The magic of Taylor Swift in 7 words
“Make things better by making better things.”
A wise mentor shared that advice with me many years ago. His point was simple, yet unforgettable:
Stop whining
Stop complaining
Stop blaming
Stop defending your actions
Instead, if you don’t like how a business is being run, start your own. If you have something to say, start writing or creating videos. If you don’t trust your local politicians, run for office. If you disagree with how a team is being coached, here’s a whistle and a clipboard.
In other words, YOU show us how to make it better.
That’s precisely why I began coaching youth basketball in 2006. A year before, I had seen the “coach” of a third-grade girls rec team slam his clipboard to the floor, berate his young ladies for making mistakes, then proceed to call plays for his daughter to score 28 of the squad’s 30 points.
“Make things better by making better things,” I reminded myself. “This is really bad. I can do better.”
Which brings me to Taylor Swift.
Yes, THAT Taylor Swift.
WATCHING ‘MISS AMERICANA’
A few months ago, my wife and I watched the Netflix documentary, “Miss Americana.” The autobiographical film conveys how Taylor Swift transformed from a young people pleaser to a seasoned show-stopper who now calls all the shots for her global enterprise. It’s brilliant, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
In fact, I watched it again over the weekend.
The concert footage is stunning, the edits are clean and crisp, and T-Swizzle is an incredible performer. Plus, it brought back special memories of chauffeurring my daughter and her friends to the mall, to ball games and to the movies as they bopped in the backseat to the strains of the CD, “Red.”
But there’s another reason I watched again. A brief scene just a few minutes into the doc not only captured my attention, it’s ingrained in my mind as I coach others to become their best.
It’s a powerful, and moving, example of deep and deliberate practice.
Yes, she’s massively wealthy. Yes, she’s massively popular. Yes, she’s massively talented.
But Taylor Swift is human. Just like you and me.
And when things aren’t moving in her favor, she does what you and I should do, too.
She practices.
In a focused, relentless, and methodical manner.
“Make things better by making better things.”
GRAMMY DISAPPOINTMENT
In the dark of night, an exhausted but content Taylor Swift is talking to no one in particular from the backseat of a limo. It’s driving away from the stadium where she had just dazzled more than 75,000 screaming fans.
“My God, man. I am so happy,” she confessed. “They were so happy watching it.”
The next morning it’s time to announce the Grammy nominations. Her 2017 album, “Reputation,” was streamed millions of times, yet she learns it wasn’t among the nominees in any major category. Not one.
After receiving the news, she slowly puts down her phone. Again, to no one in particular, she utters a line that was music to my ears.
“I need to make a better record,” she admitted as tears welled in her eyes.
It was time for her to go back to the lab — actually a recording studio — and get to work.
I leaned closer to the TV and pulled out my notepad.
I was not disappointed.
“Make things better by making better things.”
3 STEPS TO SUCCESS
The next shot opens with Taylor seated at a piano. She has on a comfy wool sweater and pajama bottoms. Her hair is in a pony tail. She’s not wearing makeup. It appears to be late at night or early in the morning, whichever you prefer.
She’s not quite singing, but her lips are moving. She hums. She uses phrases like “nuh-nuh” and “duh-duh” to fill in lyrical gaps. She’s in the midst of Stage 1 of deliberate practice:
1) Imagine what can be — Taylor begins playing with words and testing the boundaries of her voice. She’s trying to decide what tempo to pursue.
The lesson: No matter your vocation or sport, everything starts with an idea or a dream. Everything. But we need to translate those dreams into an organized plan. I know I might be biased, but writing is a GREAT way to “clean your mind” toward that purpose.
As she taps a slow, gentle melody, Taylor turns toward her producer, Joel Little, who’s standing nearby. She’s now entering Stage 2 of deliberate practice:
2) Seek feedback — “It sounds kind of sadder on the piano. Do you like it?” she asks. “It’s really cool,” he responds. But they find a way to make it even better by experimenting with a drum machine. They’re not reworking the plan, so to speak. They’re simply fine-tuning something “cool” into something truly remarkable.
The lesson: Instruction and suggestions from a trusted voice can bring greater clarity to our own vision.
So they continue to conspire, adjusting as they go. Over and over and over again. It’s called …
3) Repetition, repetition, breakthrough — They’re getting closer now. As a hip-hop layer filters from the drum machine, Joel leans back in his chair and bops to the beat. In rhythm, Taylor is reading the lyrics from her phone and gesturing like a rapper. At a certain point her voice becomes more forceful, more confident, and a smile creases her face. She belts out the chorus.
“Me-e-e, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh,
I’m the only one of me,
Baby, that’s the fun of me.”
Both Taylor and Joel raise their fists in the air and break out HUGE smiles. You’ve felt it. I’ve felt it. Your children, your employees, your students and your players have felt it. It’s the exhilaration that comes when we cross the threshold from “practice” into “art.”
There’s nothing like it.
THAT’S why we do what we do. THAT’S why we work tirelessly to master a craft.
The joy is evident in their faces as they realize they have a hit on their hands. Even if nobody buys the song.
“Holy sh-t!” Taylor says. “Did we just do, like, the whole first verse and chorus? Holy sh-t!”
Later in the film the process starts all over again. It’s now time to actually record the single “ME!” with Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco. And their progression looks exactly the same.
Imagine what can be
Seek feedback
Repetition, repetition, breakthrough
There you have it, folks. The Taylor Swift secret has been revealed:
There ISN’T a secret to her success.
She’s only following a three-step formula we’ve known about for quite some time.
You can, too.
(Tim Kolodziej is the creator of EnspireU.com and author of this piece.)
PS - After hours of deliberate practice to compose the song and create the video for “ME!,” here is Taylor Swift’s finished product.