In this article, we are going to discuss words that ruin a music career and the power of words and word choice – not in songwriting, but in your day-to-day lives. I want you to eliminate vocabulary that warrants self-doubt, potential failure, self-deprecation, minimal effort, and hopelessness.
Stop developing habits that hinder your growth as a musician. You cannot afford to put yourself down and diminish your full potential. When you set goals, have it in your mind that you WILL achieve them. You already have enough challenges to overcome without you standing in your own way.
From this day forward, you no longer possess these words in your vocabulary, nor do you possess the negative mindsets that come with them.
The first word that I want to strip from your vocabulary is…
Words That Ruin A Music Career: HOPE
I know you’re thinking, “But hope is good.”
Wrong.
Tell me what’s wrong with these sentences:
“Yeah I HOPE I blow up one day.”
“I HOPE someone discovers me.”
“I HOPE I become rich and successful one day.”
Hope is not a strategy. Hope is not a means to obtain something. When you use the word hope, you’re telling yourself that the outcome is out of your control.
The more you surrender responsibility and power in your life and your fate, the less motivation you give yourself to take action and make things happen. You are inviting the possibility of failure, which is detrimental to your progress.
Let’s fix those sentences we discussed before:
“Yeah I HOPE I blow up one day.”
“I’m going to grind harder than any of my competition and evolve tremendously as an artist to guarantee I’m going to blow up within the next few years.”
“I HOPE someone discovers me.”
“My talent and success is going to be so ubiquitous, it’ll be impossible for people to ignore.”
“I HOPE I become rich and successful one day.”
“I am going to be one of the most successful, if not THE most successful person to ever do this with the plan I have in motion.”
No more hoping things happen. “Wish” is the cousin of hope, so you can eliminate that one too. We are not just sitting around hoping and wishing for things to turn out well. We’re smarter than that.
This next word, you already KNOW not to be using, and that is…
Words That Ruin A Music Career: CAN’T
This word is poisonous to the development of a music artist, or anyone in any industry. It is the poison that kills so many great entrepreneurs.
You CAN. You have the potential and ability to. The questions then become: Do you not want to? Do you not know how to?
Then say you don’t want to. Figure out how to. But saying you cannot is robbing you of your potential.
Let’s lay out more examples:
“I CAN’T perform in front of that many people. I’m too shy.”
“I CAN’T compete with that artist.”
“CAN’T afford that.”
“CAN’T go out tonight.”
No. No. And no. Could you do it if you really wanted to? Could you do it if you had the proper tools and resources? Of course you could. You just don’t want to or don’t know how to.
“I Can, I Just Don’t Want To.”
Don’t be afraid to admit that you don’t want to do something, especially if you simply have other obligations or need to do something more worth your time. You COULD, but you’re choosing not to. Make that decision.
“I Could, I Just Need To Learn How To.”
That’s perfectly fine. Take a program. Learn from a mentor. Research a solution. Obtain that knowledge. Absorb that skill. “Can’t” is a thing of the past. Ask yourself, “How can I?”
Now let’s go back to those sentences and fix them:
“I CAN’T perform in front of that many people. I’m too shy.”
“I need to overcome my shyness. Perhaps, I should perform in front of a growing number of people each time until I can comfortably perform in front of that many people.”
“I CAN’T compete with that artist.”
“That artist is further in their career than I am, so in order to compete with them, I need to grow at a faster rate and gain popularity until I surpass him/her.”
“CAN’T afford that.”
“I need to get my savings up and find alternative income streams so that I’ll be able to afford that within the next year.”
“CAN’T go out tonight.”
“I don’t want to go out tonight. I have other commitments/work to do, and I would only regret going out tomorrow if I did.”
If you catch yourself saying, “I can’t…” correct yourself.
“I WISH, but I CAN’T afford that man, I…I mean I can work toward that once I get my savings up for sure.”
Changing the way you say things is imperative to changing the way you think, the way others think about you, and the way you operate.
This next word is used far too often, but you are going to eliminate it from your vocabulary.
Words That Ruin A Music Career: TRY
I want you, sitting there watching this video, to participate in this challenge with me. It’ll be really quick. You ready?
I want you to do exactly what I say.
TRY to touch your nose with your finger. Go ahead. TRY to touch your finger to your nose.
No, I didn’t tell you to touch your nose. I said TRY to touch your nose. Just TRY.
Nope. I didn’t say to pretend to touch it. Just TRY to do it.
No, I did not say to THINK about touching your nose, I said TRY.
The act of TRYING does not exist, ladies and gentlemen. The state of TRYING does not exist. You either do something or you don’t. Trying means nothing. It’s made up. Either touch your nose or you don’t. You either perform that set or you don’t. You either start that business, or you don’t.
Saying you will “try” something invites the possibility of failure. Saying you will “attempt” something is saying, “I may or may not succeed.” Once again, let’s look at some sentences:
“I’ll TRY to make something out of my music career.”
“I TRIED to work with that artist.”
“I’ve TRIED to write better.”
BONUS
“I TRIED to build a fanbase, but I CAN’T. I HOPE to one day, though.”
Ugh. That last sentence should never leave your mouth.
Trying is only descriptive of self-doubt and potential failure.
“I’ll TRY to make something out of my music career.”
“I will be somebody one day.”
“I TRIED to work with that artist.”
“Things didn’t work out with that artist, but our paths will cross again if they are intended to.”
“I’ve TRIED to write better.”
“I still have a lot to learn about writing so that I can become a great songwriter.”
BONUS
“I TRIED to build a fanbase, but I CAN’T. I HOPE to one day, though.”
“I’ve been working on building my fanbase over the years, and although the speed of growth has not been ideal, I can learn ways to adjust my approach. Therefore, I can ensure a larger fanbase in upcoming years.”
(W)Rapping Up
What have you learned today?
“Hope” is the absence of strategy. “Can’t” is expressive of lack of belief. “Trying” is the uncertainty of doing.
Don’t hope. Strategize.
Don’t say you can’t. Find out how.
Don’t try. Do.
I’m Rob Level, this is Smart Rapper, and you just became smarter.
If you liked this, don’t forget to like, comment, subscribe, and click that bell to be notified every time I want to educate you on self-growth, as well as the do’s and don’ts of the music industry and so much more.
Keep hustlin’, gang. I’ll see you at the top.
Related articles: https://www.smartrapper.com/build-your-vocabulary/
https://www.smartrapper.com/ruin-your-chances-of-having-a-hit-song/