TEM Coaching Tip: The Word to Avoid at All Costs
There is one word which can effectively gauge the quality of my mindset because if I’m using it a lot, either out loud or within an inner monologue, it is always a red flag.
That word is “should.”
Using the word should means I am fighting reality rather than treating my current circumstances as a data point to help me figure out what my next move needs to be.
This can apply to the practice room: “I’ve been working on this passage for over a week and I should be able to play it up to tempo by now.”
It can apply to getting traction online: “I’ve been regularly posting high quality videos to my YouTube channel for six months and judging by similar channels I should have a lot more subscribers than I do.”
It can apply to income: “I moved here nine months ago I should be getting more calls for gigs.”
It can apply to absolutely anything.
The most successful people I know, both in and out of the music business, spend very little time lamenting how anything ought to be. They simply have the awareness to accurately see how things are and if they don’t like what they see, ascertain what their next move will be.
Deciphering exactly why they haven’t gotten the results they were expecting is another vital part of their success. But that is process driven which is much different than feeling sorry for themselves as the result of reality not aligning with their expectations.
Avoiding the word should is one of the keys to parenting. It is one of the keys to getting in shape. It is one of the keys to performing, public speaking, or launching a business.
And a reminder that if your business doesn’t have a hard part, you don’t have a business. So it is an issue of when, not if, you meet resistance along the way and avoiding the word should when you do will be paramount to your success.
So be on the lookout for the word should. It is always a red flag for when my mindset could use some work.