Are You Willing To Do Whatever It Takes?

So… you’ve got a big goal, a lifelong dream. You've got a burning desire to achieve this goal. Nothing would give you greater joy than to make this dream a reality. It's your life's purpose.

But are you willing to do whatever it takes to make your dream come true, to achieve this goal?

If you have a huge, audacious dream like being a successful full-time musician, you have to be willing to do whatever it takes.

Most people aren't willing to do whatever it takes. I'm not advocating taking advantage of people or doing anything unethical or illegal. You don't need to.

How passionate are you about taking your music career to the next level?

How dedicated and committed are you to getting these results?

What are you willing to do to solve your challenges, to overcome your obstacles, to move forward?

Are you willing to get up an hour earlier every day to work on your music before you go to your day job?

Are you willing to make a financial investment in yourself, in your future, and put some skin in the game, to invest in an online course to learn the skills you need?

Are you willing to hire a coach to keep you accountable so that you're consistently doing the things that will move you towards your goal, so that your progress isn't constantly derailed by distractions and lack of discipline?

Are you willing to de-prioritise other less important things in your life to free up the time to work on your goal?

What are you willing to say “no” to in order to say “yes” to your dream?

Are you willing to say no to binge-watching Netflix every night?

Are you willing to say no to scrolling aimlessly through Facebook for 2 hours every day?

Are you willing to say no to playing video games every day?

Are you willing to say no to going out and drinking with your friends?

Are you willing to say no to wasting money on coffee, going out for dinner, alcohol, the latest phone, on gear that you don't need, so that you've got the money to make a financial investment in yourself and your music?

Are you willing to show up consistently and keep putting in the effort to get better?

Are you willing to block out the time in your schedule to work on your goal?

Are you willing to go beyond your comfort zone?

Are you willing to take risks?

Are you willing to risk embarrassment and looking foolish?

Are you willing to make mistakes?

Are you willing to let go of your perfectionism?

Are you willing to risk judgement and criticism by putting your music out there even if it isn't perfect?

Are you willing to be persistent even when you can't see any sign of progress yet?

Are you willing to spend less time with negative people in your life who don't support your dream and drain your energy, or to eliminate them from your life completely?

Are you willing to take an honest look at your beliefs, values, and mindsets and whether they're serving you or holding you back?

Are you willing to intentionally create beliefs, values, and mindsets every day that do serve you?

Are you willing to let go of lame, bullshit excuses like “I'm creative... I don't do structure/ routine/ marketing/ business.”?

Are you willing to eliminate bad habits and replace them with productive habits?

Are you willing to relinquish your scepticism about trying things that could help you make progress in your career like doing an online course or hiring a coach?

Are you willing to put some time and effort into learning some skills that aren't directly related creating music, but that will help you create a sustainable income from your music?

A lot of these things mean making some sacrifice. Sacrifice is uncomfortable. But discomfort is the price of admission to a meaningful life.

You'll have to deal with discomfort and sacrifice whichever way you go. You can have the discomfort and sacrifice of doing whatever it takes, of being disciplined, of putting in the work and persevering…

Or you can refuse to do whatever it takes and have the discomfort of regret and sacrifice your dreams of being a full-time musician.

Which discomfort and sacrifice would you rather deal with?

If you're not willing to go through some discomfort, if you're not willing to make some sacrifices, you're willing to put your dream on hold - maybe indefinitely. You're willing to tolerate mediocrity. You're willing to let your music die inside you. You're willing to risk a mundane life where you don't follow your passion, where you don't fulfil your purpose, where you don't touch, inspire and transform people through your art.

Jim Rohn said, “If you're unwilling to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.”

This is about priorities and it's about commitment and dedication. It's about aligning your daily decisions and actions with your highest priorities.

Check-in with yourself and affirm that you're willing to do whatever it takes to fulfil your dream. If you are willing, you can take your first step right now by making a public commitment. This can be really powerful. I want you to write in the comments: I'm willing to do whatever it takes.

If you're willing to do whatever it takes, you become relentless; you become indomitable. Nothing can stop you. That's when your success becomes inevitable. It's just a matter of time.