See It

(This is a post dealing with skill development, whether you are a musician, sports participant, business owner or budding artist.  The logo implies music, yet these ideas are transferable to all endeavors.  Thanks for reading.)

I have a quote on my office wall and here it is.

As a musician, can you see yourself successfully performing that difficult piece of music?  Do you practice within your mind just as you practice with your instrument or voice?

As a sports participant, do you visualize yourself competing successfully?  Do you kick, run, bat, swing, punt, and throw with perfection in your mind’s eye first?

This is a critical skill.  Some call it the ‘practice within when you are without’ technique.

In all of your pursuits, practice in your mind’s eye as much as you practice with the physical context of your desire.

Just a thought as you continue developing whatever it is you are developing.

Michael Biggs

Steps and Skips

Tips for the Developing Soul

A Fresh Word on Courage

(This is a post dealing with skill development, whether you are a musician, sports participant, business owner or budding artist.  The logo implies music, yet these ideas are transferable to all endeavors.  Thanks for reading.)

Courage has been described as many things, and they all have a ring of truth in them.  Let’s consider one more version of courage.

 It takes courage just to show up and be seen.  A thousand thoughts enter my mind in situations like this, and perhaps you recognize some of these.

Will they like me?

 Will I embarrass myself?

  Will they laugh at me?

   Will they talk about me behind my back?

    Will they accept me?

     Will I say something stupid?

You see, we show great courage when we just show up.  We stick our collective necks out; we dare to show that we have enough bravery, enough courage to at least try.  And in the trying, who knows what will happen?  

Sometimes we win. 

The huge thing is this – we prove to ourselves that we can survive the experience.  We aim for a goal and we show up and take a whack at it.

I faced such a dilemma at work this week.  A customer called and wanted to talk about a product with which I had little experience.  I talked the situation over with my partner, and with his coaching we came up with a remarkable plan and my customer is interested.  I had to confront my lack of knowledge.  I had to jump into the pool of learning and become teachable, and I’m still alive.  I even have a chance of landing this client.  It took courage and I faced it. 

Imagine the boost this experience has been to my sense of facing a fear and coming out on the other side of courage as a winner. 

For what do you need to show up? 

As the song goes in Beauty and the Beast –

“Screw your courage to the sticking place.”

Show up.

Have courage!

Michael Biggs

Steps and Skips

Tips for the Developing Student

And If Things Go Wrong

(This is a post dealing with skill development, whether you are a musician, sports participant, business owner or budding artist.  The logo implies music, yet these ideas are transferable to all endeavors.  Thanks for reading.)

In the beginning, things have a tendency to go wrong in every endeavor.  We order too much, we build larger than needed, or smaller that we should, we try to impress others and go too fast, too high, too bold, we try to imitate our hero and forget to make it our own along the way – and on and on.

In other words – sometimes things go wrong.  They just fall apart.  Sometimes we crash and burn. 

Now keep in mind I’m talking to all of us:

Business owner

 Musician

  Sports participant

   Banker

    Housewife

     Minister

      Singer

       Plumber

        Carpenter

And everybody else in every other profession we could name.

Things sometimes go wrong.

And when they do, remember this...

That’s what successful people do.  They rise from the ashes of adversity and try once again.

Go and do likewise, after you watch this video.

Diana Krall – 

Pick Yourself Up

Michael Biggs

Steps and Skips

Tips for the Developing Student

Decide

(This is a post dealing with skill development, whether you are a musician, sports participant, business owner or budding artist.  The logo implies music, yet these ideas are transferable to all endeavors.  Thanks for reading.)

There are seven words toward self-development with which we need to make peace.  Here they are:

A writer becomes a writer when he/she decides that is the course they wish to pursue.  

A personal story:  I talked about being a writer for thirty years before I actually became a writer.  One fine day in 2009 I decided that it was time for me to finally and forever decide that I was going to become a writer. 

I decided!  Instantly I moved from a wanna-be to an active writer.  Today I write six blogs per week and have four books published and have readers in 120 countries.  That is not a brag point.  That is evidence of a decision I made and now I reap the results of that decision.

This ‘decision’ thing plays itself out in all of life, doesn’t it?  Musicians decide to pursue a career in music and they then commit themselves to that road.

The same is true with golfers, construction company owners, speakers and political candidates.

What are you deciding to do? 

It takes planning, dedication, and commitment to move yourself along your path of pursuit.

Go and do likewise.

Michael Biggs

Steps and Skips

Tips for the Developing Student