleese. Most people know him from his period in Monty Python and the reunion of Monty Python last summer, or from the comedy Fawlty Towers. I still start laughing out loud when I think of the scenes at the Ministry of Silly Walks! Many people don’t know, that he’s given many lectures to business people. He’s earned a fortune with that, to give as alimentary to his divorced wives, […]
Have you ever had a mentor or a coach, asking you where you want to be in five or ten or twenty years? I had a coach shortly after I became partner in the company. She asked me that question, and I didn’t know. I do my work, I know what I like and what I’m doing it for, without having a goal or a picture of where I want to be in five years. I felt like I was […]
Many artists still believe that they can only be creative when suffering. Many years ago I saw a film that explored this very topic. The manager was doing his upper best to let the artist suffer. It started with getting him away from his parents at a very early age. The manager also made sure that the first girlfriend disappeared shortly after. The challenge was, that the artists wasn’t allowed to see that it’s the manager that made him suffer. […]