Audio Coaching
with Mickey Stewart
Missed the other Audio Coaching Sessions?
You can listen to them Here:
April 19, 2023
Hearing Impaired?
Read the Transcripts for Audio Coaching May 13, 2023 HERE
Good morning drummers.
This is Mickey. My throat is still croaky because I've only had one and a half coffee. So the day is young.
I wanted to pop in here and share the final blog post in our Slow Down Series with you. I'll tell you about that in a second.
But I did want to share something with you that might be useful for you to piggyback on.
If you really want to get better at your drumming, but everything else comes before it and everything else seems more important, more of a priority - what I'm finding is working is having an accountability buddy.
I'm in a Mastermind group with the women I went through leadership with two years ago and we still meet up religiously, every Tuesday at 4pm. UK time.
Sometimes we have the last Tuesday of the month off as flex week, but sometimes we even jump on then. We want to see and support each other. We may have requests for support or we just want to share some wins. I have to tell you that I've never met any of these women in person, but honestly, they know probably know things about me that a lot of my other close friends I've known all my life don't know.
We also meet every Thursday at 6pm for anyone that wants to get on and jump on a co-working session and that is really supporting us.
One of my mastermind members reached out and said 'I really want to get consistent at working out so could someone be my accountability buddy?'
And so of course, health and getting more physically fit is definitely something that I've been working on, especially since recovering from my traumatic brain injury.
But I have to tell you, you might see pictures of me at the gym and things like that, but in the last year, especially, you know, probably even since COVID hit to be honest - I'm sure a lot of you will be able to relate to the fact that we're still all recovering from COVID. It kind of did a number on us.
I am just to let you know that I personally feel it too.
Okay, this is probably TMI, too much information, but I've been going through perimenopause, and sometimes it is just CRUSHING me.
I would consider myself the Mindset Queen. I can talk myself into doing the biggest, scariest, most outrageous things, but perimenopause is like, 'Oh, let's just really test that theory, shall we now?'
Sometimes I'll have those low days, anxiety of opening an email and replying to an email just seem like a really big deal. So I wanted to share that with you to let you know that when I give some kind of suggestions or advice, it's because I also need to hear it and it's coming from a place of pure authenticity, of understanding what some of you might be going through.
So, getting back to the accountability. My friend Natalie, she's in California, so she's eight hours earlier than me. We committed to doing four workouts a week. We start on a Monday, Sunday's the last day, and I have to tell you - starting out, I'm like 'Yeah, let's do this!'
I really enjoy going to the gym now, but in the last two weeks in particular, it gets done but it's pretty messy.
My son Cameron, oh my gosh, he's such an inspiring person to be around, especially at the moment. I'll share more about that in another audio coaching.
But he was saying to me, 'Mum, you said you were going to go to the gym' and he's really helping get me out the door. Thursday night I listened to my body I knew I wasn't going to have a great workout. So I told Cameron, 'I commit to doing a double workout on Friday.'
So I was on the computer, my new computer, and just like last week, I was talking about feeling like Bradley Cooper in the movie Limitless and I was on the computer probably for about 10 and a half hours yesterday. I didn't want to get off it because I was so inspired, but at about quarter to eight my husband said, 'I thought you're going to the gym' and reminded me it closes at quarter past nine.
Those supportive nudges really help me. So, I got myself there and I went right up to the 9:15 pm closing time. I got my weight training in and my cardio on the treadmill in - the double session I committed to Cameron.
I have another workout to do today and that'll be me complete with my four sessions for the week.
If I wasn't doing this with an accountability buddy . . . if I don't do my four workouts, I'm letting her down.
If she doesn't do her four workouts and post she's done hers in our chat together, she's not a good accountability buddy. Right?
We're six weeks in, going into week seven, and it is working.
When I try something and I test it and figure out what works and what doesn't work - I like to share that with you.
Here's what I would suggest.
Find someone - if you're in my Platinum Membership or my Keepers of the Rhythm course, or even on my BodhránExpert Facebook fan page, pop a message in saying, 'Hey, would someone like to be my accountability buddy? and you don't even have to really know each other that much.
Set up a message to be messaging and encouraging each other. Agree on how many times you want to practice such as 'I commit to practising xyz times a week.'
Even if it's twice. If you're not practising at all each week, just saying 'I commit to practising once a week, really focused time' - that might be a really good stretch for you.
It doesn't have to be four times. It can be whatever you agree to.
You can even put 'Would anyone like to be my Accountability Buddy to practice at least once a week. No ifs, ands or buts.'
You can really help each other along the journey.
I will tell you that it's really really working for me.
I'm toying with adding something like this, almost like little pods in my next Keepers of the Rhythm launch. Gosh, that's what I was working on yesterday for 10 and a half hours and so excited about. I can't wait to share this with you.
Getting back to the blog post . . this week is the last one - Volume Four of our Slow Down Series.
I share with you another really great free tool, the Global Speed Extension and also another little tip if you have editing software.
I give you a very clear description and very clear graphics on how to use those. So I'll put the link here below the coaching.
I'm wishing you all a beautiful weekend. My husband and I are heading up to Banchory tomorrow to help the Grade for Vale of Atholl Pipe Band who have their very first competition outside and Mark is going up to help tune them. Fingers crossed that it doesn't rain. Maybe I'll pop some photos on Facebook about that tomorrow.
Anyway . . , I really . . . just love you all. I know that I don't know a lot of you, but I love you all and everyone that I do meet in person. I end up loving them so I'm pretty sure that I'll probably love you too.
If you're not someone that tells people that you love each other and you're like, 'Gosh, she doesn't even know me' - you know what? I don't care. Sometimes people need to hear that.
Bye for now,
Mickey
