Journeys always start with heroes feeling stuck in their everyday lives—feeling limited. There’s often confusion and indecision at this stage, about how best to move forward. We long for a different version of our career but don’t see how we can get there. We may have considered a number of projects but we’re stuck in our own procrastination, self-doubt, and fear.

We know we need to make a change but we’re not sure what that change needs to be. And when we do see a possible path forward, we fear taking it because it’s way outside our comfort zone.

Recommendations:

Too often our goals are vague: we wish to be ‘successful.’ This is often about external validation, status, an idealized lifestyle. In other words, we have a fantasy instead of a concrete goal.

So try this: make a date with yourself. Get unplugged and distraction free. With pen and paper, complete the following prompts:

1. Consider what’s going well now in your life and career. Write that down.
2. Next, consider what’s not going so well that you’d like to eliminate or minimize. Write that down, too.
3. Now, imagine it’s one year from today. You’re celebrating all of the progress you’ve made in your career over the past year.

What would you have to have accomplished to feel like you could really celebrate?

Maybe in one year you will have released a new album, performed 2 new solo programs, or have added 10 students to your teaching studio. Whatever it is, write it down.

Of course, there are many projects you might take on, but with only 24 hours in a day, you need to choose one priority project. Real change comes when we make a commitment and follow through consistently.

Journaling will help you clarify. And talking with colleagues and trusted friends can help you think through what your project will involve.

To explore your possible next project write down 3 positive actions you could take this week to move forward.

Every musician I’ve ever met has had, in the back of her or his mind, a “secret” project idea. Something they’ve always wanted to do, create, or help make happen.

This might be releasing an album, booking a tour, writing a book, launching a concert series, or creating your own music school. It’s something you initiate, instead of waiting to be chosen or picked by others.

If you struggle to focus on just one project, pay attention to which project energizes you your the most. What are you especially curious about, and inspired by?

Pay attention to which project you’re most afraid to tackle. Steven Pressfield in The War of Art, writes,“Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do. The more scared we are . . . the more certain we can be that that enterprise is important to us and to the growth of our soul.”

The difference between musicians who feel fulfilled creatively and those who feel stuck is this:

The ones who are fulfilled are the ones who’ve done more than simply dream about their projects. They’re the ones who’ve taken action and brought their projects to life.

Recommendations for this stage:

Think what you might accomplish if you directed consistent time and focused energy to your priority project. Imagine the difference this will bring to your artistry, your confidence, your outlook—and your career.

The challenge here lies in making a real commitment to the project even though you can’t foresee what you’ll experience. It’s a  risk. You may feel both excited and anxious, and wonder if you have what it takes.

I won’t lie to you: any ambitious project is going to bring up fear and self-doubt.

Yet, too many of us have projects that we tell ourselves we’ll get to “someday.” We tell ourselves we’ll do it when we have the time, the money, or when we feel more ready, more confident.

But the truth is for most people, that “someday” never comes. We’re simply fooling ourselves that there will be a better time to do our most important work.

Life goes by way faster than we realize.

And at the end of life, what people regret is not usually what they did. It’s what the DIDN’T do.

So let’s get real here: it’s up to you.

No one can make the commitment for you.

No one but you can follow through and do the work that’s needed day after day, week after week, month after month, to complete each step of your project.

No one can make your project happen except you.

It’s YOUR journey.

But you can get help along the way. If you think having an expert coach might help for the next stage of your journey, read on.

A key figure in the story of every hero’s journey (in literature, film, myths, and in life) is the mentor. Heroes need a guide and confidante for the tough journey they face.

We all need someone who has our back. In terms of your professional career you may need a range of kinds of support: and a coach or mentor specifically for your career project.

Recommendations for this stage:

Do you have a mentor?

To be clear, mentors are NOT good friends or partners who love you no matter what.

A mentor is someone who can give you objective feedback and expert advice to move you forward with your project.

Someone who can give you perspective and feedback based on years of experience in the field.

Someone who can provide accountability to help keep you motivated and on track over the course of your project.

If you don’t have that kind of support, you may want to consider investing in coaching.

I teach professional musicians how to bring their projects to life so they can get more of their best work out into the world. If you’re ready to take charge of your future, I can help you construct a project plan along with a set of new work habits to help you gain the traction needed to accomplish your goals, and finally become the artist you are meant to be.

I love giving complimentary coaching sessions to qualified applicants, musicians I know I can make the biggest difference for. So if you’re curious about coaching, and want to find out if you qualify for a free session, click here to apply.

In stories, this is where the hero leaves her ordinary world and enters into a new reality (think Dorothy in Oz).

Crossing the threshold involves stepping outside your comfort zone: leaving your familiar habits and routines behind to embark on the journey.

This is the scary place where your project, with all its challenge and promise, stretches out before you and you see just how daunting the work may be.

You’re not sure if you’re up to it, and maybe half-afraid that you won’t follow through, even though it’s what you’ve always wanted to do.

At this stage you may feel  tempted to bail on your project. It’s scary to make that full commitment and to tell others what you are setting out to do.

You may find yourself “creatively procrastinating” by frantically getting done everything else on your to do list except the crucial items needed to advance your project.

You may find yourself second-guessing every small decision so that your project stalls.

You may convince yourself that you’re not ready yet and that you have to complete another project before you can get to this one.

I’ve done all these things and more to avoid doing the project work that would actually help me grow the most as an artist and as a person.

All of these forms of avoidance and procrastination are versions of what Steven Pressfield calls Resistance, the universal force that works to prevent us from doing the courageous work we most need to do.

It’s the force that tells us “you can do that tomorrow” and “you’re not ready yet” and “you’ll never succeed so you might as well give up now.”

Whether it’s learning how to fundraise or self-promote, negotiating with new collaborators, or completely revising your promotional materials, this stage involves letting go of your “old” self and entering into the unknown.

This takes courage.

Bottom line: everything you want to achieve in life requires courage. Getting outside your comfort zone is simply the price of admission.

Recommendations for this stage:

If you’re avoiding crossing the threshold and actually diving into the unknown or scarier parts  of your project, try the steps below.

If you’re serious about completing your project . . .

A. Schedule your project work.

Make a commitment of scheduled time every day for your project work. Even if all you can afford is 45 minutes a day, make the commitment and actually schedule this time in you calendar. The idea is to make your project work a consistent habit. Something that you don’t have to choose or battle with yourself to do, but simply take care of because it’s your normal time to do it.

B. Keep your project work time distraction free.

To get real work done you need focused concentration. This means turning off your phone and all your devices and putting them away. Not on vibrate, not on your music stand or in a pocket or strapped to your wrist, but OFF and out of sight, preferably in another room. No messaging, texting, emailing, or extra-curricular surfing during a designated time block. If needed, disconnect your computer from the internet. Real work requires being unplugged.

C. Plan your work in advance.

In your calendar, designate specific time for specific actions. If it’s an essential email you’ve been avoiding, schedule a specific day and time to write the draft and send it to a colleague for feedback. Then schedule the “drop dead” deadline for actually sending it. Treat these scheduled events the way you would an appointment or work obligation. Your project, your future depends on it.

At this stage, having an accountability partner—a mentor or coach—can make all the difference. Someone you can check in with and who will not only cheer you on, but help you get back on the horse when you fall off. Because we all fall. What matters is that we get back up and continue the journey. That we face our fears and get the work done day after day.

This may sound easier than it is. So, if you want extra support and you’re ready, and want to find out if coaching with me is the right option for you: click here to apply.

Now that you’ve crossed the threshold and are immersed in your project and far outside your comfort zone, you will face a series of obstacles, challenges of increasing intensity.

These are your “dragons,” which must be overcome to fulfill your hero’s journey.

There are two types of dragons and they are almost always joined at the hip. They are external (logistical) and internal (psychological).

Logistical dragons typically are challenges involving time, money, space, or other people. Examples include an unexpected funding shortfall, a scheduling disaster or deadline you can’t meet, a collaborative partnership that’s gone sour, or a key venue now being unavailable.

Typically, external obstacles activate our internal dragons, compounding the stress of the logistical challenge with a range of emotions: from fear and frustration, to anger, confusion, and panic.

In this, the most challenging part of your journey, you’ll be sorely tempted to quit, or to back down from making your project everything it can be.

Your negative self-talk, procrastination, self-contempt, and self-sabotage will be at an all time high. The siren calls of our self-doubt will whisper or shout at us to give up and to retreat back to our familiar comfort zone and go back to living a smaller life.

Recommendations for this stage:

No matter how well you’ve planned your project journey, you’ll need to be flexible because careers (just like life) never go according to plan.

The dragons of challenges, disappointments, and setbacks are to be expected. Remember, it’s the doing battle with our dragons that in the end helps us become who we are .

When confronted with a seemingly dire issue, it’s easy to slide into “panic mode” and to catastrophize the situation, imagining that all is lost.

When that happens we can become blind to our options.

It’s hard to see the logistical problem clearly when it’s compounded by an additional crisis of self-esteem, self-sabotage, and self-doubt. We become convinced we can’t pull the project off, our imposter syndrome kicks in. and we’re operating out of fear and paranoia.

What to do?

Step back from the fray and take stock of the situation with as objectively as possible. Separate the logistical dragons from the emotional ones.

You’ll need to bring your most clear and creative thinking to your problem solving process. You may need to devise a series of work-arounds, or rescale your project.

Keep your project’s larger mission and goal—the destination—in view, but be willing to discover new paths to get there.

Here’s where having the right mentor or coach may be most crucial.

Someone who not only will help you separate the logistical from the emotional dragons, but who can brainstorm with you the best path forward to resolve the issues and manage through challenges.

Someone who can help you see the forest for the trees, so you can learn from your setbacks and grow as an artist and as a person.

To help deal with battling your dragons, find out if you qualify for either private or group coaching: click here to apply.