DO YOURSELF A FAVOR

At some point in their career, every vocalist has to deal with the feelings of rejection and the need to be accepted. Haunted by the words of their critics and nay sayers, they rehearse the opinions of others until they’re changed by them. What was once a passion becomes a life-long pursuit of changing the opinions of others through their perfected performances. Okay, that may be a bit dramatic, but the truth is not everyone will like you, you’re not doing this for them anyway, and insecurity is an unhealthy motivator for greatness. As vocalists, we have to learn to have a healthy opinion of ourselves, and a healthy relationship to opinions of others.

““Insecurity is an unhealthy motivator for greatness.””

In a competitive market like singing, it’s easy to begin comparing ourselves to our peers. The poison of comparison can only lead to one of two thoughts, we either think too lowly of ourselves and our abilities, or we think too highly of them. When we look down on ourselves, our thoughts say “I’m not as good as that person,” or “I’ll never be able to achieve my goals.” This kind of negative thinking limits our potential and keeps us from pursuing our dreams. When we think too highly of ourselves, we believe ourselves to be better than others. This type of arrogant thinking is also limiting because it leads us to disregard what’s important and make decisions that are harmful to ourselves and others. We have to be aware of when our thoughts go to one of these places, and replace them with healthy, goal oriented thoughts. Successful vocalists are more concerned with running their own race than watching someone else run theirs.

Most running coaches will tell their runners to avoid looking straight ahead or to the side while running. Staring too far ahead can slow your pace strategy, and looking to the side can cause you to drift into someone else’s lane unintentionally. Instead, they encourage them to look only four to five steps ahead and visualize where their feet will land. In that same way, when we as vocalists start to compare ourselves to others, how they performed and how far along they are, we drift out of our lane and forfeit our own potential. Set vision for where your feet will land and what you want to see come of the hard work you put into your craft.

““Set vision for where your feet will land…””

So, how do you avoid comparison? One way to avoid getting caught up in this trap is to find your “why”. Most people know what they want to do, and how they want to do it, but they don’t know why they want to do it. Your why informs your values, vision, and decision making. Once you discover your why, you begin to set vision and goals that are unique to you and not a copy of someone else’s journey. Setting your why ensures your hard work and growth is for you alone, not to prove yourself to someone else. Remember, your journey is with people, not for people.

““Your why informs your values, vision, and decision making.””

Do yourself a favor and go through the journey of discovering why you want to be a better vocalist. Your discovery may lead to kicking those thoughts of inadequacy and insecurity, riding yourself the comparison trap, and setting clear vision for where you want your future feet to land.