You’re a SOMEBODY now!

This is a post where I rant about how up-and-comers like you and me are important NOW!

YOU ARE NOT A NOBODY!

Do you ever look at the superstars out there and ogle unceasingly at them? You probably have some role models or celebs that you keep up with. You read their Twitter Feed, RSS or track their websites. You watch them on YouTube, TV or catch their latest escapades on Entertainment Weekly. You see their movies, read their books & blogs and listen to their CD’s. And probably some part of you wishes that you were in their shoes and had accomplished what they have accomplished. I’m pretty sure we all do this. But how do these activities make you feel?

• If checking up on your favorite celeb makes you feel bad about your apparent lack of progress in your life goals then turn off the stream!
• Connect with people who are getting started or are at the same stage as you, so that you can share ideas and encourage one another.
• The Internet & Social Media can be a lonely place without meaningful connection. So build your communities wisely with a foundation of contribution.

WHO DEFINES YOU?

Do you define who you are based on the fact that you are not standing on a certain pedestal? You see, I think we make this mistake far too often! We fight these imaginary battles in our heads and we say to ourselves “I’m not (fill in the blank) _________ .” And because I’m not (so and so) ___________ then I am a nobody. Defining our work and who we are by the status or opinions of a finite being is a mistake! Here’s the reality check. The same people we admire and follow and wish to emulate got started by making a decision to put their art out into the world.

• Rockstars put their pants on one leg at a time. They eat, sleep, cry, love and bleed like all humans.
• Uber-Tweeters are just people who worked hard at building and refining their messages over time.
• Celeb Bloggers picked a niche, kept writing everyday and stuck to a posting schedule.
• Our role models were “some bodies” even when they were unknown to the public. And so are you!
• You are somebody special right now and you need to be making meaningful contributions to the world!
• DEFINE what you are actually trying to accomplish. If you define your goals you will more likely accomplish them and not feel lost in a vague pursuit.

A WORLD OF CHOICES!

Being successful then is due in large part to the choices we make. Because, truly, we can only manage the next action we take. So then most of our life (in both the physical and spiritual realm) is about managing our choices! The superstars we “look up to” made a conscious decision to consistently create art and share it with others. They started with a handful of loyal fans and worked to build community. They got over themselves and hit the PUBLISH button on their computer. They kept improving their craft and drilling down their voice to a core message.

• Make a choice to ask for help and collaborate with others to make progress towards your goals.
• Make a choice to do something daily that brings you closer to mission accomplishment.
• Make a choice to DO something, because NOT doing anything is the only way to fail.
• Make a choice to grow new relationships online by helping others.

YOU ARE SOMEBODY NOW!

Behind every computer screen is a real person. I’m real. You’re real. And that’s why we need to encourage each other in our endeavors. Ask yourself why you are doing what you do. Know that you are beautiful and loved and that you MATTER! Show someone from your growing community that you care about them and the work they are doing. Give before you take. Promote someone else before you self-promote.

• You are somebody now–a person unique to the world with a perspective that no one else has.
• You are not your role models or heroes. You are something even better!
• You have a heart that was made to beat with colorful self-expression.
• The world needs to hear from you now–not in 20 years or on the 4th of Never!

Do one thing today to take a step forward toward your future! Life doesn’t often work according to the READY-AIM-FIRE model. None of us are ever completely READY. All of us can FIRE our art into the universe today! And we all can get our AIM perfected as we share our contributions with those around us! YOU ARE SOMEBODY NOW and the world needs SOMEBODY to step up! After YOU, friend!

Sincerely and Affectionately yours….drew

Erasing the “what if” factor in your life!

THIS IS A POST ABOUT ASKING THE QUESTION

“WHAT IF.”

It is my belief that all of us, at some time or another in our lives, get entangled by this question. Does this list of questions below sound familiar?

• What if I write this post or send this tweet and no one likes it?
• What if I tell people who I really am and they don’t like me?
• What if my new idea is a flop or isn’t original enough?
• What if that critic says that my song sucks?
• What if I become wildly successful (fear of success)?
• What if I fail to accomplish my goal?
• What if I keep asking myself “what if” until the clock runs out?

This is a shortlist of “what if’s” and you could probably build a more exhaustive list of “what if” questions that you routinely allow to cycle through your mind. All this is just a case in point that we all doubt ourselves much too much. But what good does asking “what if” do for us in helping us reach our life goals? I would venture to say it does no good at all. All too often our “what if” questions have nothing to do with us dreaming of success and everything to do with allowing someone else to define our failure.

This has got to stop! You and I were created and put on this planet to do things that are unique to who we are. I am not exactly like you and you are not exactly like me. We have some similarities but we also have a lot of differences. And being different from one another is a great thing! These differences are often what make the world and humanity such an interesting adventure to be a part of!

So, here’s what I propose. Let’s replace this nagging “what if” question with some statements of belief! Wouldn’t it be better for us to make this choice rather than choosing to halt our progress with a myriad of “what if’s”? Here are a few statements that I’ve thought of.

• When I achieve my goal of building a blog or web site or Biz page or Facebook community that has _______ (500, 1K, 10K) followers I will have accomplished my goal. Or when I achieve my goal of publishing this many e-books or albums I will have reached my goal. Advice: Try using a “when” statement instead of a “what if”.

• I am working towards becoming a writer (musician, business owner, speaker, artist etc.) and exploring my voice through blogging, v-logging, singing and making things. I believe that I have something important to say & do and I’m committed to putting my work out there and gradually growing a following for myself. I know my message won’t resonate with everyone, but I will find the right people who’ve been waiting to hear what I have to say.  It’s a big world and I know that there are many folks out there who want & need to hear from me.

• I am building a tribe of online friends by publishing 2-3 times a week on my blog and posting to Twitter and Facebook _______ times a day (hypothetical–you fill in your numbers). I define this as success and believe it will help me accomplish my goal.

• I am aware that success doesn’t happen over night and that it will take time to refine & define my craft. I know that the more I publish and create my work the better I will become as an artist. I don’t expect everything I produce to be world-changing, but I know that my collective work is needed to send my message to the world.

Let’s help each other stop the incessant “what if’s” and start a steady stream of “when” statements! It’s about time, because time is indeed ticking away for each of us. One goal I’ve set for myself is to post my goals as a tab on this blog. That way you can support, encourage and challenge me towards becoming & doing & believing and making. I need your help to succeed. How can I help you? Thanks for taking time to read this.

Affectionately and sincerely yours….drew

Falling Forward-10 Things you can do to get STARTED!

Often the toughest part of life’s journey is the act of getting started.

As I mentioned in my last post, it’s important to “quit” doing those things which are not helpful towards progress! And, of course, we’ve all heard the saying that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with one footstep.” Well that’s nice to hear but these words may not be the inspiration you need to get moving toward your goals and dreams.

So, here’s my advice for you. Fall Forward! You might think to yourself “why would I want to do that.” Here’s my answer. If you fall forward you will at least be on your way to making some progress. Forward is not backwards. Forward is the right direction for the things you want. If you fall forward you are actually doing something. If you fall forward I’m quite certain your mind will very quickly engage your body and tell you that you need to throw a leg out there to catch your self so as not to actually do a face plant. Before you know it you are doing this coordinated, human activity called “walking.” After all, falling forward is really just walking.

Now this advice isn’t scratch proof or bruise proof or fool-proof, but it’s simple and it helps you break through the freeze of inactivity! I’ve fallen forward on several different projects only to realize that they were not the right things (eg. I’ve started two other blogs–Drewmanity and Share Great Ideas–and now we’re here). I fell forward into blogging and my first music recording project (more on that later). I did some things that I’d most definitely do differently now. I don’t call those mistakes or failures. I call them lessons. Humans learn best by doing. And what I came to realize (duh) is that I just needed to be myself! Why? Because being yourself is the easiest person to be.

So, BE YOURSELF and FALL FORWARD! You’ll be glad you did. Here’s a quick list of ten things you can do to GET STARTED falling forward towards your goals and dreams!

1. Fall Forward by opening up a notebook or a new MS Word Document, Googledoc or spreadsheet on your computer.
2. Make a quick list of everything–I mean everything–you are currently doing (good, bad or otherwise). TV, Work, coaching soccer, church, working out, going to class, leadership boards, civic commitments and family stuff etc.
3. Determine what activities you are able to cut back on or remove from your schedule in order to make room for what you really want to do.
4. Next to all the activities you want to stop or decrease write or type some quick notes about how to do this or what your goals are (ie. call so and so, one hour of TV a night, step down from this board or committee etc.)
5. Now, after you’ve made some room in your life then make a second list of all the goals & dreams you would truly like to do or accomplish in your lifetime. You can flip-flop your list if you’d like to do your dreaming first.
6. Once the list is done then pick one thing from your list. Don’t get overwhelmed now. Remember, we’re falling forward. Just pick one thing that you would like to start doing or becoming.
7. Okay, have you picked your one goal? Now, do a brain dump of all the ACTIONS you need to do in order to accomplish this first thing (A-Z). This doesn’t need to be an exhaustive list as you can fill in the blanks along the way. The important thing is to start.
8. Choose one action that you can do today or right now. Don’t get caught up in having it be perfect nor worry about whether you did it in the right sequence. Those thoughts are just excuses which you need to “quit” using.
9. Okay, Nike, go and just do it! It will feel great to start doing what your heart really wants to do. If you can take one step you can take another.
10. Congratulate yourself on falling forward and before you know it you’ll find yourself walking at a steady clip and changing the world around you.

This is not rocket science, of course, but all of it takes a choice (your choice) to fall forward. You can do it. I have faith in you. I fell forward and I’m still falling (maybe starting to walk a bit, too). And it feels really good. Staying where you’re at is not an option now. The world needs you! And tomorrow might be too late. At this very moment you are thinking of one thing you can do to get started. So, go and do it! And let me know how it goes.I wish you well and I’ll send you my thoughts again soon.

Affectionately & Sincerely yours….drew

“I Quit”–an inspirational post by Drew Rieder

Well, I just wanted to let everyone know who’s following me on the Twittersphere and elsewhere that I’m quitting. I’ve had enough of my old life and my old habits and my old excuses. And I bid it all farewell right now.

• I quit listening to the stupid voices of doubt in my head that keep telling me I can’t.
• I quit talking about fruitless topics like peoples’ faults, how the world is set against me and how things would be different “if only.”
• I quit trying to get organized enough to really start producing my life’s work.
• I quit thinking in a limited way about all the possibilities for the future.
• I quit drinking carbonated beverages and eating candy which were taking minutes, hours, days, months and years away from my life with each bite.
• I quit believing that I was meant for a meager purpose and that success is only for the people I see on stage or on the TV.
• I quit settling for “almost” or “second best” when I know in my heart I can do much more.
• I quit finding ways to waste time knowing that my time is the most precious gift I possess.
• I quit hearing the naysayers in my midst who tell me to take the safe road and lay up in the fairway.
• I quit grasping for the approval of the people around me who’ve made me feel that they have it right and that I’m less than they are.
• I quit hoping that if I sit here long enough miraculously some big shot in some office somewhere in Nashville will give a rip about what I do or say.
• I quit being silent because God has given me a voice to speak and sing with and I owe it to the world to use it.
• I quit dragging around the old me that made a regular habit of smothering the  potential inside of me and I feel much lighter now.
• I quit asking for permission to embark on doing things I’m passionate about.
• I’ve begun a new journey in becoming who I was made to be (no permission necessary for this pursuit).

I quit and I think you should too. Consider this a  mini-manifesto (since those seem to be so popular these days) from Drew. Here’s your manifesto. QUIT hiding behind your excuses and get on with the business of LIVING!!!

Looking forward to meeting you and hearing your thoughts along the way. I’ll be back with you soon…drew