By Cari Cole

John Mayer is many things: a soulful singer-songwriter, a talented guitarist, and a genre-bending, 7-time GRAMMY winner. But he’s also an insightful teacher.

So recently on IG Stories, John Mayer rolled out a series of posts in a incredibly worthy rant. One of the best rants in the business. You see he knows what’s behind-the-scenes of becoming a great musician. And he’s tired of hearing the online chatter about brand and motivation when he knows what comes first is a musicians real skills and musicianship. It’s epicly true and crazy inspiring.

Here is his rant. Listen up. Follow suit and your music might just take over the world.

“Most motivational posts miss a crucial part of the equation.”

“The hours. The repetition. The Practice. The Refinement.”

“There is too much motivation to become a brand and not enough to become great at something.”

“So let me motivate you the right way: Become great. The boring way. The obsessive way.”

“Watch 100 stars be born that are not you. Learn to be cool with it.”

“T-R-A-I-N.”

“Learn to embody these two very important words: NOT. YET.”

“Motivational posts ignore the concept of patience. Patience is a dirty word.”

“Become great while you practice patience.”

“Then when you’re ready, all those motivational posts are right.”

‘”Go forth and be awesome.'” ~ John Mayer

If you’re wondering if you’re truly putting his words into action, here’s a quick checklist to see where you fall on the spectrum. And keep in mind this is for ALL musicians, not beginners. John sheds his scales and practices his art every day and has for years – and he’s a superstar. So do tons of your idols. More than you think. You can too.

Are You A Master of Your Musicianship? Answer the questions on this quick checklist to determine whether you are fully committing to your craft.

Q: Do you practice your vocal scales every day or a minimum of 5 days a week?
Q: Do you train with a vocal coach to improve your voice on a regular ongoing basis?
Q: Do you shed your instrument scales every day or a minimum of 5 days a week? (piano, guitar, bass, drums, mandolin, dulcimer, kazoo (just kidding.)
Q: Do you train with a music teacher to improve your instrument skills on a regular ongoing basis?
Q: Do you write songs every day or a minimum of 4-5x a week?
Q: Do you study songwriting to improve your skills on a regular ongoing basis?
Q: Do you keep your ear to the ground listening to your fellow musicians every day?
Q: Are you obsessed with the craft of becoming a great singer, songwriter and performing musician?
Q: Do you play out every chance you get? (3-4x per month minimum)

If you answered yes to all of the questions you are a friggin’ superstar. Have we met yet? Make sure that we do. Join our list here www.caricole.com and send us an introductory email at info@caricole.com.

If you answered yes to 5-7 of the questions above, you are well on your way, but could step it up a notch or two to reach your goals in a more powerful way and make a statement! Make a commitment right now, to add 1 or 2 of the suggestions above you didn’t answer yes to and watch your music SOAR. This is the most common category most folks find themselves in.

If you answered yes to 4 or less of the questions above, there is no time like the present for you to recommit to your craft. Take a moment and schedule your practice time into your calendar right now for the next month. Be ruthless about it. Make it non-negotiable.

If you answered yes to under 4 of the questions above, you are not alone. It takes a bit of courage, muscle and discipline to commit to your craft and carve your practice time in your schedule. You can DO THIS.

Watch this video and come join us for a conversation that can move the needle for you!