Use a compass, not a map.

I often get asked, “What should I do?” by Artists and my standard answer is “Whatever it takes.”

I have talked to lots of successful Artists and there a few common things about their success.

Who knows what drives one person and not another.

We are all different and we all have different reasons for what we do or don't do, I get that, and I also understand that some are just not prepared to pay the price of being successful as it involves more than just hard work, it really does involve so much and it is time consuming and hard to do, but if it was easy everyone would be successful.

So a few characteristics that all successful Artists have that I have met.

They all work hard at their craft and work on improving their craft.

By working hard I mean, doing what has to be done and completing it, they have purpose in how they work.

Not just doing what is necessary to do to get through the day.

They are confident in their ability to achieve what they want to achieve and to accomplish their goals.

The majority of them are not looking for permission to do what they are doing, they just do it.

They finish what they start.

They deliver on time.

Successful people learn to overcome “the fear”.

The fear of failure.

The fear of what others will think or say.

The fear that people will laugh at them.

The fear that says you can't do this.

They learn to use the fear to motivate themselves, to grasp the opportunities before them.

If the fear inside says don't do it because they will all laugh at you, then it is probably the right thing to do.

The thing about successful people is they ask for a compass, not a map.

A map allows me to blame someone else if I fail, it is their fault.

A compass makes me make the decision of where to go and what to do and it makes me take responsibility for the decisions I make.

Use a compass, not a map.

You can go in your chosen direction, it's ok if no one has done it before you, just do it.

You do not need to get permission to do it.

Just do it, give yourself permission.

You can use “the fear” as a direction finder.

If “the fear” says don't do it, then it is probably the right thing to do.

You decide what you want to do and you do it.

You decide the person you want to become and then make the necessary changes to make it happen.