A Positive Attitude Matters For Songwriters

Man vs Row

Brent is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ray Stevens, and more.  He’s written a top 5 hit in the US and a #1 in Canada… so far.

Success in songwriting and the music business is about so much more than just talent. For one thing, there is just so much talent in (and trying to get in) the business that talent alone is not enough. In a biz where talent is as common as water, attitude can make or break you. So today, I’d like to focus on why having a positive attitude is important.

A positive attitude keeps you going.

This is a marathon, not a sprint. A positive attitude allows you to tap into your deeper energy reserves. Without this, it’s too easy to quit when it’s been a few miles (or a few years) of uphill climb. A positive attitude gets you through the tough times.

A positive attitude draws the right people to you.

Wise, successful people want to surround themselves with positive people. They know that negative attitudes are contagious and toxic, so they intentionally avoid negative people. If you want to keep the company of successful people, it helps to be a positive person.

A positive attitude helps you be more creative.

If you believe you’ll be successful, if you believe your next great song is just around the corner, your mind will be open and receptive to song ideas in the world around you. In a cowrite, you’re more likely to shut down and not contribute if you’re more worried about not saying something “stupid” than you are about saying something that might be great.

A positive attitude opens your eyes to possibilities.

Pessimism focuses on the closed door, but optimism keep an eye out for an open window. A positive attitude allows you to move on from disappointments more quickly so you get back in the game. Pessimism sees only the reasons something won’t work. Optimism sees the obstacles, but it can also envision the path to victory- or at least believes that there IS a path to victory to be found.

A positive attitude helps you learn.

If you always focus on how “bad” the songs on the radio are or what hacks the hit songwriters are, you’re less likely to see what has made those songs and those songwriters successful. You don’t have to love every song on the radio, but they each might have something to teach you. Don’t miss the lesson.

Songwriting should be fun!

Listen, the chance of big monetary or commercial success in songwriting is very slim. If you don’t have a good attitude, if you aren’t having fun, then you should probably find something else to do. Music is meant to be a blessing. If it becomes a curse, you may need to step away for a while.

Take good care of your attitude, and your attitude will take good care of you.

What about you?  What other advantages do you get from a positive attitude?  What disadvantages of a negative attitude?  I’d love to hear your comments!

God Bless,

Brent

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Brent Baxter Music:  http://www.brentbaxtermusic.com

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