Thanks For Thinking

An adaptation to Malcolm Gladwell's "10,000 Hours" rule, where we consider collecting failures like trophies on the path to mastery and fearlessness.Intro music: “Gingerly” (instrumental) by Surname. Mixed by yours truly.Focus music by Pink Coyote.Outro music: “Futurism” (instrumental) by mrnoname. Produced and mixed by yours truly.@CarlBahner on Instagram@ThanksForThinkingPodcast on Instagramwww.CarlBahner.comFREE Resources for Studio Pros now available at carlbahner.com/resources

Change will happen whether we're ready or not. In this episode, I talk about how seizing opportunities outside my comfort zone completely reshaped my music career. Intro music: “Gingerly” (instrumental) by Surname. Mixed by yours truly. Focus music by Pink Coyote. Outro music: “Futurism” (instrumental) by mrnoname. Produced and mixed by yours truly.@CarlBahner on Instagram@ThanksForThinkingPodcast on Instagramwww.CarlBahner.comFREE Resources for Studio Pros now available at carlbahner.com/resources

After the first time I did a year-in-review to count how many songs I worked on, I was determined to beat that number the next year. Why? Honestly I’m not sure. I just felt compelled to beat that number. I wanted more. More clients. More songs. More money.  More students. Then I heard the phrase “undisciplined pursuit of more” and it hit me like a wrecking ball that shattered a blind spot in my self-awareness. When I heard it mentioned on a podcast (not knowing what the original context was) my mind started racing.It made me realize that I had been spending so much time, thought, and energy on making SMART goals and achieving them, without stopping to ask myself two frustratingly simple questions:“What would it mean to my life, my family, and my career if I achieve this goal?” And, maybe more importantly: “What would it mean to my life, my family, and my career if I DON’T achieve this goal?” For years I’ve been setting goals and achieving them, without thinking explicitly about WHY I chose those particular goals in the first place - other than those numbers were bigger than the year before.***Join the Thanks For Thinking Podcast Community on DiscordIntro music: “Gingerly” (instrumental) by Surname. Mixed by yours truly. Focus music by Pink Coyote. Outro music: “Futurism” (instrumental) by mrnoname. Produced and mixed by yours truly.@CarlBahner on Instagram@ThanksForThinkingPodcast on Instagramwww.CarlBahner.com

There’s an old metaphor, made famous by Sir Isaac Newton, about making scientific progress by adding to the knowledge already discovered by those who came before us. You’ve probably heard it before: “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” This holds true for intellectual and artistic pursuits, and in my experience, it holds true for failure, as well.“Learn from somebody else’s mistakes” is probably a familiar concept, and deep down, the motivation is pretty primal and instinctive: if we learn from somebody else’s mistakes, we can protect ourselves from failure, and ultimately, protect ourselves from embarrassment.But over the past few years, I’ve taken a much more proactive approach to failure - failing boldly and often, while trying to learn as much as I can about myself and my craft along the way. I no longer look at “second-hand failure wisdom” as a way to avoid my own failure - on the contrary, I look at it as an opportunity to make brand new mistakes and fail at things that other people haven’t tried yet. This podcast is a perfect example, blending a short-form music business podcast with guided self-reflection exercises. I mean, why make all the same mistakes as everyone else, when I can spend my time learning from new ones?I may even be so bold as to adapt the Sir Newton’s quote: “If I have seen further, it is by failing on the shoulders of giants.”***Join the Thanks For Thinking Podcast Community on DiscordIntro music: “Gingerly” (instrumental) by Surname. Mixed by yours truly. Focus music by Pink Coyote. Outro music: “Futurism” (instrumental) by mrnoname. Produced and mixed by yours truly.@CarlBahner on Instagram@ThanksForThinkingPodcast on Instagramwww.CarlBahner.com

Last night, I was having a conversation with a new potential student, trying to figure if we would be a great fit to work with one another. We had spoken briefly a few times before, and I knew he listens to this podcast (you know who you are). By the end of the conversation, we had our first session scheduled and paid. He thanked me and said he looked forward to learning and hearing my thoughts on some music she was going to be sending me after our chat. Instinctively, I started to type a response, saying something like “looking forward to working with you!”But I stopped myself before hitting send. Something didn’t feel right. I don’t mean something didn’t feel right about the student, or about the scheduled session… something didn’t feel right about saying “looking forward to working with you.”***Join the Thanks For Thinking Podcast Community on DiscordIntro music: “Gingerly” (instrumental) by Surname. Mixed by yours truly. Focus music by Pink Coyote. Outro music: “Futurism” (instrumental) by mrnoname. Produced and mixed by yours truly.@CarlBahner on Instagram@ThanksForThinkingPodcast on Instagramwww.CarlBahner.com

Burnout doesn’t show up like a light switch - rather, it’s much more orogenous. No, I didn’t say “erogenous,” I’m talking about orogeny - the process of how mountains form.Burnout appears slowly, gradually, like a mountain pushing through the earth’s crust. Well, maybe not quite THAT slowly, but my point is that it can be very difficult to recognize burnout until it’s too late. But much like a rising mountain, burnout can cause considerable disruption to the surrounding landscape (aka your health, happiness, and relationships).***Join the Thanks For Thinking Podcast Community on DiscordIntro music: “Gingerly” (instrumental) by Surname. Mixed by yours truly. Focus music by Pink Coyote. Outro music: “Futurism” (instrumental) by mrnoname. Produced and mixed by yours truly.@CarlBahner on Instagram@ThanksForThinkingPodcast on Instagramwww.CarlBahner.com

So, you’re not a true internet guru until you’ve coined a new marketing term, so I’m really, really hoping I’m not the first person to talk about having a “personality niche.”Admittedly I don’t have an airtight definition quite yet. The closest I’ve got so far is: a group (or groups) of people with whom a creative service provider shares values, passions, and communication styles.In short, it’s a subset of potential clients that we really get along with, in addition to the traditional stylistic niche or specialized service niche.It’s something that I take seriously when I’m qualifying potential clients for my mixing and production business, and I take it VERY seriously when qualifying potential coaching students.***Join the Thanks For Thinking Podcast Community on DiscordIntro music: “Gingerly” (instrumental) by Surname. Mixed by yours truly. Focus music by Pink Coyote. Outro music: “Futurism” (instrumental) by mrnoname. Produced and mixed by yours truly.@CarlBahner on Instagram@ThanksForThinkingPodcast on Instagramwww.CarlBahner.com

If you’re like me, you’re cursed with big ambitions and have gone to great lengths to avoid having to prioritize them. It’s not because we don’t know that it’s important or necessary, but we just hate having to abandon a goal - even if we know objectively that it’s the right move. Personally, when I decide to stop pursuing a goal, my natural instinct is to feel guilty or ashamed. Not because I’m letting anyone else down, which sometimes is the case, but mostly because I feel like I’m letting myself down. However, one thing that I’ve learned over the years while trying to balance a marriage, a career, fatherhood and friendships - is that I had a tendency to interpret “I can do anything I put my mind to” as “I can do EVERYTHING I put my mind to” and that’s just not feasible.***Join the Thanks For Thinking Podcast Community on DiscordIntro music: “Gingerly” (instrumental) by Surname. Mixed by yours truly. Focus music by Pink Coyote. Outro music: “Futurism” (instrumental) by mrnoname. Produced and mixed by yours truly.@CarlBahner on Instagram@ThanksForThinkingPodcast on Instagramwww.CarlBahner.com

When I was in COVID isolation a few months ago, I was reunited with a love from my past - archeology documentaries. Why do I love watching them? To be honest, for the longest time I really had no idea. My wife thinks they’re the most boring thing in the universe, and they definitely are not exciting enough to keep my 5-year-old interested for, I don’t know, three seconds?It wasn’t until this past weekend that something finally clicked with me, and I realized what draws me into these films.  Specifically, it’s a commonality that I see shared by most, if not all, of the Egyptologists that are featured or interviewed. It’s this immense passion, drive, and perseverance that keeps them pushing forward, regardless of how many disappointments they endure. *****Join the Thanks For Thinking Podcast Community on DiscordIntro music: “Gingerly” (instrumental) by Surname. Mixed by yours truly. Focus music by Pink Coyote. Outro music: “Futurism” (instrumental) by mrnoname. Produced and mixed by yours truly.@CarlBahner on Instagram@ThanksForThinkingPodcast on Instagramwww.CarlBahner.com

I mentioned in episode 10 that I was committing to 36 episodes of this podcast. My initial plan was to release three episodes per week, for twelve weeks, and then reflect on my experience to reevaluate whether or not I want to continue beyond the 36th episode. So far, I can’t see myself stopping after 36. But I do see myself pausing after 12. Here's why.***Join the Thanks For Thinking Podcast Community on DiscordIntro music: “Gingerly” (instrumental) by Surname. Mixed by yours truly. Outro music: “Futurism” (instrumental) by mrnoname. Produced and mixed by yours truly.@CarlBahner on Instagram@ThanksForThinkingPodcast on Instagramwww.CarlBahner.com

As freelance creatives, every time we’re presented with the opportunity of taking on a new project, we need to ask ourselves: should we do this?Now, if you’ve talked to me before, or have read the chapter in my course about determining your ideal potential clients, you’ll know that there are actually a LOT of other questions that I ask myself before taking on a project. The majority of those questions help me to figure out whether or not I’m the right fit for the project (and whether or not the project is the right fit for me). Today, I’d like to focus on a more purely logistical consideration - do I need to take on this project? And is it worth my time?***Join the Thanks For Thinking Podcast Community on DiscordOpportunity Cost Explained.Check out Bounce Butler.Intro music: “Gingerly” (instrumental) by Surname. Mixed by yours truly. Focus music by Pink Coyote. Outro music: “Futurism” (instrumental) by mrnoname. Produced and mixed by yours truly.@CarlBahner on Instagram@ThanksForThinkingPodcast on Instagramwww.CarlBahner.com

My fear of public speaking was at war with my passion for teaching.It was a peaceful time when I was a touring drummer because my fear was never about being on stage. Stage fright wasn’t really a thing for me. But, that’s why I was always an instrumentalist - I could just sit behind my drum kit, make a lot of noise... and keep my mouth shut. But when I was in COVID isolation, reevaluating my goals and priorities, I came to the realization that I could help more people and create a bigger impact if I shared my experiences and philosophies publicly. So, I had to make a choice:I could face my fears and push through the discomfort, knowing that launching this podcast could enable me to help more people…Or, I could just keep being comfortably limited. Content. Business as usual, but knowing that eventually, I’ll look back at my life and regret not making a bigger impact when presented with the opportunity.***Join the Thanks For Thinking Podcast Community on DiscordIntro music: “Gingerly” (instrumental) by Surname. Mixed by yours truly. Focus music by Pink Coyote. Outro music: “Futurism” (instrumental) by mrnoname. Produced and mixed by yours truly.@CarlBahner on Instagram@ThanksForThinkingPodcast on Instagramwww.CarlBahner.com

The passions that drive me today, at 36, look nothing like the passions that drove me when I was 30, let alone when I was 8.Does that mean I “lost my passion?” Are you kidding me?! No way! My passion(s) are strong as ever. But they did shift direction while growing deeper and deeper with each passing year. And the reason they grew deeper was because of all the questions I kept asking myself in order to find the direction. That’s why I started this podcast in the first place.***Join the Thanks For Thinking Podcast Community on DiscordIntro music: “Gingerly” (instrumental) by Surname. Mixed by yours truly. Outro music: “Futurism” (instrumental) by mrnoname. Produced and mixed by yours truly.@CarlBahner on Instagram@ThanksForThinkingPodcast on Instagramwww.CarlBahner.com

“How do I want to be remembered when I die?” is a question that has been pondered for millennia. To be honest, it used to keep me up at night. Often. I still struggle with understanding and accepting my own mortality, but facing these contemplations head-on has given me a much stronger drive and desire to make the world a slightly better place, in whatever ways I can by using the skills, knowledge, and perspective that I’ve acquired these last 36 years. There are no right or wrong answers. The important thing is to let your answers guide you through the decisions you make in your career.

I’ll be honest - I’ve been avoiding writing this episode. Not because I don’t think it’s valuable, but because this is a topic that I still struggle with every day.All of the topics on this podcast “hit home” for me because they’re all based on internal dialogs I’ve had throughout my career… but this one has been way more prominent in my life than I want to admit.

I wanted to help remove the stigma of discussing our failures by inviting you to join the "assumptions discussion" (say THAT five times fast) that I’m hosting in our Discord community. We’ll be talking about some of the assumptions we’ve made in our careers, how we found out that we were wrong, and, most importantly, what those experiences taught us.***Join the Thanks For Thinking Podcast Community on DiscordIntro music: “Gingerly” (instrumental) by Surname. Mixed by yours truly. Focus music by Pink Coyote. Outro music: “Futurism” (instrumental) by mrnoname. Produced and mixed by yours truly. @CarlBahner on Instagram @ThanksForThinkingPodcast on Instagramwww.CarlBahner.com

In the last episode, we took some time to think about the anxieties and fears we face when selling creative services. But consider this - what is fear, if not the assumption of a negative outcome?***Join the Thanks For Thinking Podcast Community on DiscordIntro music: “Gingerly” (instrumental) by Surname. Mixed by yours truly. Focus music by Pink Coyote. Outro music: “Futurism” (instrumental) by mrnoname. Produced and mixed by yours truly. @CarlBahner on Instagram@ThanksForThinkingPodcast on Instagramwww.CarlBahner.com

As freelance creatives, we are perpetually in a sales cycle - whether we realize it or not. But the truth is - many of us have a visceral distaste for the sales process. For some, the mere thought of the word “sales” conjures images of a sleazy used car salesman, trying to pull a fast one on the little old lady who doesn’t know any better.But why? Why do so many of us feel stressed out, intimidated, or even frozen by the sales process? ***Join the Thanks For Thinking Podcast Community on DiscordIntro music: “Gingerly” (instrumental) by Surname. Mixed by yours truly. Focus music by Pink Coyote. Outro music: “Futurism” (instrumental) by mrnoname. Produced and mixed by yours truly. 

Thanks for listening to this week’s episodes about Bad Habits and Abandoned Resolutions. You may have already noticed that today’s episode is going to be much shorter than the previous two, and that’s intentional. The Monday and Wednesday episodes are meant to be introspective, providing you with a few moments of focused self-reflection and an action item to apply what you’ve learned about yourself. The Friday episodes, on the other hand, are intended to spark conversations between you, your friends, and your peers. I’ll be leading these conversations in our Discord server -  the Thanks For Thinking Podcast Community. You can join us by following the link below:***Join the Thanks For Thinking Podcast Community on DiscordIntro music: “Gingerly” (instrumental) by Surname. Mixed by yours truly. Outro music: “Futurism” (instrumental) by mrnoname. Produced and mixed by yours truly. 

It’s the first week of January - the time of year when people feel fired-up and re-energized, ready to take on the new year with the tenacity and determination of the Avengers searching for Infinity Stones. But what causes 80% of people to abandon these goals just after a few weeks?Why do the vast majority of people give up on their resolutions, as if their goals were “snapped” out of existence? Well, because when most people say they’re “setting goals,” in reality, they’re just making a wish list.So let’s take some time to think about our own resolutions - and why we gave up on some of them.***Join the Thanks For Thinking Podcast Community on DiscordIntro music: “Gingerly” (instrumental) by Surname. Mixed by yours truly. Focus music by Pink Coyote. Outro music: “Futurism” (instrumental) by mrnoname. Produced and mixed by yours truly.