NickVenturella.com 4-16-22 - Focus on the moment you’re in

Focus on the moment you’re in

April 16, 2022

Happy Easter weekend, to those who celebrate.

I was working with a music coaching client the other day, and she brought up her internal struggle of trying to work on her goals while on holiday needing, and wanting, not to worry about that work to be fully present spending time with family. 

The question was, how do you manage getting things done with the importance of being present with family?

Like you, I’m constantly figuring out the answer to that question. 

Below are three things I do that help me in these situations, which is really everyday considering I’m balancing time and attention between my wife, kids, day job, and entrepreneurial business ventures.

Finding balance is like locking into the musical rhythm of a song — once you’ve got it, you can flow with the music rather effortlessly, but until you find the groove there’s tension, anxiety, and frustration because you’re out of sync with the song.

  1. Do your best to give your full concentration to whatever you need to focus on in the moment you’re in.  That means, if it’s family time, do your best to be fully present for family time and don’t worry about work or reaching your professional goals. 

  2. To ease the anxiety of getting things done when it’s time to be present with family, be aware of lulls in the family time, when everyone is essentially just hanging out together, not actively engaging with each other.  You know these times...one person is watching TV, another is drawing, another is playing a video game on a personal device, etc... Even though everyone is occupying the same space together no one is really interacting.  What could you get done towards your professional goals in a few minutes in that situation? Perhaps from your phone or tablet? Maybe you could post a quick social media update to promote what you’re working on to your audience. Maybe send a quick follow up email to a contact you need to reach out to. The idea is to find small wins you can accomplish in these short bursts of time to keep your professional progress moving forward. 

  3. Finally, when there is not really time to get much of anything done try to take at least five minutes a day to write down in a journal what you’re feeling…about anything— work, family, life—it doesn’t matter, this writing is just for you to ease your thoughts and anxieties.  Often, I’ll write about what I feel I should be getting done professionally…those things nagging at me that I can’t get to because it’s family time and I need to be present for my family.  Writing them down allows me to get them out of my brain, which provides some separation from my need to think about them during family time because I know that writing things out will allow my subconscious to continually work through those things while I do other, non-related things.  That way, when I come back to these work tasks I can review my journal notes and more quickly pick up where I need to on that topic and usually with fresh ideas/solutions that my subconscious worked out.

I hope that helps a bit. Good luck as you find your rhythm! 

Feel free to hit reply and let me know how you find your rhythm in being present for the important things in your life.

----------UPDATES----------The Bluejay guitar just sold yesterday from my Etsy shop. Shout out to my talented, now Austin, TX-based, musician friend, Keith for purchasing it. I'm glad it's heading to a good home!----------Because you're on my email list you can get early access to the album before it's official public release on May 11th.Tell your friends to sign up for early access too. (share this link: http://www.nickvmusic.net/sign-up.html). ----------Upcoming music performances:

The Cider FarmMadison, WI​Sat. May 14, 2022​6 - 8:30pmThe Lone Girl Brewing Co.Waunakee, WI​Sun. June 5, 2022​3 - 5pmSchuster's FarmDeerfield, WI​Fri. July 22, 2022​6 - 8:30pmThe Cider FarmMadison, WI​Sat. July 23, 2022​6 - 8:30pmThe Lone Girl Brewing Co.Waunakee, WI​Sun. August 7, 2022​3 - 5pm

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Stay positive. Stay healthy. Be kind.Sincerely,Nick VenturellaCreative Professional, andco-founder of Eleven Music Career CenterNickVenturella.comnickVmusic.netnickVguitars.comFacebookYouTube