Here’s a favorite tool from Phil Stutz and Barry Michels, the authors of Coming Alive and The Tools. Who knew that gratitude was a secret weapon for success? Here is Grateful Flow — the Music Success Tool.
Barry and Phil are LA-based therapists whose clients include A-list Hollywood writers, directors, actors. They champion a set of practical tools to help us get past obstacles so we can fulfill our creative potential.
Their “Grateful Flow” tool is terrific for changing your frame of mind and getting out of “the maze” of negative thinking.
Try Getting into the Grateful Flow
Take a moment and breathe. Then think about and say in your mind or out loud the small, everyday things you are actually grateful for. For me, at this moment, it’s the ginger tea I had this morning. It’s the fact that I have this time now to think and write about what matters. It’s the conversation I had yesterday with my friend Howard and the view I love out my dining room window.
As you make your own list, notice how your body feels. You may sense a softening in your chest — a feeling of opening up. If you lean into this feeling you may also have a sense of being connected to something much bigger than yourself. Call it wonder, the life force, a higher power, God, or whatever else works for you. It’s this connection to something beyond ourselves that can help fuel our work so we can live into our best selves.
When you start each day and each work session with gratitude you can operate from a baseline of openness and possibility.
Grateful Flow has an amazing effect but the results are short lived — so you need to make it a habit, a way to counteract the negative self-messaging. It’s a way to bring yourself back to being present in the moment. When you build this into a habit over time, it changes your self-talk and improves your quality of life. But it takes commitment.
On the surface, this may seem like a “counting your blessings” exercise. That it might help for a second or two, but then you’re back to the same old negative loop.
Why Gratitude?
But here’s the deal: by making this quick exercise a part of your daily routine, it helps re-set how you habitually see the world and your circumstances. This can change how you interact with others, and how they respond to you. This tool may just be the real ground zero of making positive change in our lives and in our careers. It’s a great foundation.
If this seems too “woo-woo” for you (it did to me at first!), you don’t need to buy into anything. Try if for a week and see what happens. I’m interested to hear!
The thing I find so helpful with the Tools is that they focus on sensing with your body. It’s not simply about thoughts or abstract concepts. These are practical, in the moment interventions that cause a real shift.
As I write this I’m struck that the tool is named Grateful flow. The “flow state,” of course, is one of peak creativity—the ideal state of mind for performers and composers to operate at their best. Whoever thought that gratitude could help us get there!
Now, to take things further, let’s unpack where you are now. Answer these two questions . . .
#1 What has hindered your creative projects?
(By ‘projects’ I mean both artistic and ‘career’ projects: composing a new work, launching an ensemble or concert series, recording an album, booking a tour, etc.)
Procrastination
Negative self-talk
Fear
Lack of time: too many commitments
Missing: an organized approach or system
Lack of accountability
Needing support (emotional and otherwise)
Other?
Think how gratitude might factor in this. How having a positive, forward-leaning attitude and energy could shift your focus. Consider how Grateful Flow might help become your go-to music success tool.
#2 What has helped you overcome these obstacles? (Be specific about music success tools)
Scheduling system (what has worked for you?)
Accountability partner
Specific time management software / book / videos / other resources (please detail)
Support group
Re-evaluating and clarifying your priorities
Changing how you respond to fear and negative self-talk
Other?
Reflect on your answers. What has helped before that you can use now? What new tools are you ready to try now?
Think how your mindset, your basic starting point can make all the difference. Think how Grateful Flow and a feeling of being centered might help you move forward.
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Looking forward to hearing from you,
Dream Big, Plan Smart, Live Well!
