Make Those New Year’s Resolutions Stick!

They’ve almost become a rite of passage from one year to the next. Each New Year’s Eve we make resolutions (this year I’ll lose weight, get a better job, get out of debt, find a way to do music full time, make more money, move to a better place, find a great new man/woman…..on and on.

Now answer me honestly, how many of those resolutions have you actually made a reality? To those of you who answer “all of them” I say congratulations and very well done! To the other 99% of the world’s population…….Ok, I think we’re all on the same page here.

The reality is, most of the time, New Year’s resolutions are this nice idea that never really materialize. Why is it that we can’t seem to follow through with them? Obviously they must be important to us or we wouldn’t have made them in the first place. Is it fear of failure, fear of success, just plain laziness? WHAT?

The truth is, the reason most resolutions fall by the wayside is actually quite simple. Failure to plan.

Action requires a plan! Would you attempt to build a house without a plan? Climb Mount Everest without a plan (I should hope not my frozen friend!). You probably wouldn’t even try to drive someplace new without a plan. So why set out to change the course of your life without a plan? That’s why resolutions don’t work, no plan.

A good plan should consist of a series of doable steps, which, when done in sequence allow you to arrive at your goal. If a step seems too difficult, or you can’t figure out how to accomplish it, it means that there are other, simpler steps that should be done first.

• Make a list of 5 venues I’d like to perform at
• Google each venue and get booking contact info
• Call each booking contact and find out his/her submission procedure
• Submit your CD per their procedure (if you don’t yet have a CD, you would need to create a sub-list for accomplishing this.

The idea here is the simpler the step, the better. Don’t worry if the steps seem insignificant (i.e. pick up the phone and call so and so) Each step, as insignificant as it may seem on it’s on gets you one step closer toward your goal. Most importantly, by keeping the steps simple you are much more likely to actually do them!

In some cases, you may find that your goal is in an area that is completely foreign to you and that you have no idea where to even begin.  For example, let’s say you’ve been a professional musician for the last 20 years and now you’ve decided that you want to publish a cookbook of your grandmother’s favorite recipes.  In this case, the very first step of your plan might be to find someone who is knowledgeable about publishing cookbooks. Maybe your aunt’s, former boss’s, cousin’s best friend once worked in publishing. Call her up! Offer to take her to lunch and pick her brain. Even offer to pay her for her time. You’ll find that most people are more than happy to share their experiences and that it will be well worth the investment of time and money. You will also find that many industries have networking groups, on-line discussion groups, etc. where you can ask questions and gain valuable information. In other words, as a very smart friend once told me, “don’t let the fact that you don’t know how to do it yet stop you!”

Jennifer Truesdale is the Director of Jeannie Deva Voice Studios in Boston. She is a professional vocal coach, certified in the Deva Method, and a professional music career coach. An 18-year veteran of the music industry, she has performed internationally and has worked with hundreds of singers, helping each to achieve their own personal goals. Jennifer is a published songwriter who has written, produced and performed on recordings for major network television shows including: All My Children, Soul Food, Melrose Place, Sunset Beach, One Life to Live and The Young and the Restless. A former record label-marketing executive, Jennifer has earned Gold and Platinum Albums and uses her music business expertise to advance her own career as well as those of her clients. Jennifer graduated with honors from Berklee College of Music and currently serves on the Berklee Alumni Association. Jennifer is also Co-Director for Chick Singer Night Boston (www.chicksingernight.com) a nationally recognized performance series for women.

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