I'm giving up on the goal to interview 52 people, but I'm replacing it with a new goal(s).
I'm tired of hassling people to interview them. It's not the kind of work I enjoy. And It doesn't feel organic. I simply don't want to do it anymore. However, I don't intend to leave that space blank; I'm changing it to another goal.
~~Number of people interviewed = 52~~ -> Number of dates with distinct people I don't currently know (i.e., multiple dates with the same person doesn't count) + Number of people interviewed + Number of original songs written = 52
Inspired by this Matt D'Avella video, I want to go on more dates. When I started this year, I thought I wouldn't focus on this, but at this point, it seems ridiculous to keep putting it off. I'm almost 30 after all, and I know I want to find someone to settle down with and eventually have kids.
I need to have a much better idea of what I'm looking for, and I think the best way to do that is to get out there and meet a lot of new people.
To accomplish this, I started using two dating apps: "Bumble" and "Coffee Meets Bagel." Although Tinder is the most popular, I think these other two are more geared towards someone like me. Using a dating app is not my first choice for meeting someone where we have a mutual attraction, but I realize that in my current lifestyle, I simply don't meet a lot of people, much less people that are interested in me.
After having Caleb and Maddie set up my profile and take some goofy pictures for my profile, and I started swiping. After a few days of doing this, my reactions are as followed.
Going back to the goal "equation," adding the songs in there is a safety net. If I can't interview enough people or go on enough dates, at least I have a lot of control over my ability to write songs.
I've been experimenting with TM (Transcendental Meditation). I know I should've learned this from a professional, but I don't have that resource here in Columbia, MO.
I sit 1-2 times a day with my eyes closed and repeat a mantra ("Om"). The goal is to stop thinking, but I have a tough time with that. I can feel myself "descend" and relax as I gradually forget I have body parts, but I have yet to genuinely "stop my mind" from racing around.
I'll probably try it for a few weeks and see if it is something that I want to continue doing.
As I mentioned last week, I bought a bunch of equipment to support up to four people on the podcast. Last night Caleb and I camped out at Shakes for 3 hours. I talked about our show idea for 1 hour then we hosted a "talk show" with two other guests involved.
Everyone was at least buzzed on drinks, and so the conversation was pretty honest and explicit. But it was a total blast, and I look forward to doing it again soon.