An Antidote to Election-Week Anxiety

 

 

Anyone here got the election on their mind? Yeah, me too. After an exhausting 6 years, we can finally see the end in sight for one of the world’s worst leaders. People all over the world are watching what will happen in this 2020 US Presidential Election.

 

And given that it’s 2020 and Sean Connery just died, there is this overwhelming feeling hanging over us like a stinky wet blanket that ANY HORRIBLE THING CAN HAPPEN NOW. 

 

Seriously, friends– A Pandemic, Massive Fires, Weekly Hurricanes, Earthquakes, Murder hornets, Chadwick Boseman, and now Sean Connery? Clearly, nothing is off the table.

 

But you know what’s worse than doomscrolling the news? Reading the heart-wrenching posts written by friends and colleagues.

 

There is no question that anxiety is at an all-time high (According to Axios, it was affecting over a third of adults in the US this past July), and it’s a mix of lock-down fever, unemployment, missing loved ones, racial injustice, climate crisis, and, well, that pesky threat of murderous hornets, but the thing everyone seems most focused on right now is this election.

 

 

What I find most frustrating about an election, is that there is no amount of time and effort that I can put in that will give me any control over the outcome.

 

I mean, I can control whether or not I vote, how many calls I make, postcards I write, donations I make, signs I put up in my front yard, but I cannot actively CONTROL how the people of Wisconsin will vote. And I cannot actively control how Trump will react if he loses, or worse– if he (gulp) wins.

 

So, what, I just continue to bathe in this sea of bad feelings?

 

Have we met?

 

I’m sorry, but I just don’t have time for that.

 

And yes, I realize that I write that from my lovely 3-bedroom house in Bermuda overlooking the water, waist-deep in my privilege, but guess what? Mindset shifts are free. And what got me here in the first place was a lot of hard work, and deciding that I was done worrying about the actions and thoughts of other people and waiting for them to “decide” to do something in my favor.

 

I decided that if the only thing I had any control over was my own thoughts and actions, well, then I’d best start dealing with those things with a clear purpose.

 

You want to know what got me through the lockdown this past spring and summer? The online cello festival I was putting together. It gave me somewhere to direct my pent-up energy, and, because I had put everything on the line for it, I was laser-focused on the everyday details of it.

 

 

And similarly, my Bridge Online Cello Studio and working with my coaching clients is what is getting me through this election. They give me a sense of purpose. Because no matter WHAT the outcome of this election, my students will still be working towards their auditions, and my clients have their own amazing projects that will launch soon.

 

I can’t control whether the world will be a better or a worse place, or when the COVID-19 virus will get contained, or when schools and concert halls will reopen, but I can control how I show up in this world.

 

And that, right there, is a huge anxiety melter.

 

What can you focus on, starting today, that can give you a positive purpose in life? Something that no election result can take away.

 

Imagine, an entire world of musicians who take their control back and start going after things they believe in, projects that bring them joy and fulfillment and a deep sense of purpose. And imagine if those projects also bring them some additional income.

 

And imagine if some of that money gets donated to causes and campaigns they believe in.  Because Marches and Protests are good and necessary and important, but money is what really gets ‘em to the table.

 

 

Imagine that.

 

Last week I wrote about ideas, and how they sometimes come to you in a flash.  So many of you wrote to me about ideas that you either missed out on, or are super proud of, or are still thinking about saying yes to.

 

So please, If you are struggling, feeling like things are spinning out of control around you, turn off the news, maybe even stop listening to NPR 24/7, and consider taking a moment to get quiet, think about what you would do if you could make it a success, and just dive in. The important developments of the world will get to your mental inbox when they need to.

 

Give yourself something positive to focus on, claim as your own, nurture, and create something good that makes the world a better place.

 

No Matter What Happens.

 

P.S. If you’re looking for something positive to do on Election Day, Mike Block has set up an amazing initiative to get musicians out playing at the polls. It’s called Play For The Vote. Get a few friends together and play some socially-distanced quartets for people waiting in line at the polls.  Talk about positivity and purpose!

P.S.S. There’s a Tales From The Lane Facebook Group!  Come and join us over there for some live (and lively) conversations about navigating the world of professional music-making. Click here to check it out! 

And….don’t forget…

Doors are closed for the current run of my 10-week group coaching experience, The Profit Pivot,  but the next round will be starting up in January, and an amazing group of professional musicians just like yourself is going to take their “out-of-the-box” ideas and turn them into profit-growing realities. Book a call with me today to see what that could look like for you and to grab one of the limited spots. 

If you’re just at the beginning of all of this, and you’re not sure what you should be doing, but you know you need to start doing something different?  I’d be more than happy to talk with you about it.  Anyone can book a 30-minute “Discovery Call” with me here.