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Bob Baker's Indie Music Promotion Blog
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May 19, 2009
The Groundhog Day Music Success Method
Remember the movie Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell? Murray plays a weatherman who finds himself living the same day (February 2) over and over again in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
No matter what happens on any given day, the next morning he wakes up at exactly 6:00 AM to the sound of Sonny and Cher's "I Got You Babe" on the alarm clock radio. Even though his memory of the previous day is intact, everyone he encounters is seeing him for the first time -- going through the exact same motions as the previous day.

That plot is a good metaphor for success with music -- or anything else, for that matter.
Let me explain what I mean by first taking a quick detour that will bring this all into focus ...
Earlier this year Oprah Winfrey admitted that she had lost a lot of ground with her weight -- even showing unflattering before and after pictures on the cover of her magazine.
Bob Green, her personal trainer, was interviewed on Larry King Live soon after. He recalled a time a few years ago when Oprah celebrated her weight loss by saying something like, "I've made it. I finally conquered the weight demon."
Green said that was part of her relapse problem. She considered her weight issued solved instead of something she had to work at every day. That's when this Groundhog Day Success Method idea started to form.
How often do we do that with our personal endeavors? We reach a goal, overcome a challenge, attend a workshop, read a book, have a new insight, enjoy a breakthrough, or attain a new status level ... and we celebrate!
Don't get me wrong. Celebrating is good! You should savor all the small and large victories along the way.
But sometimes that celebration can turn into laziness -- especiallly if you adopt the "I've arrived" mentality.
The solution: Treat every day like you're Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. No matter what happened the day before, treat today like you have to do it (and earn it) all over again. The slate has been wiped clean and it's up to you to make something happen again.
And that goes for both positive and negative results of the past. If you reached an important milestone yesterday, you can enjoy the memory. But get to work striving for something new today. If you fell flat and made a giant mistake yesterday, don't focus on it. Because today is a brand new opportunity to start fresh.
This way of thinking also helps you cultivate what's called the "Beginner's Mind." Remember when you were just starting to play and perform, and how everything was so fresh and exciting then? Bring that same state of childlike being to everything you do in the present.
You'll never know it all. You'll never have it all. You'll will never "arrive"! So don't kid yourself into thinking that's where you are or that's where you're headed, because you'll never get there.
Appreciate the past, affirm your positive future, but live and enjoy life in THIS moment. It's the only one you have, and it's the only time when you can truly make a positive impact -- on a consistent, daily basis!
Treat every day like you're doing things for the very first time.
Which reminds me ...
Remember the movie Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell? Murray plays a weatherman who ...
:-)
-Bob
Get your FREE copy of my Music Marketing Secrets special report. It shows you how to get more exposure, attract more fans, and sell more music! Go here to grab your copy now ...
No matter what happens on any given day, the next morning he wakes up at exactly 6:00 AM to the sound of Sonny and Cher's "I Got You Babe" on the alarm clock radio. Even though his memory of the previous day is intact, everyone he encounters is seeing him for the first time -- going through the exact same motions as the previous day.

Let me explain what I mean by first taking a quick detour that will bring this all into focus ...
Earlier this year Oprah Winfrey admitted that she had lost a lot of ground with her weight -- even showing unflattering before and after pictures on the cover of her magazine.
Bob Green, her personal trainer, was interviewed on Larry King Live soon after. He recalled a time a few years ago when Oprah celebrated her weight loss by saying something like, "I've made it. I finally conquered the weight demon."
Green said that was part of her relapse problem. She considered her weight issued solved instead of something she had to work at every day. That's when this Groundhog Day Success Method idea started to form.
How often do we do that with our personal endeavors? We reach a goal, overcome a challenge, attend a workshop, read a book, have a new insight, enjoy a breakthrough, or attain a new status level ... and we celebrate!
Don't get me wrong. Celebrating is good! You should savor all the small and large victories along the way.
But sometimes that celebration can turn into laziness -- especiallly if you adopt the "I've arrived" mentality.
The solution: Treat every day like you're Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. No matter what happened the day before, treat today like you have to do it (and earn it) all over again. The slate has been wiped clean and it's up to you to make something happen again.
And that goes for both positive and negative results of the past. If you reached an important milestone yesterday, you can enjoy the memory. But get to work striving for something new today. If you fell flat and made a giant mistake yesterday, don't focus on it. Because today is a brand new opportunity to start fresh.
This way of thinking also helps you cultivate what's called the "Beginner's Mind." Remember when you were just starting to play and perform, and how everything was so fresh and exciting then? Bring that same state of childlike being to everything you do in the present.
You'll never know it all. You'll never have it all. You'll will never "arrive"! So don't kid yourself into thinking that's where you are or that's where you're headed, because you'll never get there.
Appreciate the past, affirm your positive future, but live and enjoy life in THIS moment. It's the only one you have, and it's the only time when you can truly make a positive impact -- on a consistent, daily basis!
Treat every day like you're doing things for the very first time.
Which reminds me ...
Remember the movie Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell? Murray plays a weatherman who ...
:-)
-Bob
Get your FREE copy of my Music Marketing Secrets special report. It shows you how to get more exposure, attract more fans, and sell more music! Go here to grab your copy now ...
posted by Bob Baker @ 9:36 AM
5 comments
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Bob Baker is an author, indie musician and former music magazine editor dedicated to showing musicians of all kinds how to get exposure, connect with fans, sell more CDs, and increase their incomes.
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Nice one Bob! So very easy to sit tall on old success or crawl from failures.
Hey there Bob, I like the analogy to Oprah's weight loss (or mine or yours for that matter...). It certainly is very easy to get comfortable with a satisfying success - they can be so hard to come by. Thank you for reminding me to maintain a beginner's mind.
Hey Bob, "Groundhog Day" is in my Top 5 favorite movies. I always saw it as a metaphor for reincarnation and loved the lesson it teaches. I like that you apply it to this life and this day.
I love the movie Groundhog Day - you certainly caught my attention with this article just by the title. Well spoken indeed.
Wow, I totally agree. Great metaphor and great reference to Beginner´s Mind. Every day I approach it like all of my victories of the past are erased and there´s only now. It opens me up to learning new things, gaining mentors I never would´ve had, and building my list of victories up even higher. I am always looking for new successes, and my mind stays open for new ways of doing things. When it comes to my music promotion I am always finding new programs, free things here and there, and support from the community. I have been social networking a lot with the help of webDOMinator and that´s been helping me... Also, Twitter has been working for me really well. It seems every day I´m finding new ways, both online and in real life.