Episode 07: The great experiment
This is the seventh episode of The Life and Times of Mike – Navigating a Scenario 2 workscape
Mike wants to do good work, so he’s got things to learn and and self-care to practice making that possible
There’s a lot I think I should admit I probably don’t know. How to get started fixing that? I could treat this as a bit of an experiment, and learn as I go.
Self unLimited says to think about Renewal as learning things AND taking care of myself so I can keep doing the things I want to do.
Starting with the learning stuff
I’m realising I need to learn a bit more about the music industry – so I’m going to get myself a mentor who can give me some advice. Maybe one of the professional musos I’m already friendly with would be willing.
I’ve set aside some money to do a course on financial stuff. I’ve never had to manage a business’ finances before so this is something I think I should know so I don’t waste the band’s money. I’m going to let them know at the factory that I’m doing this – maybe the boss can help me get some practice by managing our team’s budget.
I already did a management course through work, but I haven’t looked at the notes since then. I think there could be stuff there to apply to organising my band’s business. Some of the stuff about time management and prioritising would be good – that would help me keep good boundaries between my factory job and the band’s activities.
As part of this Renewal thinking, I want to also make some time and focus to writing my own songs. I’ve been jotting down ideas and tunes that get stuck in my head – so I’ve got raw material to start with. The songs might not be any good – and we are going to play covers for the band – but this music thing is also about being creative, not just performing. So I’m going to make creating music a priority.
And now the self-care stuff
A few years ago, I injured my leg on the job. It’s mostly all good now, but if I stand or sit for too long it can get a bit uncomfortable. I have to keep moving. My boss and I already have a bit of a plan at work to make sure I look after this. I’ll have to apply the same thinking to the band situation. Because of what happened at work, the team knows I’m a real stickler for being careful moving stuff around in the factory – nobody has to pretend to be a hero, they ask for help.
Something I probably need to consider is getting advice about my voice. Singing constantly for a few hours at a time might create a problem if I’m not careful. And if I can’t sing, we can’t do gigs. At the next band meeting, I’ll talk to the guys about a self-care plan for all of us – that would be a good thing for me to encourage and role model as the leader.
This is going to be one HUGE learning experience – learning new skills, putting in place some new ways of doing things, and learning more about myself. I’m quite buzzed about it all. I don’t know where this will all go, but I’m excited to find out.
