“3 Life Secrets Tonya Harding Taught Me About Building a Successful Music Career”
I recently watched the movie “I, Tanya” with my wife. Am I a figure skating fan? Nope! Not by a long-shot. However, the Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan drama was a big part of popular culture when I was growing up so my wife and I decided to check it out. I’m glad we did…
After the movie, we invested a bit of time talking through some interesting life choices Tonya Harding made. I soon began seeing some very clear life principles that had a massive impact on her career and life. Any aspiring musician should strive to NOT follow in her footsteps…
Mindset is King
If you believe its possible it probably is. If you don’t, you’re screwed! Tanya’s poor upbringing and constant negative influences bred a fixed and diminished mindset that seems to still rule her life today. While we’re not all born in poverty, very few people have a growth mindset. For instance, I was always told as a child some people had money but most people didn’t. Or, the rich get richer while the poor get poorer. The assumption that our lives have to repeat past generations held me back for a long time. Change your mindset and break the cycle!
Perception is Reality
Being unique is different than being a rebel… Pride is an unusual thing. Much like Tanya, we all have parts of our heritage we like to flaunt. Unfortunately, it’s not always the best part of ourselves that goes on display. Tanya chose to wear her “trailer park” vibe with pride which painted her into a very tough corner with the more affluent ice skating community. If only I could take back some of the misplaced pride from my younger years in the local music scene. My ideals blinded me to the fact that I was limiting my chances for success in an already limited market… Help others see you in a positive light and leave the prideful rebellion behind for a brighter future!
Choose Your Associates Wisely
It’s said that your life will resemble the lives of the 5 people you spend the most time with… Ouch! Tanya could have avoided a majority of her chaos had she surrounded herself with people of stronger character and integrity. Again, I made some sketchy choices back in my youth. However, after realizing the crowd I was running with added little value to my life and certainly didn’t have my best interest in mind, I cut ties and got out as quickly as possible. Are the people you’re spending time with living the life you want to live? Are the ideals of your close associates similar in nature to yours (strong work ethic, integrity, positive mindset)? Do you see yourself doing life with the people you know 20 years from now and still enjoying it? If you answered “no” to any of these questions it’s time to build a better group of humans to do life with. Your future self will thank you for taking a stand now!
Take away:
While I, Tonya may never be seen as a cinematic masterpiece, it does give us a few great hints at how NOT to live life. Work to grow your mindset every day, make good choices that create a positive perception about you and everyone you’re associated with, and ruthlessly guard your inner circle against mediocrity, apathy, and energy-suckers. These simple suggestions will definitely set you apart, enabling you to enjoy life more and build a much brighter future…
Until next time, stay focused, stay consistent, and expect the best from yourself. 🙂
About the author: Ty Morgan is a professional guitarist in the Phoenix, Arizona area. He also owns and operates one of the premier guitar education academies in the area. If you’re searching for rock/blues guitar lessons in Mesa, AZ and ready to discover the path to your guitar mastery be sure to contact Ty!