Shallow Series – Are You Deep Or Shallow?

I am shallow. Actually, I can’t believe how shallow I am at times. It’s this lack of depth which has caused me to recently hit a pain point. A signal that it’s time to change things in a big way. If you are ready to go deep with your mission in life and make a real impact, then this episode is for you.

Episode Resources

There’s something I want to tell you
I should have brought it up when you’re still around
Remember the time I saw you
Floating about my head making all that sound

Take a look below the surface
Gotta be ready for all the things that you just might find
So I ask myself that question
Gotta be ready for all the things buried in your mind

Before I stay, before I go
Do I stay, do I go

So now you’ve gone
But it’s ok, I don’t feel the pain
You were right to go
A lesson for me to always show

Thank you, thank you
For sticking by my side
Darlin you saved me
You were the best thing in my life

My goal with my latest single Thank You is for you to feel what I felt when I wrote it. Intense gratitude… in this case, it was gratitude for my ex-girlfriend. It is one of the few songs where the lyrics flowed out at the same time as writing the melody. Usually, it’s melody first. Please head into Spotify or Apple Music and add it to your playlist and Follow Me as an artist.

I am shallow. Actually, I can’t believe how shallow I am at times. It’s this lack of depth which has caused me to recently hit a pain point. I will explain what I mean but shallow in a moment, but first, let’s take a look at how my week has panned out as a result of this shallowness…

This past week, I have not been a very nice human. Things haven’t seemed to flow for me in business or in my relationships. I haven’t felt very well physically… kind of like I have had an entity sucking the life out of me. But that’s just the thing, that entity is very real, it has a name… Shallow.

So, I want you to meet my Shallow. Shallow is what stops me from getting into my deep work. I know why I am here in this lifetime. I am here to be a catalyst, a spark that ignites a fire in people hearts to connect with their truth and live a passion fuelled conscious existence. But Shallow is determined to stop this. He comes in many forms…

Email
Calendars
Appointments
Repetitive tasks
Paying bills
Following up royalty payments for my music and Melissa’s books
Screening opportunities and interviews
Online shopping

You get the point. For you, it may look different. Perhaps you spend time paying bills or doing your own bookkeeping. Shallow is not just my entity, he attaches himself to anyone who is willing to surrender their greatness.

This week I have received messages from people who have saved their marriages even amidst the pain of infidelity, and people who have found peace and gratitude by saying two simple words to their ex-lover. “Thank You”.

I pinch myself that I get to do this for a living. But if I am really honest, and I speak about radical honesty in episodes 60 and 63, up until now, I have been rather lazy. I feel like what I have put out into the world has come from about 20% of my potential. It took a little while to really embody my greatness. But now, the evidence is there. 12 million streams on Spotify and messages every day about how my work is impacting listeners lives is all the proof I need. And yes, I guess I did need some validation. Hello, ego. But I have it now… so it begs the question… what could I do if I was 100% in my zone of genius?

My new record label sent me some feedback from some of the major media outlets who review music. This was in response to their PR efforts for my latest single Thank You which you just heard. And the reviews were… well… average. How can this be? I know how it makes people feel. Why does the media not feel it too? Perhaps they are not ready. Perhaps I am more like a Van Gough or Claude Monet who’s work was rejected by society and art exhibitions because it went against the traditional style and method of painting. His style of Impressionism continued to live on past Monet’s death and set the foundation for Post-Impressionism. Can this be the same for my music? Time will tell.

The danger here is to change what you are doing to suit the so-called experts. Like Hugh Jackman’s character in the brilliant film The Greatest Showman, P.T Barnum wanted so desperately to be accepted by New York high society. But by chasing significance, he lost track of what he loved most, and what audiences really wanted… they wanted the circus. So what I need to do is get myself into a space where I can go deep. Where I defeat shallow and finally step into my Self at the height of my powers. That is deep work. The absence of Shallow and distraction. It was hearing one of the stunning song Never Enough from The Greatest Showman soundtrack that kind of shocked me out of my shallow slumber. I realized… man, I need to step up. It was so shocking, even as I say this now I feel really emotional and can feel the tears well up. That is the sign of a life not fully lived.

But here’s the thing. Shallow is essential at times. I talk about how to get the most out of your day in episode 2 Productivity Without The Push… and that’s why I think so many people have found episode 1, Living By The Code, so supportive… it gives you permission to define what is acceptable to you and create boundaries around some of this shallow work. I have heard many women say that they don’t like the word discipline, but I have to say… if you want results, you need discipline. You need to get your hands dirty and do the work. Discipline may be a masculine trait, it’s firm and directional, but that doesn’t mean the feminine can’t embrace discipline. It’s just one part of the equation that helps us all create the life we know we are born to live. You can hear more of this in episode 39 Can Discipline Be Freedom? And to master your inbox until you are ready to break up with email for good, check out episode 57 Inbox Zero.

But to get to the point of being able to shake the weight of Shallow off your shoulders, you may need to earn your stripes first and embrace some Shallow work. But the trick is to know when parts of Shallow no longer serve you and find a way to give it the flick.

For years I have been saying that “no one can do this or that better than me”. But at what cost? Is checking email really worth it? Is that shallow work really more important than me reaching my full potential?

No. In fact, it is a whole body hell no for me right now. So I am making big changes. Sometimes you have to make a grand gesture to change the direction of your life ship. Last night I broke all the rules by staying awake and working until 1 am. My desire for deep was greater than my need for sleep. Everything I do now will be structured so that I spend the majority of my time doing my deep work. And it’s not going to be a vague structure. Brilliance shows up when you show up. So my days will be mostly white space where Shallow can no longer even get his foot in the door. No more meetings unless absolutely essential, and even then if I do a meeting, I will do them while walking so that at least I am moving my beautiful messenger, my body. No more email. Yep, that’s right. I am breaking up with email. When I master this, I will share it with you. No more paying bills. No more calendar management and booking in meetings. No more repetitive tasks. When you really drill deep into what tasks you actually need to do yourself… you know what? There are very few things. The price is just too high for me now to live in the Shallows.

So as I embark on this journey of going deep, I will give it some time before sharing the results. But my goal is to support you so that you too may dive into the depths of your brilliance. Starting with my next episode which will be called My Two Greatest Creativity Hacks.

If I am to create a legacy that lasts beyond this physical body, then now is the time.

Because if not now, when?

I would love to hear from you, so please tag me @IAmNickBroadhurst on social media, and use the hashtag #TheNickBroadhurstShow, or leave me a comment below (I read every single one!). And if you could take a minute to leave me a review (5 stars would be epic, but whatever feels true for you) on iTunes I would be very grateful. Tell me what you want more of! I am at your service.

View full show notes