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R Re ed du uc ci in ng g F Fe ee el li in ng gs s O Of f O Ov ve er rw wh he el lm m B By y “ “P Pa au us si in ng g A An nd d P Pr ri im mi in ng g” ”
We’ve all been there. We are working on 2) move on to something else where the specific
something, and we’re not sure where to go next. path forward is more clear or, only if all else fails
We get overwhelmed and start to judge
ourselves, “this is too hard,” “I have no talent.” 3) take a break from what I’m doing to clear my
At it’s worst, this can produce so much tension head and let my subconscious start to work on
that we avoid doing the things we need to do to it.
make forward progress, as they become
associated with overwhelm and negative beliefs. GETTING MORE DONE
This issue can become intensified by cultural
stereotypes of the “tortured artist” or “burning I’m not being lazy as I usually keep working. I’m
out entrepreneur” who is always bashing their adding time and energy to my work because my
head against the wall in service of their mission. subconscious is working during my “down time.”
It’s even working on one thing when I’m working
PAUSING on something else! Sometime I’ll be writing one
song and a line for another song I’m working on
I finally realized years ago that I’m often better pops into my head.
off “pausing and priming.” First, I pause
whatever it is that I’m working on and stop Of course, sometimes you have a deadline you
myself before I get to the point of being can’t get around, and it can often be helpful to
overwhelmed. I take a breath, slow down, and give yourself a period to increase your focus.
calm myself. But life can be so much happier if you can
balance that with a desire to reduce
PRIMING unnecessary stress.
Secondly, I “prime” my subconscious by My music students usually enjoy the idea of
defining very specifically what I am trying to respecting that forward movement doesn’t
accomplish next and the exact point where I am always happen on a timetable. Music, like most
stuck. For instance, “I need a rhyme for this professions, requires the development of many
word that accomplishes such and such” or “I skills, and working on several during the same
need to figure out how to phrase something in time frame can create a synergy where all the
this email to promote myself better.” Again l find skills develop faster.
it vital to be as specific as possible. This mindset
creates the intention in my subconscious to So give yourself a break by pausing and priming.
figure out the next step, as opposed to pausing You’ll get more done and be much happier.
with nothing but a bad feeling that would make
restarting harder. Eventually (and sometimes HappyRon is a songwriter and Music Coach who
this will be months later) the answer will either specializes in helping making playing music
suddenly pop into my head at random times or easier for people who don’t believe they are
when I start to work on it again. capable of making music. He is most well
known for his fun sing along songs like “If You’re
AFTER PRIMING Bored In San Diego (IT’S YOUR FAULT!). His
Inspirational Quotes With Music Series videos
I either: have become very popular on Facebook and
YouTube. You can see his music videos, read
1) attempt to start again now that I have clearly more articles he’s written, or download his free
defined the sense of what I need to accomplish Ebooks on music at his blog www.happyron.com
next or...
18 www.writeawaymagazine.co.uk
