Taking life too seriously is probably one of the major causes of illness, actually. If you are a songwriter, especially with it being such a high-risk business, having a sense of humor about it all is probably your best bet. A song that makes people smile seems to be a better moneymaker that those that make people unhappy, so this can be a good direction for your lyric writing as well. Here are a few ways you can put a little more sunshine into your songwriting and your songwriting life.
LAUGH AT YOUR CRITICS
Yes, it hurts when you hear someone really slam your music, but sometimes we can be our own worst critics. If you catch yourself badmouthing your playing, calling yourself stupid and getting angry when no matter what you try, a part just sounds bad to you, don't get mad, and just laugh. The same goes when you get a bad review-laugh. Even if you laugh in disgust, just the exercise of laughing helps heal your body of stress, and may even get some extra oxygen into your brain so it can think of a way to fix your bad bit. Laugh at the fact that the critic probably missed something really obvious. I got a good laugh at the critic at one song pitch that thought one of my songs needed some modulation-it did nothing but modulate the entire song! I was hoping she was being facetious, but you never know.... You've got to laugh. If you get audience members who heckle you, laugh then, too-they probably forgot their meds, broke up with a significant other, or wish they had a significant other but no one wants them because they are so obnoxious, and are probably wishing they could get the attention you are getting. See it as an indication that you must be doing a good job, because the heckler feels threatened enough to act out at you, and just smile-it's the worst thing you can do to them.
LAUGH AT YOUR MISFORTUNES
Try to take everyday life with a chuckle. When you get stuck in traffic, sit back and sing along with the radio, no matter how bad you sound if you are alone, and laugh at your goofs. Not only will this help pass the time, but you may come up with some good melody lines, lyrics or arrangement ideas, and be far happier when you arrive than the person that sits there obsessing over the fact that five people have nearly caused him to wreck and that he may now be late for an appointment because he now needs to stop for gas. Rethink delays as reasons to do crosswords or catch up on some reading that you hope will inspire your next batch of songs, and you will not only further your work, but be happy when you get where you are headed which will always help your career. If you get sick, think of it as an excuse to write more and play less, and catch up on that sleep you promised you would last month, and be happy for the vacation, even if it is just an hour more a night and you are struggling through the day. A positive attitude seems to help people heal faster, too, studies have shown, so get out those comedy videos, watch comedy shows or rent a funny movie and laugh to yourself that it's research for another song. Even money woes can be laughed at, if you sit and notice that you have a place to sleep, songs you can pitch, and a computer to get in touch with people and learn things from-you are ahead of many, so smile at your good fortune.
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