Focus on the next step
If you're reading this, you probably have a pretty strong desire to be an agent of change. At the very least, you are curious about it because the status quo just doesn't seem to cut it.
Our drive to have impact and inspire change is there and unmistakable, regardless of where we fall on the spectrum of influence at this moment.
This can provide us with great motivation - like we can do good and meaningful things. At the same time, it can also make us feel distracted. Nate Zinsser called this being “seduced by the results and outcome of how important this [work] is.”
He spoke about this in a podcast when he was referring to the mindsets athletes hold before an important game. Some coaches help their athletes focus on how this is a really important moment (it's a career-defining race) or that they really need to achieve certain results (finish number one). Other coaches help athletes focus on the actual thing they need to do to execute the action (their first lift off the ice or their first swing).
We can benefit from both kinds of mindsets, but more often the latter kind will do us more good.
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This can easily transfer to the stressful game of music performance.
When we focus on the high-stakes aspect of the moment or the need to reach certain results, we distract ourselves from the task at hand. We can become unfocused, our concentration is affected, and our performance suffers. I don't know any performing musician who has not experienced this. I don't know any leader who has not made decisions under these distracted conditions.
At times, these feelings can paralyze us. We freeze. We don't take the action we intended to take. We don't say the things we wanted to say. We are so concerned about how important this moment is and how we must do everything perfectly so we can achieve the necessary results.
The truth is that our work is important. The reality is that results and outcomes are crucial. At the same time, each action that we take to get there is equally important and deserves our undivided focus.
So sometimes, perhaps it is helpful to recalibrate our range of focus - shifting our eyes away from the inspiring, daunting goal toward simply the next step we must take.
This step could look like any of the following:
Stepping on stage
Breathing appropriately to set up a long phrase
Starting together as a section with the same bow stroke
Writing an email to share an idea
Making a phone call to follow up
Walking up to a stranger to start a conversation
We all need a reminder that these little steps matter.
With each step - which are concrete, manageable, and achievable - we build a steady momentum toward our important goals and the big changes we seek to make.
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