- 2 Lessons from American Idol – Top 12
The format of American Idol requires artists to create cover versions of other people’s music. This is only slightly artificial as many independent artists perform songs written by someone else. And so, the ability to take a song written by someone else and make it your own is a critical skill for your success in ...
- 2 Lessons From American Idol – Top 8 Male Semifinalists
In Wednesday’s American Idol episode there two lessons that can help you be successful as a performing musician or artist.
- 2 More Reasons You Fail to Achieve Your Goals
I came across a great blog post at dumblittleman.com, entitled – 4 Reasons You Fail to Achieve Your Goals. And I’d like to add two more:
- 7 Lessons from American Idol – Top 16 Results
In the writing of this blog series – I will not be commenting on who stays and who is voted off, no matter how tempted I may be. My purpose in writing this blog is to help you in your serious pursuit of success doing what you love.
- A Call to Responsibility; A Call to Action
The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
- Are Goals Really Necessary?
I was having a conversation with a client the other day. He’s an engineer and is always working on cutting edge, invention type stuff. He said that setting goals doesn’t work in this type of design. Because when you are inventing something for the first time, you don’t really know what you’re going to end ...
- Clear the Plate – the 2nd Key to Maintaining Focus
In the first installment of this series we created a big brainstorm list of all the stuff that makes up the chaos. Just to remind you of the overview:
5 Keys to Manage Chaos
Acknowledge the reality of your current circumstances
Take everything off the plate that you can
Ask for help
Manage your emotions and thoughts through the experience
Get ...
- Clearing the Space – A Focusing Tool
During extremely busy times, times of emotional turmoil and major change, you may also find it difficult to focus on what you’re doing because your mind is cluttered with all the other stuff that’s going on. This is a process that I use with my private clients to create focus. I learned this in Coaching ...
- Creator’s Block
Whether you are writing words, writing songs, painting, taking photographs, sculpting, designing jewelry or in any way creating on a regular basis, creator’s block can happen. So, in this month’s newsletter, I’m going to look at creator’s block, give you an overview of possible causes (which I’ll be writing more about in my ...
- Debra Recommends Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ
Much of my work with private clients and in my Success Skills classes for the Membership are based on the concepts explained in this seminal work.
- Debra Recommends The Law of Attraction
This book has had a profound affect on my experience of my world. Ironically enough, much of my growth around this area started with Seth Speaks which I read around the same time that Esther Hicks discovered it. Having lived in Sedona I have a healthy mistrust of things woo-woo – but I’ve personally ...
- Debra Recommends The Success Principles
How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be
by Jack Canfield and Janet Switzer
From Jack’s Website:
Jack Canfield, co-creator of the phenomenal bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul® series, turns to the principles he’s studied, taught and lived for more than 30 years in this practical and inspiring guide that will help ...
- Debra Recommends Turning Passions Into Profits
Turning Passions Into Profits
– 3 Steps to Wealth & Power
by Christopher Howard
This is a book by my NLP and Hypnosis teacher. What surprised me about this book was what it wasn’t. It wasn’t another “follow your bliss” woo-woo book. And it wasn’t a “Business” book. It is a concrete instruction manual to use other people’s ...
- Debra Russell Recommends Selfgrowth.com
SelfGrowth.com is the most complete guide to information about Self -Improvement, Personal Growth and Self Help on the Internet. It is designed to be an organized directory, with articles and references to thousands of other Web Sites on the World Wide Web.
Check out:
http://www.selfgrowth.com
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- Don’t be a Needy Artist
Over the past few years, since I started doing the Ask Coach Debra Calls and being more active on Twitter and Facebook, I’ve had many encounters that go something like this:
- Embrace Your Unique Voice as an Artist
This is primarily directed to artists, but really, it applies to all of us. Being a unique voice in a world that values sameness can be a rough row to hoe. As children, we’re taught, encouraged, sometimes even bludgeoned and beaten into sameness. Don’t be too loud. Don’t show how smart you are. Don’t blow ...
- Get the Learning – the 5th Key to Maintaining Focus in the Face of Chaos
As I teach in How to Use Feedback and Criticism Constructively, every experience is fodder for growth and development, if you are willing to get the learning. Assessing and adjusting as you go will make you more successful, because the ability to be flexible and adapt to changing conditions is a key success principle. So, ...
- Goals – What Are They Good For?
I’ve been reading Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, by Daniel H. Pink. I expect I’ll be writing an article about Motivation when I’m done with it. But while the book does question the value of setting goals, I am still a big fan of them. In Drive, the studies seem to discount ...
- Goals and Actions and Strategies – Oh, MY!
I was on the TAXI Forum and I came upon this thread “Post your Goals after attending the Rally” (the yearly conference for TAXI Members). While reading through people’s responses to the question, I noticed that most posts were a combination of goals, actions and strategies, with the posters conflating their intended actions, strategies and ...
- Goals and Success
In my practice I come across a lot of artists with big dreams. Whether it’s a Grammy Award Winning music career, winning an Oscar or getting a show at MOMA, we dream of a level of success, recognition and income for our creative efforts. It’s human nature to dream of success, however you ...
- How to Create a Values-Based Career
We hear the term battered around, but do you really know what your values are? Values are what you, personally, consider to be really and truly important. And here’s the challenge – this is completely subjective and often completely unconscious.
- How to Create Successful New Year’s Resolutions
What Makes a Successful Resolution?
Every year, people make New Year’s Resolutions – losing weight, exercising more, swearing less – all different kinds of resolutions. And usually, by about 3-4 weeks into the year, those resolutions have fallen by the wayside, to be chalked up as “Oh, well, better luck next year” (if you’re an optimist) ...
- How to Maintain Consistent Growth and Development
Have you ever pushed yourself out of your comfort zone? You know, created something really different, taken a risk that felt scary and hard, pushed through a tough learning curve, talked to someone who totally intimidated you?
And after that push – did you feel the almost irresistible urge to pull back to your safety zone ...
- How to Use Goals, Actions and Strategies to Craft a Plan
In Part One of this article – Goals and Actions and Strategies – Oh, MY! – I clarified the differences between goals, actions and strategies and talked about why that is a difference that makes a difference.
In this article, I’m going to explain how you can design a plan that employs all three aspects.
In my ...
- Leadership
I believe that Leadership, or the lack thereof, underlies many if not all of the challenges that we are experiencing in today’s world. But what is Leadership?
- Maintaining Focus in the Face of Chaos – 1st Key
The Holiday Season can be so joyfully chaotic, can’t it? Parties and travel and family (with all the baggage that goes with that!). For many performers there are also holiday gigs and holiday gift promotions to promote on top of that. It can all be so overwhelming. So many things to do, so many demands ...
- Maintaining Motivation
If you want to not only create motivation in yourself, but also be able to maintain it over time, the type of reasons to do something are also critically important. When you are looking at your reasons for doing something – you want your reasons to be forward motivated, not away-from motivated.
- No Failure – Only Feedback
Over the last few months, I’ve been doing a series of calls for the Artists Marketing & Business Academy based on Christopher Howard’s Assumptions for Empowered Leadership. For this edition of the Words to the Wise Newsletter, I’m focusing on Assumption #9:
“Only feedback – no failure; therefore utilize everything”
I’ll go much deeper into how to ...
- The Devil on Your Shoulder
In my life, I’ve done a lot of work with the critic’s voice, learning techniques and getting quite good at transforming my inner critic to support and inform my forward progress (rather than criticize and impede it). I’ve gotten to the point where, these days, I rarely hear a critical voice in my head.
And in ...
- The Economy and Your Business
There’s a saying floating around out there among the financial and personal growth Gurus – “I refuse to participate in the recession.” I intend to help you come up with an even better, more empowering mantra to keep you focused and clear in this time of challenge, uncertainty and fear.
- The Energy of Belief
I’ve been thinking a lot about the nature of belief as a result of the class in the Artists Marketing & Business Academy called Transform Your Belief – The Key to Success. So forgive me, but I may get a little woo-woo in this post.
It seems to me that the law according to physics is ...
- When Bad Things Happen, Part 2
This article is a sequel to the July 2013 Newsletter Article, When Bad Things Happen. Of course, I meant to get back and complete the article the very next week. Ah, the best laid plans…
But better late than never, right? I recommend you go back and read that article to give you the back story ...
- Why Do Artists Need Professional Development?
Why Do Artists Need Professional Development?
