Author: Seth Werkheiser

Holy Heck!

Holy heck, you got this. Today, your next phone meeting, that next customer, you’re gonna fly!

I don’t know, I just need to stand in wonder, wide-eyed amazement of everything I’m gonna do each day. Every problem I’ll solve, every work load I’ll manage – whatever.

I don’t consider it naive, or cheesy. It’s work. It’s work, emotional labor, to think in a way of expecting positive outcomes. An always learning mindset. I’ve tripped up a few times in the past week (lost some money, etc.), but chose to accept it as lesson, and not let it weigh be down as failure.

Like, I could spend $250 on some online course for money stuff, right? Or, when I lose money in an online transaction (oh, eBay), I can LEARN from it. And those are usually the best lessons.

So, HECK YES! That shift in thinking is hard, it’s work, but it’s worth it.

BURST

I’ve been to a few mediocre burrito joints, where the rookie burrito makers misjudge the amounts of goodness they’re adding, and by the end they have difficulty closing up the tortilla. Sometimes you have to be that bright eyed, first-day-on-the-job burrito make and pour everything into your day and make it burst with awesome.

Shake It Up

Usually I work from home, being as I’m self employed and all. But today I have a 5 hour drive ahead of me, so I’ll be working on the road. I LIKE the comfort of my desk and chair and blender for smoothies, but today I gotta shake it up. Kick off April 1st with a karate chop!

Start a Band

Okay, maybe don’t start a band. But you should really start a band.

What I mean is this; in the early 90s, when I was in high school, I joined a band. Back up, in the mid 80s and beyond I loved hair metal. I bought Poison’s ‘Open Up and Say Ahhh’ at a drug store. On vinyl.

By the time I was in high school, I was a rocker. Or at least I wanted to be. I wore the shirts, had the mullet, I was a would be rocker. I signalled to other would be rockers that I, indeed, did wanted to rock.

So I got to join a band!

That was 27 years ago, and that course I set back then because I loved the ‘Paradise City’ video by Guns N’ Roses is why I do what I do today (helping busy music publicists).

So why should you start a band today? Well, you don’t need to really start a band, but you should start something.

See, back then we didn’t have the internet. To find other weirdos we had to rent fire-halls, or drive two hours away with printed out MapQuest directions to see a show that I’m not even sure how we knew about.

But these days, with the internet, with the super computer in our pockets, we can connect with all sorts of weirdos from all over the world. From there we can “form a band,” and do all sorts of fun stuff.

We can start websites, movements, services, gigs, and all sorts of things.

But we do that by finding our fellow weirdos through intentional actions. Just like I used to practice my bass everyday, you need to practice your craft everyday out in the open. Posting your progress, your finished products, your incomplete drafts, and some of your normal day to day drudgery.

Like I said, this is easy compared to driving into New Jersey on a Friday night in the rain without a smartphone.

So form your band, find your weirdos, and do great stuff.

Done

Not pretty, no flashy, but done. Finish the task, the run, the job, the day. Get to done, and keep it rolling.

Felt this when running some trails in Maryland. Breathing heavy, shoes wet from two creek crossings, legs caked with mud, barely managing a 13 minute mile pace – but it’s done.

When I was riding mountain bikes back in my high school days with friends, I loved hills, but all my pals would stop when they got to the top. I always kept it rolling, no matter how slow. Just keep moving forward, because the important work was… done.

And when it’s done, you get to keep going.

SLIDE

Slide through today like you’re wearing fuzzy socks on linoleum floors, and expect good things to happen around you!

Nothing makes me feel younger than sliding around the kitchen when making my morning coffee. Do the things that take you back to happy times, carefree times! It’s okay to revisit, and feel that spark of joy you used to carry with you.

Just Make Great Music Videos

Seldom does a band just randomly following me on Instagram or Twitter catch my attention, but this sure did.

“Rent a space, greenscreen it, use stock video” THEY SAID. “Build it all in my house by hand” CLYDE SAID. – Instagram

Go follow that Instagram link, seriously.

That’s what I love about the creative spirit. It makes no sense on paper to build a space ship, or a cubicle set, or a waiting room, in your HOUSE. But the creative energy takes hold and you make a video and it has 10,000 views in less than a month.

The band is Tides of Man, and they’re touring the US now. I wonder how many people discovered the band this same way, because of this music video?

Start Over

Don’t let a bad morning ruin your day – every hour is a chance to start over!

I slept bad the other night, and it could have set the tone for the entire day. Instead, I made sure to have a good breakfast, crank some good music, avoid negative news (which means ALL news pretty much), and just got to work.

Did the rest of the day go great? NOPE! But each set back was another opportunity to START OVER.