Becoming a Master DJ: Mental Toughness and Focus
I already gave you all the tools on what to do to become a successful DJ:
Some of you will use this info and take your DJ career to the next level. But some of you will slowly get taken down by the difficulty of live and eventually give up.
Why?
Sometimes when we only look at someone’s success, we don’t know the thought process that led to their performance.
Success and failure don’t happen by chance. Those who excel also have successful ways of thinking.
1.Adaptability, the key to progress
For early DJs, it can be difficult to determine the best strategies to use. Whether that is for mixing, recording, finding their niche, or engaging in social media marketing.
So, as you go through the various stages of promoting and marketing your show, using the "Insight-Driven Method" - which consists of 1) Creating, 2) Analyzing, and 3) Adjusting.
1.Creating: The focus of this step is to create high-quality content and nothing else. Give your best effort and put in 100%. At this stage, DO NOT worry about a fans opinion. Just focus on the creation process.
2.Analyzing: Once the show is created, check the feedback from your audience. Try to figure out why they like some songs more than others. What is it they are looking for?
3.Adjust: Take the insights you gain from the last step and adjust your future show based on what you learn in this step.
In the adjustment step, you need to consider not only what the fans want in the short-term, but also how the changes you make will benefit you in the long-term.
When you get feedback on show from your audience, have a golden opportunity to take action
Don’t resist the process, be open to change and let your career grow!
2.Treat your DJ career as a job not a hobby
If you really want a DJ career, you have to treat it like a job. Not a hobby.
Dedicate 2 hours every day to work on your craft, just as if it were a professional job.
I can already hear you asking what if I am not a disciplined person?
Nobody is. Just get started and become disciplined.
Consistency is the key to success - commit to showing up and putting in the work, no matter how difficult.
Fans come at a slow pace, but they can leave fast.
Many DJs who stop making shows, regardless of how popular they are, are quickly forgotten by their audience. In order to remain in people's memories, it is necessary to consistently produce new content.
Consistency is the key to success - commit to showing up and putting in the work, no matter how difficult.
3.Focus
Not all work is created equal. When you are completely focused on making a mix, you can produce higher-quality results and achieve more in a shorter amount of time.
Have you ever spent hours working on your craft, yet nothing meaningful came out of it?
Do you find yourself getting easily distracted from the tasks that require your immediate attention?
When you are starting out you have limited resources. That limited resource includes time. You might have a day job; you might have family you have to take care of.
That makes it even more important to use every minute to the fullest.
So, stay focused when you work on your show.
Limit your distractions. Turn off your phone, turn off your TV. Let people know you will be working and do not come to interrupt you.
Don’t multitask. Do one thing at a time unless you want to do poorly on many things.
Visualization can help you stay focused and motivated when working on your show.
Try visualizing at night the daily tasks you need to do the next day. In the morning when you first wake up, visualize the long-term outcome of sticking to those habits.
Remember, visualization is a powerful tool that can help you achieve your goals in the long run.
So keep at it and don't give up on your dreams of becoming a successful DJ.
At night imagine yourself coming home from work and dedicating two hours to work on your DJ skills. In the morning envision the progress you'll make by consistently doing so, such as gaining followers on Mixcloud and creating better shows every day.
4. Ignore the naysaying
People are often unpredictable, and they will back away the moment they are faced with any sort of difficulty.
They also don't like it when you are different!
At certain points, there will be people around you - even those who care about you and love you - that will tell you to stop. They might talk you down. Some may even think they are doing you a favor.
But all of these naysayers cannot see your vision and do not understand what you are doing.
Do not allow the negative opinions of others to bring you down!
When I started my own business, many people discouraged me. Every day my parents would say “Just get a job”.
It was hard to deal with it!
I realized slowly that they didn’t know what they were talking about. Hopefully you can come to that conclusion faster.
Ultimately because I built a strategy around visualization, I didn’t quit. Today I have a thriving business as a result.
I want all of you guys to ignore the pessimistic people who continually put down your dreams. They simply do not understand your drive to achieve your goals in life!
Finally, never give up. Even when things get tough and it seems like success is far away, remember that with the right mindset, anything is possible.
Believe in yourself and keep pushing forward. Success won't always come quickly or easily, but if you keep striving for it, you will get there.