💡✍️ADN #103: How To MAKE Progress

Progress is an action.

It is something we make.

The more we make it, the further we get.

Progress is more than a shiny outcome.

Sure, #1 singles, sold-out shows, and big paychecks are examples of progress when you’ve never achieved them.

And those outcomes are the result of significant progress.

But, the kind of progress we can make today is more incremental.

Hidden in the small progress we can make today are the big differences between our success today and in the future.

To make progress, we have to progress.

Making progress can look a lot of different ways.

Progress is made in the small, repeated choices we make consistently over time.

Depending on the goal, these choices can involve doing something or not doing something.

An example:

• If you aim to lose 10 pounds before an upcoming tour, you could make progress by going to the gym daily for a month.
• If you aim to lose 10 pounds before an upcoming tour, you could make progress by skipping dessert daily for a month.

Of course, you could do both simultaneously and eat a healthier, low-calorie diet to make progress faster.

Another example:

• If you aim to write an album by next summer, you could make progress by writing a song every morning for a month.
• If you aim to write an album by next summer, you could make progress by recording a demo of each song you write every evening for a month.

These are simple examples of how to make progress.

The thing about progress is it doesn’t make itself.

It’s easy to sit around and think about losing 10 pounds or writing an album.

The truth is, there are two paths we can go down each day.

We can make excuses, or we can make progress.

When we choose a path of progress daily, we find our way to our desired outcomes.

Action Item:

Whatever your goal is for the rest of 2024, set aside enough time daily to make progress.

Remember that progress is an action that needs you to show up, and the more often you do, the faster you’ll find yourself where you want to be.

This is artist development in motion.

Make progress one rep at a time, and you’ll turn your ideas into outcomes.

See you next Sunday -

Neil