Don’t be sexy. The benefits for creative people like you to be boring.
“That’s very nice. Now, play it again— this time slower.”
Said every music teacher during private lessons
To fulfill your career desires, and ultimately your success, you have to develop and cultivate the skill of being boring.
To be a successful bore, you must also be patient.
That does not come naturally for me.
But, being boring and being patient are the singular, direct paths to achieving our goals and artistic fulfillment.
Why do you practice scales, long tones, and other mundane exercises everyday for minutes…hours?
How to become boring
Do one thing at a time, starting out with the most important, boring step.
After completing that step, what is the next most important, boring step?
Go there, and stay there until it’s done.
Repeat these three steps until you’re done.
Does this sound too simple to be true? It’s certainly boring.
As Seth Godin* writes,
“The system is boring.
That's precisely why it works.
It doesn't promise overnight success or viral fame.
It's just there, doing its work. Day after day.
Because greatness isn't built on moments of inspiration.
It's built on moments of discipline.
On doing the unsexy work when no one's watching.”
*https://seths.blog/
Don’t be sexy. Be boring.
This is you…moving very slowly, one slow and boring step at a time.