00:21 CJ: Welcome to the Savvy Musician Show. This is CJ Ortiz. I’m the branding and mindset coach here at the Savvy Musician Academy, joined, I’m so thrilled to have her back, the lovely Leah McHenry. Leah, great to see you.

00:34 Leah: Great to see you and great to be here.

00:37 CJ: Where have you been?

00:39 Leah: I’ve been around. Yeah, that’s been an eventful last month, my family, we moved, an international move actually back … from the United States back to Canada for a while and that’s always a bit of a gong show but we drove up here with my minivan, with all seven of us, plus two cats and it was a five-day road trip, that was fun.

01:05 CJ: Yeah. Yeah.

01:07 Leah: We all made it out alive.

01:09 CJ: Yeah, try to keep up with the pictures and I just … I couldn’t believe how quick and also, it seems like you had made that transition. No, I mean, great to have you back, of people I have been riding in, they’ve enjoyed the interviews though and so that’s been a blessing of sorts to be able to talk to students both elite and in TOM online musician groups. Man, just great, great stories about what kind of results students are getting and so, ready to hear more of that. In fact, I’m going to start with a little student spotlight here with one of our TOM students, Tracy Forest who writes, “Hashtag win. I know it’s small peanuts but I have to say this model really works.”

“I’m about four to five … four-fifths through TOM,” which means The Online Musician, “About to launch my website and I just ran my first Facebook like ad. I have limited funds so I’m only running the ad for about a dollar a day to a pretty targeted audience. In three days, I’ve gotten 25 new likes. Imagine if I had spent $5 a day. Again, it’s a very small win but I am just amazed how when we followed the program, we get results. I’m even more fired up than ever to keep pushing and to do the hard work. Thanks, Leah and SMA.”

02:33 Leah: That’s cool and actually, I like that dollar a day strategy too, when you’re first starting out because you’re not really losing much money at all and you get your feet wet and some people say if, by spending such a low amount, you’re actually forcing the Facebook algorithm to find the exact right people because you’re limiting them so they have to work with that budget and put it in front of the right people. I actually think it’s a cool way to start out. Good job.

02:59 CJ: Yeah, good job. I think what you say there also as it relates to psychology, has a benefit because like she did, she got a taste for victory.

03:10 Leah: Yeah.

03:11 CJ: Some people can’t imagine even moving it an inch, let alone a mile, so they get this taste of achievement. This, “Wow, it really works,” so what’s the first thought that hits you? What if I spent $5 a day?

03:22 Leah: Yes.

03:22 CJ: In other words, you may not have the resources but it doesn’t mean then … but look how interested they’ll be to spend more money once they’re able to acquire it. Good news is good news, no matter what and again, if you can move it an inch, you can move it a mile so good for you.

03:41 Leah: That’s right.

03:42 CJ: Well, Leah, I’ve done a lot of coaching as of late and I’m seeing a pattern and I’ve had, like this last weekend, sat with a friend of mine, a musician and we talked for maybe two and a half or three hours and everything that I told him about 10% had to do with software, technology, what have you. I had another conversation last night with a student. We went for almost two hours. Again, 10% was about technical things in regards to software or Facebook or what have you and these are two completely different people and two completely different situations with two completely different setbacks but what they share in common is the way that they think.

They were more in their way understanding then that how much they had to understand about their own psychology, psychology of the marketplace, why people buy, what are their expectations et cetera. It just kept bringing me back because I come from a motivational side of the street.

04:47 Leah: Yeah.

04:47 CJ: For me, the way someone thinks or believes or their concepts about what’s possible, what you should be pursuing is completely central to the success of an individual. So much so that I always tell people in my groups, in the audios and video stuff that I do, that if I could spend all of my time on one subject, it would be the way that you think, which is going to influence the way that you believe et cetera. We’re going to come back to a subject that has been really on your heart for some time now. Why don’t you open us up about … because some people can kind of get … when you talk about these kinds of things, people can kind of get a little weirded out because of their … maybe their beliefs and what not but that’s kind of the point, is to help them change beliefs, help them really discover what’s possible and what should their expectations and pursuits be.

When it comes to dealing with the successful, the difference between the successful and the unsuccessful, people can get really envious, people can get jealous, people can get political. They can get partisan.

06:02 Leah: Yeah, triggered.

06:03 CJ: Right, really, really triggered so why don’t you introduce us into this?

06:08 Leah: Yeah, well, I thought it would be a really fun idea to do a little series based on a book that I’m reading my children right now. It’s not a children’s story or children’s book but it’s something that I am incorporating into my morning time with them. If you don’t know, if this is your first time listening or you don’t know too much about me, I’m a mom of five. I have five kids and they’re all homeschooled so we’re all nerds around here. We’re pretty cool nerds but we’re nerds so I … one of the things I do with them every morning is I spend like a two to three-hour chunk. Sometimes in the past, it’s been much less than that. Sometimes it was 20 minutes but I try to make it a habit.

Right now, it’s much longer than that. It’s my impartation time where we do journaling. I get to impart to them wisdom, things, values. We read books, we read nonfiction, we read fiction. We’re reading The Fellowship of the Rings right now and then also, usually, some kind of nonfiction book. Something principle-based and it’s my time to … we get to learn about anything we want. This morning, we were also watching YouTube videos on aquascaping which is like an aquarium, building like a scene in an aquarium. Some of them are incredibly elaborate. They look like an enchanted forest and stuff like, I want to make one of these and so you know it’s very interest-led stuff. It’s an amazing time, I wouldn’t trade that time for anything in the world, it’s the best.

This is a book, I’m reading to them. It is simple enough that children can understand it and they’re genuinely … I mean, their age is five to almost 14. They actually … they’re paying so much attention to this. They are gleaning from it. They are like wow, they’re really learning it and I get to be the teacher me and explain stuff, which I love and it’s extremely rewarding, being able to share this with them. The title could trigger you. The title could trigger, okay? It’s called the Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class by Keith Cameron Smith. This is … if you’re watching on YouTube … we have a YouTube channel by the way if you didn’t know.

08:20 CJ: Yeah, right.

08:21 Leah: This is what it looks like, okay and we’ll put the link in the show notes so you can get a copy of this book. It’s a very short book. Each chapter is very short but the title … there should be some people who are like, “I’m done with this podcast,” because it’s like, what an offensive title. I think 10, 15 years ago, this is not an offensive title but now it is but anyways.

08:45 CJ: Yeah, now it is, right.

08:47 Leah: The whole point of this book is the distinctions, if millionaires and middle class bothers you, just change the words to successful and unsuccessful, okay? These are the top 10 distinctions between successful people who are financially abundant and unsuccessful people or people who are just scraping by and are not happy with their situation.

09:10 CJ: Right.

09:11 Leah: There are many people in the middle class who are completely happy being in the middle class. This book isn’t really for them. It’s for people who are not happy with that status and want abundance.

09:21 CJ: Right.

09:23 Leah: There are 10 distinctions in this book and I love them. This is gold and I will say what’s mind-blowing to me is I read this book years ago, probably … I don’t know, like a decade ago. I read it long before I’d ever made any money and there’s something interesting to me looking back and I think all those books that I read about the success mindset and books like this, Distinctions Between the Millionaires and the Middle Class, I didn’t make any money for at least five, six more years after that but I really do believe it seeded me. It planted the seed that grew into a harvest later on. Once I had a product, once I understood who I was, once I understood the skills that it would take and it’s like all of a sudden, it all came together but it came together years down the road.

That’s something he actually talks about in this book when we talk about thinking long term and actually that’s about what I’m going to read to you guys here in a second. Not everything that you do reaps the harvest right this moment.

10:28 CJ: Right.

10:30 Leah: Reading books like this is planting the seeds for … in abundant harvest later down the road. It could be years. It could be months. Yeah, that’s the interesting thing to me is that I read this book so long ago and I’m reading it now and it’s blowing my mind. I’m like, not because I’ve arrived, not because, “Oh well, that’s me now.” Not at all like that. It’s blowing my mind like … it’s the same way you read a book more than once and you get something completely new out of it. That’s exactly what’s happening to me and I’m being challenged by this book. One chapter in particular which I want to cover in the future like there’s one chapter that’s really challenging me in my thinking.

That’s the whole point of us sharing this with you in this episode is … the idea is to challenge your thinking. The idea is to take you out of your comfort zone and make you consider where you’re at right now that is actually an obstacle to your success. I can’t think of possibly anything better we can even talk about on this podcast because frankly, tips and tricks and tactics only get you so far and really, if you don’t have the right mindset, then they don’t even work anyway. This is the most valuable stuff we could give you.

11:50 CJ: Yeah. I think what people have to realize is don’t be moved by a title or the way something is phrased. Try to find the principle that’s involved here because nobody is suggesting you have to go and be a millionaire, whatever.

12:03 Leah: Right.

12:03 CJ: Now, however, if you taste some success, you’re going to want to see how far you could push the envelope so don’t be surprised if you’re thinking changes over time. However, the point is, is that there are principles of increase, there’s principles that you can increase in what you’re doing. That’s what’s important, is that how does this apply to your life? How does this apply to your particular music business? Now, we don’t have necessarily a whole lot of information from musicians or recording artists about this type of thing. A lot of major recording artists are messed up in the head or they got robbed of all their money from record labels or managers and find out they’re broke and in debt, right? Somebody squandered all their earnings.

The entertainers are not necessarily the best ones to consult when it comes to this but for those people especially those who are … and believe me to the upper, upper class, being a millionaire is nothing.

13:09 Leah: That’s right.

13:09 CJ: That’s … they look at somebody who just is a millionaire as middle class. You talk to the people in the billions and they’re going to look at somebody who’s just … who makes two million dollars a year let’s just say as middle class. They’re looking like-

13:24 Leah: Small fish.

13:25 CJ: Like $30,000 a year.

13:26 Leah: Yeah.

13:27 CJ: It’s all perspective. Now, again, don’t be put off because you’ve brought into it your particular bias about something, let’s get to the principle. Obviously, Leah just mentioned here that she’s instilling this to her kids so that means she wants something perpetuated in her own household. I’ve done the same thing. My kids are all grown but they’ve been raised that way. That’s why I call it a trailer park aristocracy. I want them to think long-term and I want them to think in terms of increase, that where you are is not where you need to remain and I understand like what Leah said that some people are content with being middle class but sometimes that content with being middle class is based on an ignorance.

14:14 Leah: Right.

14:14 CJ: That if they understood the actual threat to the position that they’re in because of the way …

14:19 Leah: Well, the economy even. When you’re relying on one income stream alone and that’s it, that’s all you have, you’re vulnerable. You’re so vulnerable. Your children are vulnerable. It’s not even just about like political ideas. We’re talking even the survival here, thinking about your children in the future. It’s not a good idea to put yourself in a position where you all are financially vulnerable. There’s an entire generation here, an elderly generation. They have no savings. They have no retirement and how are we going to take care of them? I’m not trying to talk about social programs or government programs. This is not about that but you are vulnerable if you are content, that’s how I see it.

15:07 CJ: Yeah, and again, so that’s the … it comes back to the obligation that you have to yourself. What’s the capacity of your resident gifting? If there’s a million people around the world that could listen to your ethereal folk rock, right? If there’s a million people around the world that would love your ethereal folk-rock, and would literally spend upwards of anywhere between $25 to $100 a year with you, because you nurture that audience and take care of them and you give them the music and the products and things that they would enjoy, well, then, do the math. You’re going to increase. It’s not about a lust for … See, some people will … Leah, will position themselves as … somehow, they’re more noble if they decry wealth or abundance or what have you.

16:06 Leah: Right.

16:07 CJ: Somehow that’s a more noble thing and suggesting that if you have abundance, well, you’re somehow evil, you’re somehow-

16:15 Leah: Materialistic, selfish.

16:16 CJ: Bad, right. Instead of thinking well, obviously, number one if you then as the person who thinks this way had more money and since because you’re so … have such a keen sense of good and evil, that it would stand to reason that you would be the most qualified person in the room to possess said money because you would obviously know better than all money how to solve the world’s problems and the other thing is, we’re seeing this right now played out in the political theater where it’s easy to slam the riches a big category and granted yeah, you got your doubles in there man. I mean, there are very, very bad people just like there are bad people in all walks of life.

17:00 Leah: Absolutely. Let’s talk about Monsanto.

17:03 CJ: Yeah, exactly. What the point being is that if you propose some sort of political system where every class, every kind of person no matter what their lot in life is being taken care of, well, that money has to come from somewhere.

17:22 Leah: Yeah.

17:22 CJ: It has to be paid for and so, yeah, what they want to do is tax the rich which is fine, okay, if you want to say that, that’s all fine. That’s all well and good but that means somebody has to be rich.

17:32 Leah: Somebody has the money and is doing something with it.

17:35 CJ: Right.

17:36 Leah: The money doesn’t go away.

17:39 CJ: The overall point here is that increase is going to be necessary on someone’s part and so, we’re not here to make an apologetic, we’re just kind of laying the groundwork for what we want to talk about because we feel like this is such an important topic, we’re going to spend a few episodes on it. It’s just important to get past the natural knee jerk reactions to a discussion like this. We’re not just talking about that. We’re talking the principles of increase, about what really makes a difference between being successful and being unsuccessful and like you said, especially when it comes to digital marketing for the online musician, and I see this all the time with my coaching calls, is that they get too fixated on a trick or a hack or method or a piece of software.

They don’t realize that like you said, there is a connection between the way that you think and even the implementation of some of these tricks or hacks. In the conversation I had last night with a student, even your copy because the copy that they read to me was technically good copy. If you open up a copywriter’s thing, but it wasn’t genuine to them. It wasn’t personal and so, the audience is going to feel that so that’s what we’re talking about, is to change your thinking in a sense that you will begin to see increase in your life in all areas of your life, simply because you’re no longer standing in your own way mentally.

19:13 Leah: Yes, and I think that’s important. Let me read a segment from this chapter and I think the next few episodes, I’m going to read a segment from a different chapter.

19:23 CJ: Okay.

19:24 Leah: These are the ones that really stood out to me, things that hit me. Now, I just suggest, go buy the book and read the whole thing, it only take you about 10 minutes to read one chapter. There’s 10 chapters. This first distinction is really important and I think that it’s … and I love this book because it’s principle-based which means you can apply it to anything and it just carries through time, it’s timeless. “Distinction number 10, millionaires think long-term, the middle class thinks short term.” I’m going to go over here to this one segment because I think it’s a little more relevant to all of us artist and creatives. It says, “Stretch your thinking further into the future.

The longer you can stretch your thinking into the future, the richer you will become. Most multimillionaires I know personally have business plans that reach at least 10 years into the future. When I first started thinking year to year, my income really started to increase. I ask myself questions like, how can I double my income this year? How can I legally pay less in taxes this year? As I’ve seen this principle of long term thinking in the lives of my mentors, it has challenged me to look further into my future. I know have business plans that go 20 years into the future. I spend time on a regular basis thinking about what I want my life to be like five, 10 and 20 years from now.

“Then, I create plans for how to get there.” I’m going to stop there for a second because I love this. We’ve actually talked about this in episodes in the past about how it starts with a dream then turns into a plan. It starts with imagination and imagining what the future could be like and what it is you want then taking that dream and turning it into plan and reverse engineering it. This for me is like … this is gold. This is a jackpot right here. “What would you like your life to be like 10 years from now? Think about it and start planning for it. Thinking long term requires patience. Patience is an asset in the life of millionaires. Impatience is a liability in the life of the middle class.” Do you have anything to say about that?

21:39 CJ: Yeah. Well, to be honest, I couldn’t have said it any better because you do literally see that, especially, when you have a debt-based economy where there’s easy money. If you have a credit card in your pocket that you can just pull out, you’re not thinking long-term so you’re robbing your future to furnish your present.

22:00 Leah: Right, financing their entire life.

22:02 CJ: Yeah, by that means and so people don’t think economically and so, it’s funny the distinction between the different classes is the ultra-rich are not necessarily big spenders all the time. Often times, read the old book, the Millionaire Next Door, you find that they were very, very frugal people. If anything, the millionaires understand money better. They understand economics better so they’re smarter with it whereas the middle class doesn’t understand.

22:36 Leah: Our friends and family I think are sometimes shocked to see that we drive a very inexpensive minivan because that’s not where we want to put our money. There’s no return on that. There’s no ROI on a Honda Civic or a Honda Odyssey. There’s no ROI on that so why would we put all our money there? Let me continue, I like this stopping to do commentary thing, this is fun. “Middle-class people want instant gratification.” I got to say something right now. This house that we just moved into, it’s a rental house because we want to build something eventually and we’re here for about a year. This house we’re in has an extra living room and the previous house we were in, there was one big family room and there wasn’t like a formal living room and a family … this one has an extra living room. I have no furniture in it.

There’s a rug on the floor. I don’t plan on buying furniture for it. Actually, I know what I would want but I’m not going to buy it. I’m going to actually leave it empty. Do you know why?

23:41 CJ: Why?

23:42 Leah: Because it reminds me of my goals and it reminds me that this is temporary and I’m going for something bigger and better and I’m not just going to finance my life and get a bunch of furniture in here right now. I’m leaving it empty because it keeps me slightly uncomfortable and reminds me, every time I walk in there, what I’m doing and why I’m doing it.

24:02 CJ: Right. Yeah, I’m similar in a sense … because I’m in a different season of life. My kids are grown even though I’ve got a couple with me, they’re adults and they’re doing their thing but we have a standard American house, a dining room and a living room and all that sort of stuff. Well, we don’t really use those rooms. I don’t use the living room. I’m either working or I’m asleep.

24:28 Leah: Or in the kitchen.

24:29 CJ: Yeah, I’m in the kitchen. So yeah, you use the kitchen, you use the bathrooms and you use the bedrooms. I’m not using the living room. I’m not using the dining room so it’s like okay, I mean, I could even go with a smaller home and my home would just be a standard home. There’s nothing … it’s a beautiful property, it’s a beautiful house but there’s nothing extravagant about it. I don’t got all the extra rooms and spas and all this kind of stuff. You have that same mentality which is to say that doesn’t mean I don’t want increase. It just means I have a higher purpose. I’m thinking like you just described ROI. What do I want something to give back from my investment?

25:11 Leah: That’s right. Okay. “Middle-class people want instant gratification. I was like that for many years. Whatever I wanted I charge to my credit card or put a little bit down and made the payments on the balance. Now, I wait for things that I want because my goal is more freedom, not comfort.” That’s where I’m at right now. “Rich and very rich people have developed the discipline of delayed gratification.” That’s a term that I teach my children. The phrase delayed gratification. “Millionaires do today what others don’t so they can have tomorrow what others won’t.” Rhymey. “The very poor, poor and middle class will never be free. More and more freedom is the goal of the rich and the very rich. They love to be in control of their lives. The very poor, poor and middle class have put control of their lives into the hands of others which ironically are the hands of the rich and the very rich.”

26:11 CJ: Isn’t that funny. Yeah, what’s the old saying, the borrower is slaved to the lender.

26:18 Leah: Yeah.

26:18 CJ: Right?

26:19 Leah: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

26:21 CJ: You’re living on a slave plantation of sorts because you don’t own anything for the most part. It’s all been financed. You’re just in long-term debt-based slavery and so, the difference between maybe the middle class or lower class and the millionaire is that the millionaire is very, very aware of that fact so he or she will work aggressively in terms of it, as like you said, delaying gratification for the ultimate goal of liberty not comfort. That’s luxury and ease as a deceptive voice, where you think that if I have all the accoutrements of what people perceive as successful, the big-screen TVs and all these cars and whatnot. Well, then that is somehow liberty. No, you’re financed to the gills, you’ve got the Best Buy card, you got the Visa card, the Mastercard, the American Express Card. You got this loan, that loan and you’re financing your life away …

27:28 Leah: You’ve just trapped yourself, yeah.

27:29 CJ: Yeah, so you got the big screen TV but you’re not free, you’re not at liberty to do what you want.

27:36 Leah: “Millionaires value freedom over comfort and because they do, they get both. Because the middle-class values comfort over freedom, they will never be free. Think long-term in every area of life. I want you to be aware that this principle of thinking long-term not only applies to your financial life but to every area of life.” And this is where I want new musicians to really listen to this, “It is wise to think long-term in your relationships when you do, you will show more respect to others and think from a win-win perspective. If you think short-term in your relationships, you’ll be looking for what others can do for you and end up using people as a means to an end.” It happens all the time constantly in the music industry, constantly. People are just saying, what can you do for me? How can I use you as a stepping stone? It’s gross.

28:26 CJ: Right.

28:27 Leah: “If you or someone who always uses people for your own gain then chances are, you will be a lonely person especially in your later years. Millionaires develop long-term relationships which also helps them with their long-term financial success. They think about how they can they best serve their families, friends and clients when you reach the end of your life, it is the relationships you have developed that make you truly rich. Ask yourself on a regular basis, how you can build deeper and stronger relationships with the people you love. Just as there are people who are very poor financially, there are also people who are very poor emotionally. People who can’t love or be patient or kind.

“People who can’t forgive and people who get angry easily are very poor emotionally. Focus on becoming rich emotionally as well as financially. Becoming rich in your relationships is more than success. It is significance. It is fulfillment. Financial success without relational fulfillment is not rewarding. Think long-term in your financial life and in your emotional life. It’s wise to think long-term about your physical health. If you do, then you will make the time to exercise your body and eat more healthfully. If you don’t think long-term in your health, you will neglect exercise and eat too much junk. Chances are you’ll become overweight and live with a low amount of energy.

“Thinking long term in your health empowers you with energy to become more successful financially. Every area of life is connected and thinking long-term in each area will improve every area. It is wise to think long-term in your mental life and mental health, too. What would you like to spend your life thinking about? Is there a certain subject that inspires you? What do you enjoy giving your mental energy to? People who spend their lives thinking about things that excite and inspire them live with incredible peace of mind. People who could be considered very poor mentally are those who complain and spend their mental energy on things they dislike.

“Mentally poor people live with a lot of stress. Would you like to increase your peace of mind? If so, then start thinking long term about your mental life. Spend your mental energy on the subjects you enjoy. Dedicate your life to the fields of interest that inspire you. Find a way to make money in the areas you enjoy thinking about. This is a secret of many millionaires. They do what they love to do to make money. This makes them rich mentally and financially. Think long term in every area of your life not just financially.” One more section here, “Set more long term goals. In order to move from the poor to the middle class or from the middle class to the rich or from the rich to the very rich. Just start planning your life further into the future.

“Set more long-term goals for your life. People overestimate what they can accomplish in one year and underestimate what they can accomplish in 10. When you have long-term goals, you will find it easier to develop perseverance. All millionaires have had to persevere through challenges in their lives. In order to see your dreams fulfilled, you have to become a whatever it takes kind of person.” Gold, this is gold. In order … I’m going to read that again. “In order to see your dreams fulfilled, you have to become a whatever it takes kind of person. Middle-class people give up when the pressure is on since they value comfort, they don’t persevere when the going gets tough. Millionaires go the second mile and the third and the fourth.

“They do whatever it takes to experience abundance since they think long-term, they keep on keeping on until they achieve abundance and freedom. Millionaires think long-term, the middle class thinks short-term.” Boom, mic drop. That’s why I’m reading this to my children. Can you imagine if your parents have read this to you and your kid.

32:24 CJ: Yeah, because you probably may have gotten your idea of scarcity and lower-class thinking from your upbringing. It brings up the point that fundamentally, I think what people have lost sight of, is that everything, for the most part, is economic in nature, especially relationships and family, especially. Now, you have to qualify the term economic. Economic in the sense that it’s what … it’s the way of means to perpetuate something so it’s survival.

33:00 Leah: It’s an ecosystem.

33:02 CJ: Yes, so think of a … exactly. Think of a family from the middle ages under … living under a tyrannical king in Europe, right? Hoppers. Well, they didn’t get married because they read a bunch of harlequin romances and wanted to find that somebody special and maybe have a couple of kids in a white picket fence. No. Marriage was an economic decision. That’s why there were dowries and all these, money had to be exchanged because it was … and if a family had too many daughters, that was considered liabilities, because they needed boys and to be young men, to do the heavy type stuff and protect the home and all that sort of thing. Plus the average lifespan of a kid was not that great.

The average lifespan of an adult wasn’t that great. You had to have a lot of kids. Decisions about marriage and family were economic in nature, the modern age. We’re marrying because it’s just a cool thing to do or because we grew up watching Hallmark shows and watching love stories and so, we want that. There is no … that’s why we can fall in and out of love and get married three or four times and so, the modern person is not very rooted in family. The modern person is an individual, it’s what they call Adamism where you think in terms of the individual. Therefore, if you’re an individual, then who do you see yourself in terms of in the larger picture. It’s usually not family or community. It tends to be government, political party, that sort of thing.

That’s why you’ll see literal family members split over political views because they identify themselves … when you see people talking about rights, than they do duties, you know that people see themselves more in terms of these sorts of things. So, if you don’t understand that by thinking long-term, this guy is not just being cute to say, “Hey, also think long-term about your health, think long-term about your relationships.” He’s not being cute. It is a comprehensive change in your world view. World view, the way you view the world. Yourself, what’s available, what’s possible, your children, your relationships, the long-term outcome of these things. What is your desired outcome?

Most people don’t think about that Leah because most people are short-term thinkers. They spend like they’re money like they’re short-term thinkers. They don’t live long-term so they end up with what, lots of debt, not a lot of savings, everything is right now. They’re just hoping that everything is going to turn out okay but now you got something like the virus and people talking about the economic fallout and what had been all of a sudden jobs are at risk and so people panic. Why do they panic, because there was zero preparation.

36:06 Leah: That’s right. Everyone is just cleaning out the paper … the toilet paper aisles.

36:12 CJ: Yes, so that’s I think a lot of people’s reality and the point here is not to shame anyone. That’s not the point here.

36:21 Leah: It’s to inspire you. We’re trying to inspire you here to motivation.

36:25 CJ: Yeah, because … I mean, it’s going to be difficult for you to … and this is the real point I want to get across to the musician who’s listening Leah because we can get to thinking … they’re talking so much about middle, upper class that, what does it have to do with music? What it has to do with music is that, you can’t go into something, as taught by the Savvy Musician Academy, which is solely based on you doing something for yourself in entrepreneurial fashion.

36:54 Leah: Right.

36:54 CJ: Not dependent upon institutions, not dependent upon social security, not dependent upon anybody else but your own effort.

37:03 Leah: Right.

37:03 CJ: You can’t do that if you bring into it a mentality that’s based in a system that’s based upon, depending upon institutions, depending upon credit cards, depending upon all of these other things, short-term thinking because what happens if your little ads don’t work in three months? Are you going to quit?

37:21 Leah: Are you just destroyed by that?

37:24 CJ: Yeah, are you just literally taken out or you’re a long-term thinker?

37:27 Leah: I feel like this type of episode, it’s so important. I wish everybody wouldn’t buy a single course from us until they listen to this episode because so many people are just looking for a quick fix. They’re looking for, give me the tactic, give me the hack so I can get a bunch of Instagram followers but they have no thought process, no mental headspace. They’re not even giving a thought to building a long-term sustainable career that actually protects them in any type of economy. They’re just not thinking like a real business person, a business owner and just like a healthy individual who thinks longer than next week. It makes me sometimes just think … and it’s not just musicians.

It’s a whole segment of the population but the musicians that I come across so often just want, give me a result right now and if I don’t get it, give me a refund, give me my life back. I’m going to write crap about you on Reddit or whatever the heck, and I’m just like, you feeble-minded, short-term thinker like with no vision in your life, no vision for the future, no vision for yourself, do you think that you’re going to consume this information and by the mere fact that you consumed it, something magical is going to happen? Absolutely not.

38:58 CJ: That’s entitlement. That’s the danger of luxury and ease because they think if I can microwave my dinner if I can drive down to the Best Buy and pick up a TV off the shelf, pay for it with a credit that’s almost maxed out, bring it home, plug it in and watch it, then the results should be instantaneous too. Again, if you’re going into something like we teach at the Savvy Musician Academy, it is completely dependent upon you. Yes, there’s great software. Yes, there’s coaches in some of our programs to help. All of that is there but it is you and you is determined by the way that you think. If we can unlock this possibility thinking, this prosperity thinking, this abundance and increase way of thinking, we won’t be able to hold you back.

It won’t be you getting motivation from us, you will have an endless supply of just absolutely high-octane motivation because you’re going to see that there are no limits to what’s possible for you, not just financially but in terms of influence, as an artist, to touch people. If you feel like your music can really impact the life of other people, even if it’s just entertaining them, making them laugh, giving them a time to escape, enjoying your music, you have a responsibility to do that and you can’t do that without the funds.

40:28 Leah: Right.

40:29 CJ: Therefore, the more that you have, the more that you increase, the more that you can do and the more you, then, become the inspiration to other people, to help unlock them. Break the shackles of poverty thinking from them and that if everybody thinks this way, it’s not greed. It’s not greed at all.

40:48 Leah: No. The more abundance there is, the more you can do for this world.

40:52 CJ: Exactly.

40:52 Leah: The more you can do for other people, the more you can provide not just for yourself but for your family, future generations, it’s just, you need abundance to do anything in this world. It takes money to do anything, so why not have more of it, why not learn how to become a very successful musician or creative whoever you are. Learn what it takes to become that person and then learn how to grow it and then learn how to inspire other people by it.

41:25 CJ: Well, and that’s what’s been inspiring even over the past several months, Leah as you did your last launch of your winter album at the end of the year and then went into your year-end sale and then even recently, starting the sister brand which we’ve covered in previous episodes of Mythologie Candles and that’s just been blowing up. Again, setting the example of not being satisfied and not for the sake of greed but you see possibility, you’re inspired by an idea. You see how you can increase your particular empire with the candle company and so you’re not going to sit, put it on the shelf. You’re going to take steps on it. You took a risk, you didn’t know everything that was going to be involved.

You were learning so much about candles, about the shipping because now you weren’t doing drop-shipping necessarily, so you’re taking everything. You got the kids involved. Steve, your husband was involved and so, it’s a learning process and you grow through this. It’s just, there’s so much that comes out of this. It’s not just money. There’s so much that is going to make you as a better business owner, as a better marketer, as a better everything through this and that only comes because there’s a hunger for it but there’s a belief in you. You’re not limited by the lack thereof. You’re not limited to unbelief and self-doubt and second-guessing. You’re willing to go after it. So, it’s a great example.

42:50 Leah: I couldn’t have said it better. Yeah, that’s exactly it. I’m seeing the possibility and I’m seeing the challenge and I get addicted to challenging myself and not everything is going to always win. I’m okay with that. That’s actually a chapter in this book which we’ll cover in the next episode. Failure is a good thing.

43:10 CJ: Well, if you don’t throw weight on the bar, you’re not going to grow a muscle. There’s got to be resistance and if life is not sending you some, then you need to bring some on yourself.

43:18 Leah: That’s good.

43:18 CJ: Sometimes it would be expanding and so, you’ve done that and we want our students and our listeners to do that. Expand. You need to stretch yourself. You need to do something more like this, the lady we started with, the student we started with if she spent a dollar a day. That’s a stretch, that’s big and $5 will be five times that but one day, they’ll get to the place where they’ll look back and say, I remember when I was just spending $5 a day. It does open up to possibilities, so that’s growth. You’re only going to grow by resistance so every day should be like a trip to the gym for you mentally. Every day, you got to subject yourself to the heavyweight of life’s resistance.

44:04 Leah: I had a relative who was asking me about all the different things, sort of like okay, so you got your main academy going, like yeah and they’re like, okay and you’re starting the candle business? Yeah. You have your music thing too. I’m like, yeah, there’s that too. She’s like, does your brain hurt all the time? I’m like, yes it does. Yes, my brain does hurt all the time. That’s exactly … it’s like asking, do your workout suck every time? Yes, they do. Right, they’re supposed to, right? That’s the only way you’re going to actually get a benefit out of it. Challenge yourself, you guys.

44:39 CJ: Exactly because either that, either your mind is occupied with troubleshooting your business and business growth or you’re occupied with triviality which carries its own burden or worry. There’s no way you’re living where you are right now, whether middle class, lower … there’s no way you’re living that way and completely content.

45:05 Leah: Yeah.

45:05 CJ: There’s just no way because …

45:06 Leah: I think you’re lying. People must be lying, who says that?

45:09 CJ: Yeah, because you might say, “No, I’m fine, I’m perfectly fine.” Okay, so if something happened to your car tomorrow, your car was wrecked, you’re telling me you’ll be perfectly fine. You don’t have any … you have all the money you need to have that car fixed immediately, get another car immediately, if you lost your job tomorrow, which a lot of people have experienced that, you’re telling me, you’re perfectly fine? No.

45:35 Leah: A relative has a medical emergency.

45:38 CJ: Yeah, you’re perfectly fine. Today, for example, this morning. Me and my daughter were kind of troubleshooting through some of her physical stuff. So, we really need to get some blood work done and so, they have …

45:53 Leah: Labs.

45:53 CJ: Yeah, they have walk-in labs they can go to so we’re getting a comprehensive female panel for her that gets everything from hormones to whatever and then I went ahead and do the comprehensive male panel, okay? Plus, we added some blood type stuff and not cheap. Not cheap at all but you know what, it’s not even a thought. It’s not even a thought. I said, no, that’s what we need, that’s what we’re doing so yeah. I’m not tripping, whereas other people would be like, “I can’t do that.”

46:25 Leah: I can’t do it. I just can’t do it. Yeah.

46:27 CJ: Right, so what are you going to do with your kid because in my case, I’m … to the consternation of family members and whatnot, I’m not rushing her to a medical physician because I know they have two solutions. Surgery and medication.

46:45 Leah: That’s right. Yeah.

46:46 CJ: That’s it but the majority of people’s-

46:48 Leah: A pen or a knife.

46:49 CJ: Yeah. Yeah, but the majority of people’s problems have to do with their physiology, has to do with nutrition and has to do with a lot of other things. My challenge to my daughter, I said, let’s zero … let’s make sure we’ve covered the fundamentals because you don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on a doctor only to find out, “Oh change your diet.”

47:10 Leah: Right.

47:12 CJ: That doctor wouldn’t even know what diet.

47:14 Leah: Yeah, start there.

47:14 CJ: Let’s start there. Let’s get that and so if there still have some challenges, then we can go and pinpoint things, so we’re being smart but at the same time, we’re not worried about it. It’s great to be in a position where if I need to something to take care of something for my kid, I’m not tripping about it or somebody else is hoping a disaster doesn’t happen to car, job or health or house, God-forbid so don’t tell me you’re content. You should be discontent and let the frustration settle in from listening to this podcast. Let it be like thorns in the nest, like a mother eagle putting thorns in the nest to drive the eaglets out of the nest. Otherwise, you’ll stay in the nest.

You’ll stay in this comfort zone. You’ll stay in this place, you’ll call half-ass bad-ass and you’ll sign a contract with mediocrity because you’re discomfort is comfortable enough for you to settle for the rest of your life. Don’t stay there man. We’re trying to push you out of the nest and that’s all I got to say about that, Leah.

48:11 Leah: Yeah, the end, leave us a review, goodbye.

48:16 CJ: Okay, so we have a lot more to say about this. We wanted to lay some groundwork and Leah has got some more great stuff she’s going to be sharing with us in the next couple of episodes here but Leah, we’ve got cool stuff coming up really, really soon. We’ve been kind of leaking it out through various posts but The Online Musician 3.0.

48:40 Leah: 3.0

48:40 CJ: The flagship, 3.0 upgraded. The best just got better.

48:45 Leah: That’s right. Yeah, The Online Musician has been our flagship program, comprehensive program I would say for musicians launching their music career online, growing an organic fan base mostly without paid traffic and this is just … this is going to be the newest iteration of it. I’m really excited about it because I thought it was comprehensive before but we’ve gone a whole step further. I’m making it even more comprehensive. In the past, we didn’t have a module on mindset. We didn’t have anything on websites and a few other big things, some particular social sites like Instagram and such and we’re adding all of that in here and upgrading, updating all of that.

It’s going to be amazing and this is really for … even I would say, even experienced musicians out there but especially for people who are really trying to get their music career off the ground. You’re not making three to $5,000 a month from your music yet, this is the program for you. You’re going to want to get on the waitlist for when we launch this program there will be a link in the show notes for that. Do we know what the URL is so we can call it out?

49:58 CJ: Explode your fan base?

49:59 Leah: Explodeyourfanbase.com, I believe is the right URL and you can get on the waitlist for that and if you’re already a TOM 2.0 student, I got you. You’re going to get a free upgrade to the 3.0 so we got you and I hope that you love it.

50:16 CJ: Remember it, ladies and gentlemen. You got to say thank you when somebody does something nice for you, so say thank you, Leah, for giving me a whole … because this is …. we say upgrade. I mean, when you did, so much has changed on Facebook, in different softwares and all the stuff since then that you have to keep upgrading things because this stuff is always changing but like Apple does. Apple doesn’t say, “Hey, you need to upgrade your iPhone, come on in, we’ll give you a free one.”

50:51 Leah: Yeah. No, they don’t do that, which we did.

50:56 CJ: So, you’re going to give … listen, so if you are already a TOM 2.0 student, you are going to be automatically upgraded to version 3.0.

51:07 Leah: That’s right, and if you’re not in this program, yeah, you’ll hear all about the details. Just go sign up for the waitlist. Again, if you’re not yet making three to $5,000 a month from your music online, you need this program. That’s all there is to say about it. It’s very comprehensive, we’re covering everything from mindset which is like 95% of your success to launching your album online, all the different things you need to do, building different revenue, streams of income. We are talking about specific social media platforms and just the whole nine yards of everything I’ve done to build a six-figure music business from home without touring.

If you tour, that’s icing on the cake, man. One day when I tour, my career will probably double, but everything I’ve done up until now, I have done without touring so what are the possibilities for you? I’m going to leave on that note. Go join the waitlist, it’s going to be really exciting.

52:04 CJ: Well, thank you guys for joining us. Again, please leave a review for this podcast. We love hearing from you. We read your reviews in all of our team meetings. If there’s some stars there, click all of them. Go to our Facebook Groups, if you’re part of them and be sure to leave us a comment or suggest a topic for a future episode of the Savvy Musician Show. Leah, thanks again and let’s do this again.

52:27 Leah: All right, onto the next episode.

52:29 CJ: Take care.

52:31 Leah: Bye.

52:32 CJ: This episode is sponsored by The Online Musician 3.0, the upgraded version of the flagship music marketing course from the Savvy Musician Academy. This cutting edge music marketing course is set to release soon so sign up now for our waiting list to receive up to date information at explodeyourfanbase.com. Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins recently said in an interview, “If I was going to give you 60 seconds of advice, I would put your whole focus into reach of people through the internet.” There’s no better way to start reaching your ideal fans on the internet than by The Online Musician 3.0 which covers cutting edge topics like mindset training, branding secrets and tutorials.

Creating a website that converts, Instagram for musicians, YouTube for musicians. Using and leveraging Facebook groups, monetizing your music, creating a successful album launch and much, much more. If you’re ready for your next level in creating your own online music business, then sign up now for our waiting list at explodeyourfanbase.com.