We welcome all you new subscribers to M. Sean Agnew's newsletter "The Blueprint". This publication is dedicated to those people achieving success in their career as an artist and a music related business. Hi Friends, I hope most of you are in the middle of planning what your summer will be like. We inevitably begin talking about the "Summer trip" about now in my home. This always triggers my wife to remind me of a trip long gone by when we discussed going somewhere and seemed like we both agreed but never really wrote it down or mapped it out. I usually drive on these trips and my family usually falls asleep(not as fast for the kids unfortunately). After driving a few hours I pulled over to get some gas and stretch and my wife woke up groggily looked around and exclaimed to me that we were indeed in the wrong place! Without clarity of direction we not only wasted alot of time and resources but we might have not ever reached our destination. We didn't clarify our mutual goal. Big mistake. When I discuss advancing careers with my consulting clients we always end up talking about this weeks topic first. Most think of rehearsal, writing, recording and live performance when they are asked about what to do as an artist to succeed. One extremely effective way to attain success is to plan for it. Let's look at this weeks topic of Goal Setting. M. Sean Agnew Sean with Comedian D.L. Hughley Business-Goal setting/Evaluation
Most people set goals in the beginning of the New Year only to forget them by Easter. What goals did you set for your business or career earlier this year? Did you decide to sell more cd's this year or to play more shows? Those are all good milestones though they are not actual goals. Let's quickly cover the do's and don'ts of goal setting. 5 goal setting musts 1. You must decide "why" you want something. If the reason is strong enough it will carry you through the toughest of times. 2. You must write it down and share it with someone. When you write things down you are making a commitment to accomplish that action. Sharing your goals with someone else will help you to stay on track because others know what you are accountable for. Why do you think celebrity trainers make so much? 3. Your goal must be specific with a time limit. How many of us have said we would do something with no time limit and looked up and we were saying we would get the same thing done for the next years goals. (Oh, so its only me huh)? After the first 3 months of the year I always look back at my goals that I set and guage my progress. I couldn't do that without a specific goal and time line. 4. You must repeatedly look over your goals. The old saying is "practice makes perfect". How many hours out of your life have you rehearsed and how many of you feel you are "perfect"? That is a falsehood. The reality is that "practice makes permanent". Repetition will permanently engrave your goals in your head. 5. Reward yourself when you attain a goal. When you achieve you should also receive. We spend so much time criticized by others and being overly critical of ourselves in this industry we many times forget to reward. Decide on a reward for yourself when you write down your goals. It doesn't have to be huge and expensive just something you will appreciate.
His experience and success has enabled Sean to transition into one of the most dynamic speakers to come along in a while. Over the last 8 years, Mr. Agnew has conducted, participated and spoken at over 350 successful events, including SXSW, ATLANTIS, NXNE, NEMO and 2NMC, regarding marketing, artist and personal development, and sales. He is adding "author" and "host" to his credits as he is currently writing a book on the traits that make up music and business superstars, hosting a corresponding radio talk show and executive producing a television docudrama.
Sean is an active member of the National Association of Recording Industry Professionals, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the American Music Conference, MusicCares, and serves as a board member for the International and US Chapters of the Music Managers Forum and the Austin Music Foundation.
Syke Mochek- "After hearing Sean, it makes achieving our goals and beyond feel within reach." Gus Pena Publisher Chord Magazine- "This seminar is great for musicians, artists, and music related businesses." Derek Sivers Founder CDBaby.com- "Sean is a great motivator for the entire music scene." ARE YOU ENJOYING THE BLUEPRINT? Share it with friends, family and group members by simply clicking on "Forward" in your e-mail program. Forward CONTACT US Although we want to hear from you, it's not a good idea to reply or send questions to this address. Simply direct your questions and correspondence to info@bluemetallic.com . Thanks and we look forward to hearing from you!