Live Your Truth 🥁 🎤
Welcome to another edition of my monthly musings - a little dose of inspiration to fill your cup!
I'm excited to share the latest in my coaching, songwriting, and inspiration of all flavors.
Please share this newsletter with a friend if you find it inspiring.
Onward we go! Dave 🥁 🎤
Hello Friend!
Here are some updates from me.
BOOK UPDATE - Doubt Riding Shotgun
First of all: Big Thank You for the additional reviews of Doubt Riding Shotgun! I have 32 reviews touting 5⭐s and several more in the UK and Canada as well. Still working to earn 100 reviews to help book's visibility at Amazon. So please consider a short review of the book even if you have not read the entire book. We live in a 5-star or bust world!
Sale price of $4.99 will continue through January 31. I’ve also learned a lot about Amazon Advertising after 60+ days of failure and zero results, January is my best month of sales so far.
How to help: Please review or like or share a social media post if you feel inspired. THANKS!
My Coaching Videos
As you may have seen, I'm experimenting with videos. Thank you for watching some of my early attempts at video.
My goal is to help find new ears and eyeballs for the Doubt Riding Shotgun thoughts. I’ve gotten some great feedback on these videos and have been surprised by how well they have been received.
Here’s the Youtube channel I’m focused on if you’d like to subscribe and follow along:
https://www.youtube.com/@davehilljr.coaching/videos
Coaching Update
In addition to Executive and Leadership clients, I have been coaching some songwriters and other creatives. If you are ever curious about my coaching, I offer a free “check for fit” conversation and am happy to talk to you or a friend that is in need of some coaching support.
Group Coaching Update
At the risk of being a non-update, I will report that I’m still working on an idea to create a group coaching offering around self-doubt.
My questions:
Are folks willing to talk about their self-doubt with others?
Should we focus mainly on a topic or address the individual needs of the group?
Would folks like to be in groups that resemble their own struggle or can self-doubt be generalized enough for a group?
Would group coaching around self-doubt be better as a course with a few Q&A sessions?
I’d love YOUR thoughts and feedback here as I’m working through my plan.
Songwriting
I recently wrote and recorded a new song for "Reel Songs" called “Over the Line” inspired by the movie The Big Lebowski which will come out in February. Here's the link to my song "Broken Down Bus" from last fall Reel Songs inspired by the film “Little Miss Sunshine”)
What I learned while writing “Over the Line”
First ideas are sometimes simply stepping stones to a more potent idea. Fearlessly let them go and move with your inspiration, interest and what’s working.
In writing Over the Line, I learned something powerful about first ideas. My first lyric idea was
Over the Line and out of control, that’s how I roll, that’s how I roll.
I thought I was so clever ha ha! I read this a few times smiling to myself. The line felt fun and so I jammed on it for a day or so. I sang it to Amber and she gave me a thumbs up (perhaps obligatory loving wife thumbs up, but I felt inspired). What’s interesting though is that as I worked, new ideas bubbled up from the path I was on. The same rhythm was present but new ideas began to form. I decided to abandon that line except for the first three words which became the title of the song. I then talked this over with my friend TW Walsh and he had the great wisdom to say “first ideas are often merely stepping stones to better ideas.” which allowed me to shrug off the nagging feeling I had that my first inspiration needed to be in the final song.
To show you where I ended up, Here’s the first verse and pre chorus lyrics:
I’m a middle age cowboy, feeling uptight
Show me the light, will you show me the light?
Will you show me the light, will you show me
How to roll through this town, like a dry tumbleweed
Will I take heed, as I’m picking up speed
I’m an upside down gambler
way past my prime
They sold out my mind, for a lonely thin dime
Over the line, Over the line
Down River
I also released a new song on January 7 called Down River. I talked about it in this blog post (links to song included)
My Year of Fearlessly Finding my Voice — Dave Hill Jr.
This year marks a creative rebirth for me through embracing songwriting and overcoming the doubts holding me back. I discovered my voice by leaning into grief rather than running from it, finding catharsis in lyrics and melodies. The experience awakened a drive to help others push past their inner c
Wheels
I also played drums on the song Wheels (Spotify link) written by my friend Michela Miller who sings with our band Greenwood Music Collective. Here's a link to Soundcloud
Both songs were mixed by Julian Martlew from KEXP and Mastered by TW Walsh
Inspiration
For my musician friends:
I loved this book on Effective Practicing by Benny Greb (I bought the audiobook)
Paperback: https://bennygreb.de/produkt/epm-paperback/
Audiobook: https://bennygreb.de/produkt/epm-audiobook/
It’s a great book for any instrument that you practice.
For Music Lovers:
I LOVED the new Louis Armstrong movie Black and Blue on Apple TV. I’m a huge fan of Louis Armstrong and have played his records thousands of times.
The first 10-15 minutes of this documentary shows Louis’s mouth up close as he sings is just incredible and easily worth the price of admission. The passion and innovation that Louis gave the world is hard to imagine. I should note the film also deals with some of the heavy racism that Louis had to deal with and dances around the controversial ways he may have done so. Wynton Marsalis is called upon to comment and it is interesting to hear how his own views of Louis have evolved (he hated him growing up, but now appreciates the incredible innovation and more nuanced view of how Louis’s choices).
Hello 2024 Goals
In addition to more coaching and launching my group coaching cohort, I also set a goal to play a solo live show sometime in 2024. I'll let you know when and where! What's wild is that I’ve written over 20 songs in the last 18 so am now working to be able to perform them live. One of the hardest parts of my songwriting journey has been to learn to play my own songs live. It's exciting to lean into my growth edge and walk the walk with my own self-doubt. I can now confirm, I no longer question if I am a songwriter. Which is really something for me!
Until next month, I'm wishing you all the joy and health available to you!
Onward,
Dave
Thanks for riding shotgun with me!
Stay courageous out there 💪,
Dave Hill Jr.,
PCC Certified Executive and Leadership Coach
Learn About My Coaching www.davehilljr.com
Check out my book: Doubt Riding Shotgun www.doubtridingshotgun.com
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