Lindsey Stirling's Advice in 13 Minutes | How to Rebuild Your Mind After Failure

I went on America's Got Talent and got kicked off the show. They told me I'd never make it as a performer. And then I started doing YouTube, and then everything took off. And when your passion is what you do for a living, it's very hard to not become a workaholic. You know, if you're not happy with the person you are today, I 100% believe that you can change.

She's an American violinist, singer, songwriter, composer, and performing artist. Her music video "Crystallize" was the 8th most watched video in 2012. As of July 2016, her YouTube channel has over 8 million subscribers and over a billion views. She's Lindsey Stirling, and here's my take on her top 10 rules for success. Rule number 2 is my personal favorite, and make sure to stick around all the way to the end for some special bonus clips. And as always, as Lindsey's talking, if she says something that really resonates with you, please leave it in the comments below, put quotes around it so other people can be inspired as well. Enjoy!

I think honestly being true to yourself is the absolute key to being successful in this kind of a model because you can't fake authenticity, you can't fake loving something, and honestly to any, I think any artistic form or medium, you have to work so hard to get, you know, get your stuff heard or seen. And so if you don't absolutely love it, you will burn yourself out. And the only way I'm able to do what I do is, you know, I'm almost a workaholic because I love what I'm doing. And it's okay, like I, because I'm enjoying it, because I love the people that I work with, it's, you know, it doubles as work and recreation. And if I didn't love it, it would be impossible. I went on America's Got Talent and got kicked off the show. They told me I'd never make it as a performer. And then I started doing YouTube and then everything took off. And so to be able, you know, to be invited back to one of the biggest shows in America and a show that I got kicked off of, and then to be invited back, it was a really cool experience just because a lot of people don't get the chance to redo a moment of their life that was very devastating. And to be able to go back on that stage and do it the way I wanted to do it and to be able to give the performance I wanted, it was really awesome. I mean, there were also critics on the show. The judges were not always nice with you, right? Was it like Judgment Day where you felt like like, haha, I'm back and this time I'm a star, you know, kind of. It was. And I, I hope that my fans and other people saw it that way, in a way of like, you know, you can't let anyone else tell you who you are and how good you are because everyone has their own opinions. But I hope that they see that, wow, the same way Lindsay didn't listen to them and she went back and was able to prove them wrong, like, I can do that. Like, if someone at school is mean to me, it doesn't mean that I'm a bad person. It doesn't mean I'm a dork or a loser, you know. I can, I can become whoever I want to be. And I hope that people see that because that moment proved to me, you know, and it's, it's true. I wish, um, okay, so when I first started, I wish I had realized that, um, people were the most important thing to me because there was a time, you know, I, I'm such a hard worker, and when your passion is what you do for a living, it's very hard to not become a workaholic. And, uh, there was a time when I just almost lost sight of everything that was most important to me because I was working so hard and I was pushing so hard for these dreams and these goals and everything I wanted in life. And my life started to look very gray and colorless, and I just— I realized I had lost a lot of depth because I wasn't making time for those most important things, which are my family and, you know, the people in my life, or someone that maybe needed me at a time, but I was too busy to even notice. Those are the things that you can't fulfill your full passion, whether it's through music or art or dance, if you've lost sight of the things that make you a real person. I had to refine myself almost, like, "Wow, what is it that makes me me?" Once I refound that, it's like everything else came together again. I was able to write again. I was able to create. But without those things, then you lose sight of everything. I think like you said, every single artist goes through that. Like, uh, and I think a lot of times you think that, uh, the great writers are the people, they just write hit after hit after hit and they do, but it's also because they get through all the terrible songs first. And I mean, I think that's kind of every single artist's story. And, uh, and I, I mean, I love to tell when people ask, what's your best advice for, you know, upcoming musician or anybody? I think it's that you have to be able to rise from the failures is what makes a successful person. Cause everybody's gonna, have mishaps, they're gonna fall down, and it's, you know, the people that continuously pick themselves up that are the ones that are gonna find their voice, make it, whatever you wanna call it. I love how for this record you had fans actually do little videos and they talked about what they were brave enough to do in life. So for you, what was the moment you realized you were brave enough to kind of just do this full-time and just go right after your passion? Ooh, um, you know, I think it's once I discovered YouTube. I mean, I had already been going for it with full force, you know, and, uh, but I was kind of wondering if I had what it took to make it. And I was really discouraged at times because everywhere I went I just kept being told like, "No, you're not good enough." Like, you know, and that could be really discouraging. And so even though I was going for it, I was kind of like in the back of my mind just really scared. Like, am I gonna make it? I don't know. And then when I just finally discovered YouTube and I put up my first video, I just felt so empowered and so excited because I was like, "Whoa, finally something's working." And that's when I was like, I'm gonna, you know, I don't know how this is gonna work out, but I'm gonna chase this with everything I've got. And that's when I was like, boom.

And what about the appreciation of hip-hop and EDM, which both have played a role in what you do musically? When did you first encounter those, and how did you come to love them?

Um, you know, I really fell in love with EDM when I first heard— you know, well, I mean, I always liked, like, techno music. I felt like it was kind of for lack of a better term, it was like great white girl dance music. I've always loved to dance, and I was like, "Oh, these beats, I can dance to this." There's like, it's not quite as like, doesn't need as much groove as like hip-hop did. So that's why I always liked EDM, and then I really fell in love with it when I discovered Skrillex, especially "Bangarang." That song, I was like, "Oh my gosh, I have to figure out how I can pair the violin with this weird dubstep stuff," 'cause it was so fun, and it made me want to move. And that was the beginning. You know, it never becomes, I don't think it'll ever be like, oh, I don't care, I don't care anymore, because I do care. It's my art, it's my love, it's my passion, and you know, certain comments you're able to like, oh, whatever, but there's some comments that get you in the place that you're a little bit vulnerable.

They trigger you.

They trigger you, they get you, oh, you're like, don't talk about that, that's actually something that I care about, and I'm sensitive to, and so I think it's, I think it's so important to realize that especially like in YouTube, there is so much good, but for some reason, it's easier to focus on the negative because it just gets you so much more. You get thousands of positive comments and you get 10 negative, you're like, "Oh, dang it." So, you know, it's so true that you only really do have one stage in your mind that you can really focus on at one time, and so the good, the bad, they're gonna come, and it's What are you gonna focus on? Am I gonna like sit and stew and like respond, especially responding, like if you respond to the negative, that is a lot of times the one that you wanna respond to, but it's like, or am I gonna feed the good? Like, am I gonna feed like these people who keep coming back and telling me really nice things? Like, that's where I should put my energy. That's where I should put my thoughts and focus. And it does take a lot of like, you know, concentration to do that. Awareness too. Awareness, that's the word I'm looking for. But I think that's the key is just, There's good and bad all around us everywhere, and trying really hard to focus on the good and let that feed you. You know, every tour I like to try to like step it up. I want my fans that have, you know, a lot of my fans come to multiple shows, and so I always want them to be surprised when they come back. I don't want it to feel like the last Lindsey Stirling show, you know, and like, oh well, you know, been there, done that. So I always try to do something that I've never done before, and, um, this tour is a lot of fun. There's some new tricks I have up my sleeve that I worked really hard to learn and to master these new skills. But anyways, super excited about it. I think the courage to be really open about those, some of the things I've been through in the past all comes from experiencing those things. And when I was going through, say, when I was going through some of these things, I felt so alone. And a lot of girls or people do, you feel like nobody can understand you because a lot of these problems deal with isolating yourself. And feeling alone. And one of the things that really helped me have the courage to change was that I realized that I'm not alone. Like, there's actually people who understand me, and there's people who have actually overcome this, and they gave me hope. And so that's why I really strive to give a positive message of hope about, like, you know, if you— if you're not happy with the person you are today, I 100% believe that you can change. And so that's what I like to hopefully share with young girls. And I would say That's what gave me the courage to share. Well, I've always played the violin. Ever since I was 6 years old, I begged for lessons, and I've always played. And it was actually when I was in college that I kind of just realized one day that I didn't love it anymore, and I used to love it. And I specifically didn't study music in school because I didn't ever want to have the love of my music beat out of me. So it kind of broke my heart when I was like, I don't even enjoy this anymore. And so I started thinking, okay, what can I do to like invigorate my passion? Like I started playing with bands, I started just anywhere I could go to kind of try out new styles of music. And I've always loved electronic music and it just hit me one day, I need to play and write the kind of music that I am loving right now. [FOREIGN] And so I did and it just brought it back to life for me. It made it so creative and I became a creator creator, not just a musician. And that's, I think, what just invigorated my passion.

Thank you guys so much for watching. I made this video because Jon Thorin asked me to. So if there's a famous entrepreneur that you want me to profile next, leave it down in the comments below and I'll see what I can do. I'd also love to know, what did Lindsay say that had the biggest impact on you? Which rule did you enjoy the most? What are you going to take from her message to immediately apply to your life or business? Please leave it in the comments and I'm gonna join in the discussion. Finally, I want to give a quick shout out to Steph Reveron. Steph, thank you so much for picking up a copy of my book, Your One Word, and sending in that picture of you at the cafe reading it. I hope you're enjoying it and getting a lot of value from it. So thank you guys again for watching. I believe in you. I hope you continue to believe in yourself and whatever your one word is. Much love. I'll see you soon.

The same way kids look up to like Taylor Swift and they want to, you know, get a little guitar and be Taylor Swift. My parents used to take me to orchestra concerts. And so that was my version of a rock star. I was like, oh my gosh, I have to get one of those wooden things. And, um, but yeah, I played classical violin all growing up and I started to just, I had gotten burnt out and I wanted to love it again. And so I started experimenting with all different sorts of music. And, um, I found out that I absolutely loved EDM and electronic dance and dubstep music. And, um, nobody, no record labels thought I was worthwhile or that my project was marketable. And so I started doing it myself on YouTube. Um, and that's when it just kind of, whoa, I guess it is marketable. Is what I kind of discovered. I guess I surround my, like my crew, my tour crew, I surround myself with really great people. I have the best tour crew. And so they kind of, I mean, honestly, Just say one day I wanted to be crazy and like went out and got drunk, they would all just be like, "Whoa!" Like they would be so turned off that they would just be like, "What are you doing?" They'd probably like take the beer out of my hand and be like, "Come here, Lindsay, like what's wrong with you?" Because they know me so well and they just, they're there to protect me and help me as well. I wasn't like, I have always been a very optimistic, upbeat person. When I first came to college, it was a time that I was trying to figure out who am I, what makes me special. And I started to find most of my value in the fact that I was thin. For several years, I had no idea I had become anorexic. I'd be places with people I cared about, but what I was thinking about was the extra grease on the pizza or the calories that I knew were in that shake. And I just was talking to my mom one day and I broke down crying because I realized for the first time that I had a problem. And that this isn't normal. People don't think like this. I finally realized I wasn't happy. Anytime there's a change to be made, you have to realize that there's somewhere else you want to be, and I wanted basically to be happy. That was far more important than being the skinniest girl in a room. Once I realized that there was a problem, that's when I could change. I knew that I could be happy again.