What do golf swings and music careers have in common? Let me tell you . . .
This week I’m in Coronado and my morning walk along the Bay takes me on a path that borders a golf course.
The other morning, in between marveling at the play of light on the water, and witnessing a great blue heron finding its breakfast, I also got to see one beautiful golf swing.
Full disclosure:—
I’m not a fan of the sport. I know diddly about golf.
But I’ve walked this route many times and I’ve seen a fair number of people’s golf swings. You get used to seeing the preparation: the elaborate positioning. There’s the eyeing the ball, the moment of focused concentration, and that waggle of hind quarters to balance and limber up the hips.
Then there’s the backswing and the brief pause before the decisive action. The swift downswing, the thwack of the club on the ball—and then the follow-through. What happens in the hips, torso, shoulders, arms, and club.
I don’t watch the ball. I watch the follow-through.
It turns out you can tell everything about the shot from the follow-through.
And this morning I saw something special:
One. Beautiful. Swing.
It stood out because you could tell it was just right from the follow-through. I can almost play it in slow-mo in my mind’s eye now.
The downswing leading to the twisting in the torso, with the shoulders and the arms completing the motion all the way through to the angle of the club at the finish—everything was in sync.
From where I was I couldn’t see the distance the ball traveled or where it landed. I didn’t have to.
The swing was whole. The set-up and focus matched the intention and energy—as did the action and follow-through. It was complete.
We don’t encounter truly excellent work all that often. So when we do it stands out.
And that’s when it clicked: the connection between golf swings and music careers.
As musicians, we spend most of our time and focus on preparation and set-up. On training, practice, and rehearsals. That’s the equivalent of eyeing the ball, the hip-waggle, and the backswing.
But our careers are all about putting the preparation to work—getting out there and creating opportunities. It comes down to taking beautiful swings—taking actions that are aligned with your goals.
All the preparation you’ve done comes to nothing if you can’t follow-through with consistent actions to move your career forward. It’s sending out pitches and proposals, launching initiatives, taking risks, and putting yourself out there.
Not just doing it when you’re in the mood and motivated, but daily. That’s what being a pro means.
Simple. But not easy. Especially if you’re on your own.
Advancing your career can be a lonely slog. But it doesn’t have to be.
Every one of us has one or more “problem” area in our career.
Some of us have trouble staying focused on what needs to be tackled next. We’re distracted by the next shiny object, or by our own negative self-talk.
Others have trouble staying motivated to do the work outside our comfort zones. Whether it’s networking, email pitches, fundraising, or anything else.
And still others are challenged by the need to make and keep a commitment to do the work consistently, day in and day out.
In the golf swing of your career, wherever you’re most challenged, I invite you to consider how getting expert coaching might help you get and stay on track.
Your Invitation
Would you like a personalized roadmap and a support structure to help you make real traction your career—to finally become the artist you are meant to be?
If so, check out my signature small group coaching program Musicians On Track. In it, members get . . .
- Expert music career coaching calls twice each month for a personalized roadmap with clear action steps.
- An intimate, supportive community of like-minded musicians so you’ll have the extra accountability needed to stay on track.
- Custom-built in-depth video courses with step-by-step instructions to level up your materials without the overwhelm.
Check it out Here.
Let’s get your better future going now,
Dream Big, Plan Smart, Live Well
