AC/DC - image credit: Imhavingfun42

It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock n roll. ~ AC/DC

You wanna argue with the likes of Angus Young? Forget the “overnight success” that happens to the other guy. It didn’t happen for Angus or the Beatles and it’s not likely to happen that quickly for you or me either. It takes time. A lot of time. In fact, Malcolm Gladwell tells us in his book Outliers that it takes about 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to reach mastery. That’s a lot of rehearsals, lonely road trips, and performances when no one notices. To push through those groupie-less hours when no one cares, you gotta have passion. And you’d better love what you’re doing because you’ll be doing it a lot. By the time the Beatles came to America at the start of the British Invasion, they had performed together live over 1,200 times. So yeah, they had patience. But what can we do when when we’re running low on that virture? One option is to pray, “Lord give me patience, and give it to me now.” The other obvious choice is to put in the time doing the gigs.

Of course I’m ambitious.  What’s wrong with that?  Otherwise you sleep all day.  ~ Ringo Starr

Goal setting means working hard to produce something. After all, “success”, as Brian Tracy puts it, “is goals. All else is commentary.” So if you’re not making music and entertaining then you’re NOT a rock star. But whatever your goal, due diligence is required. So set goals, take action, and deliver something amazing.

Own your own tone and you will become contagious. ~ Bono of U2

In response to a Rolling Stones review, Bono commended the willingness of U2 guitarist, “The Edge,” to follow the jazzmen’s maxim to “own your own tone and you will become contagious.”
Important advice when it comes to being authentic, following your gut, and setting goals centered around what motivates and matters most to you. You gotta really own your goals to make them come alive, but that requires a certain hard to define but easy to spot companion of success- that ingredient we call passion. Hey it’s only your destiny so you better deliver it with passion. Coverband enthusiasm just won’t cut it.

Neil Peart from Rush

Map out your future, but do it in pencil.  ~ Jon Bon Jovi

Let’s face it, things happen that cause us to occasionally miss a beat. There are going to be times when something else must trump an immediate goal. I think it was John Lennon who said, “life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” Regardless of expectations, goal setting and accomplishment are rarely linear paths. We usually zig-zag toward our dreams- failing some, succeeding some. If you’re keeping count, you’ll fail more than you’ll succeed and you’ll make more noise than platinum records. At least at first.

“You’ll go up and then come down a little. Two steps forward and one step back. There’s a good rhythm in that. It is like a dance. There’s no rhythm in a straight line upward. However, people get discouraged when they slide a step back after two steps forward. They think they are failing, and that they’ve lost it. But they have not. They’re simply in step with the natural rhythm of progress. Once you understand this rhythm, you can work with it instead of against it.” Steve Chandler ~ 100 Ways to Motivate Yourself

Grant yourself an extra dose of grace and flexibility with your goals. Handle it like a jam session. Although you need structure when starting, don’t get bent out of shape when a few rules are broken or the pace slows. The fluidity can be freeing. It’s where you’ll often find the magic of flow and reach new heights. So remain aware of the rhythm and embrace the learning, adjusting, and unlearning which is all part of the process. Most of all, have fun and embrace it. Noise and all. The music will happen.

Practical Rock n Roll Goal Setting Tips:

• Practice, Performance & Patience – Take action over and over. Make continual improvements. Give yourself plenty of time to grow.
• Put Your Heart Into It – There’s no substitute for passion so do it with gusto!
• Eliminate Distractions – Remove  the distractions and non-essentials.  Get alone in the studio sound-proof booth, focus and get to work.
• Focus – Focus on the immediate task. Be careful about trying to accomplish too much at once. Before you can produce a CD you have to write your 1st song.
• Develop a Discerning Ear - Learn to recognize when you’re “off-key” and need to adjust your plan. Take the emotion out of the evaluation.
• Listen to Other Artists - Find role models to learn from. Be inspired and moved by them. What essential lessons can be learned?
• Get the Right Gear - Gather a toolbox of resources to help you make it happen (books, videos, pen and paper, recorder).
• Jam – Embrace the rhythm and have fun with the process!
• Unplug – Sometimes the most inspirational thing you can do is take a nap, so pull the cord, turn off the amp and recharge your batteries.

READ
Goal Setting part 1: I Confess, My Goals Suck!
Goal Setting part 3: Got Tools For Your Goals?