Andy Lykens

Innovating and operating through growth

Progress

Ducks

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Tomorrow, you’ll get started. You’ll finally have enough information. You just need a little more time. A little more knowledge. Less fear. More courage.

Tomorrow that person will be helpful. The world around you will organize itself in way that the stars, your stars, are aligned.

Then you’ll have the insight. The pattern will finally be clear. The ducks will be in a row.

If you’re waiting for tomorrow, then you can be sure of 2 things:

1. It will never come

2. You will waste today.

A row of ducks, after all, is imperfect. So you may as well start today, because the only thing tomorrow has that today doesn’t, is your attention.

Second impressions

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Don’t get me wrong, first impressions are important; they get your foot in the door. Sometimes they get your whole body in the door.

But what about second impressions? What if you show up even better than the last time? What if your second impression is still just the tip of the impression iceberg?

Our lives are made up of impressions, most of which we’re lucky to get in the first place. The real trick is proving the first impression wasn’t a fluke, and that the second impression was just a glimpse at what’s to come.

What’s more? First impressions come around over and over, and you can always choose how you show up for the second.

Crushing It.

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Crush It.

When people hear this phrase most think of doing something incredibly well. Maybe they’re driving a golf ball 300 yards, picking up ladies at the bar, or are having a hair day so epic, so flawless, they can’t help but feel like the sassiest gal in town (I love feelin’ sassy!).

All of these situations are great and imply some sort of higher-being moment for the individual who’s in the zone. But maybe there’s another way to think about it…

I was playing Settlers of Catan last night (which, if you don’t know, is the greatest game of all time – kind of like Monopoly mixed with Risk but easier to learn) and at some point during the game I looked at the board and thought to myself:

“There is no way I am going to win this game. There aren’t enough resources and there are too many obstacles.”

Then I looked around the table and it dawned on me. Everyone else likely felt the same way; eyes glued to the board searching for options, hands running through their hair in frustration, and all looking at the exact same thing:

A crowded board with too many obstacles and not enough resources.

Once I had that realization my mindset shifted. Everyone has mostly the same problems and perhaps if I change my outlook I will find a way to at least be competitive. Since I was going to play the game anyway, why not try to at least make the most of it.

I decided to crush it, but not like you might think.

I wasn’t trying to re-invent the wheel and create some insane new strategy. Instead my aim was to crush my limiting mindset:

“not enough resources, too many obstacles.”

So I looked at the board, more closely analyzed the other players’ situations and continued to move ahead despite what seemed like an implausible scenario.

This happens in art, science, and business all the time. We all look at the same game and conclude it’s too difficult based on the resources available and the obstacles in the way.

Yet people always manage to succeed.

People even come in second and third and do pretty well despite not coming in first place.

So the next time you think someone’s really crushing it ask yourself: Have they re-invented the wheel? Are they playing out of their mind? Is her hair REALLY that silky and smooth?

Or have they simply crushed their limiting beliefs?

The Certified Best Way To Fail To Impress A Music Supervisor

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Illiterate.

That’s exactly how most people come across when they communicate.

Not because they can’t read and write.

This is much worse.

Most people can read and write. They even know a lot of words. But despite all this fluency, they do the worst thing possible.

They write first, and read second.

Failing to read

The internet contains a host of information. Tons. Yet you wouldn’t believe the outreach I get where people still don’t know what they’re doing when they send an email.

Questions like “How can you help me?” or outreach like “Please listen to my music.”

Be mindful of the person you’re contacting and respect their time enough to READ FIRST.

Then draft a thoughtful, succinct, and relevant message.

Does Your Music Make You Want to Punch Yourself In The Face?

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Expecting success to come quickly is a flaw of mine that most often leads to dejection, giving up, not starting in the first place, or general malaise.

Once I decide to actually go after something – to really give it a shot – if I’m not an immediate success, I’m ready to throw in the towel.

It’s a downward spiral too. The worse I perceive my lack of success, the worse I feel, and the less I want to do that isn’t related to eating lots of sugar.

The myth

Most adults should know that there is no such thing as an overnight success. You probably have realized at this point that instead success is a long, slow climb.

Success in music is no different (other than the climb might be steeper)!

Redefine Success

I remember when I first started pitching songs. It seemed to take forever to land music in a spot with any real consistency.

But I kept at it. And kept looking for patterns.

And started improving.

One of the keys to doing this was to redefine success.

In other words, instead of beating myself up for not hitting a goal, I would adjust that goal. Instead of trying to get songs on a commercial, I would try to get ANY response from someone.

I’d celebrate any response from a brief hello, to a music search to a “get the hell outta here you crazy person!” (luckily I never got one of those).

Feeling good

Once you shift your focus something amazing happens. You start to feel good.

Feeling good helps to give you more energy, work a little more, and try to be better.

Then all of a sudden those little steps you’ve taken add up, and you get a BIG win.

At that point, it’s time to eat cupcakes and dance.

So next time…

When you start to beat yourself up for under-achieving, re-evaluate.

Have you made some small step that you haven’t properly acknowledged?

Your state of mind can sometimes be the only limiting factor in how big of a success you are.

I’d love to hear how you have achieved some small success in the comments!

A Quick Of Italian Design

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I’m just checking in while abroad and have some great content upcoming for when it’s back to the grind for me! Until then I’d like to point out the amazing, seemingly inherent Italian focus on design. Every cafe, apartment, door, window, shop…everything! Beauty is everywhere in this country. In the States, our focus is on being better, doing more, earning more, achieving more. Here it is about creating better aesthetic, looking nicer, feeling better.

Neither is right or wrong, in fact I think it would be perfection to combine the two ideas. Let me know your thoughts in the comments on which you focus on, and how you could better improve the alternate trait wouldn’t you?