This is my first blog of December, which means that we’re into the final weeks of 2018. You don’t even have to have partaken in Black Friday or Cyber Monday to know that a lot of people have immersed themselves in holiday shopping. Plus, just drive around a little bit and see all the lights already up on houses to know that folks have the Christmas season in full swing.
Companies are planning holiday parties. Employees are wondering if they will get a Christmas card with a bonus in it. And teachers and students are thinking about the upcoming end of semester and the break they’ll all get then. Heck, I, myself, was at a Christmas party yesterday afternoon and have another to go to this Friday night.
Put this all in a blender and it lends itself to a lot of loafing. It gets really easy to talk yourself (or let peer pressure coerce you) into mailing it in – and I don’t mean Christmas cards. This is the time of year when a lot of people shut it down early. Half days. Closing early. Long weekends. Just generally not working.
Do yourself and your career a favor – resist the temptation.
Others will try to tell you, “Oh, no one’s doing anything significant now. No major business decisions are being made.” You don’t need to call them out on it but find out yourself if that’s true. Continue to pursue those opportunities you’ve been after. I’m not saying that you should step it up and be a hound, but, proceed in December as though it was June.
Let the others around you slack off while you keep getting things done.
If you’ve read my weekly blog every Monday for long enough now, you might know my tireless work ethic. I’m sure it comes through over enough episodes of “Now Hear This Entertainment” too. But last night I did an interview for an upcoming episode and even had the above mentality reinforced. The guest, guitarist Ronnie Simmons, who has played with the likes of Richie Ramone (of The Ramones), said, “There’s always someone out there that’s willing to get up earlier than you. There’s always someone willing to work harder than you. And there’s always someone that wants it badder than you do.”
I knew this whole point was meant to be because not only had I decided late last week that this would be my blog topic for today, but, in preparing for last night’s interview I had written the “Bruce’s Bonus” segment for that episode along this same theme and jotted down, “Stay focused in December, keep writing in December, keep practicing in December, keep performing, and keep recording. To see the results, you have to put the time in – all year ‘round.” And then to have the guest (unaware of the “Bruce’s Bonus” content) reinforce it told me that this was a message that needed to get out.
So, the next time someone asks you what your plans are for this holiday season, tell them when your next gig is. Tell them about the new song you’re working on. Tell them about what you just recently recorded.
As much as I love Bill Murray, don’t confuse all of this with the movie “Scrooged.” I’m simply reminding you, as Ronnie Simmons did, that each time this holiday season you decide that you deserve a day off and/or the twinkling lights nudge you toward that, remember that there’s a fellow performer that’s taking care of business while you are doing something that’s not going to generate opportunities or income.
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