Wednesday, May 21, 2014

You Can't Build an Airplane!

In my basement, next to the motorcycle project are the parts to a Spencer Aircar. It's a homebuilt design by the guy who designed the SeaBee. It's a HUGE project

The Spencer Aircar amphibian
Huge

Stick with me, there's a reason I'm telling you about this. An airplane is a complex contraption that has moving parts, an engine, wiring, etc. To imagine building one can cause the brain to freeze up and all motor functions to stop.

And here's my point. Sometimes the "big picture" is too big. Instead of tackling it, it gets pushed aside for easier projects.

The Metaphor 

An airplane is a good example, because just the thought, to most people causes a reaction. But this same idea can be applied to learning to play guitar, trumpet or any instrument. It also can be applied to the business of Voice Over.

Becoming a successful V.O. talent can be overwhelming if looked at all at once. (Perhaps not so if you just think you'll buy a microphone and go make money.) But this is a business, it requires marketing, training, tools, and everything else that goes along creating a business. If you were to open up a dentist's office, there's a list of things to check off before you drill your first bicuspid.

The Airplane

The phrase "You Can't Build an Airplane" is common in the home builder, experimental aircraft field. The follow up phrase is, "But you can build parts, that then becomes assembled into an airplane."

That's the key to getting it done. Every day, every single day, work on a small part of the airplane. Cut pieces, read the schematic, glue up a piece of something. No less than 20 minutes to touch the project and do something.

The same holds true for learning an instrument. It's not how many years you've been practicing, it's how many hours. An airplane can take 7000 hours to build from scratch. Taking a bite out of that, bit by bit is how it gets done.

Every Day

Even a small task. A minuscule item. A phone call, an email, research a production company, has value. If you were learning guitar I'd say you strum a G chord, to a C chord to a D chord for 20 minutes.

This all makes sense right? You've heard the phrases! "Slow and steady wins the race." "The longest journey begins with a single step." and so on!

Do something for your business EVERY DAY. Don't put it off till tomorrow and do twice as much. Because then you run the risk of the brain saying, "There's too much to do!" and you'll lock up and become that deer in the headlights.

You can create the parts that becomes your success. One day at a time.