Repar T here to tell you about the solopreneur’s playlist.

The Solopreneur Playlist is a collection of reminders, aphorisms, mantras, axioms, principles, attitudes, mindsets, concepts, propositions, and perspectives to help guide you on your journey as a solopreneur.

You know how in great movie scores especially those by John Williams, you hear the same theme being repeated over and over throughout the film. Yet even though it is the same theme, each time it is played, it is a little different. It’s a variation on the theme.

The Solopreneur’s playlist is filled with mental themes for you to play as a soundtrack for your Solopreneur Journey. Use this playlist in place of the selfish, negative, fearful, arrogant, prejudiced drivel your ego is feeding you day in and day out.

Choose one theme for each day.

Let it play in the background of your mind. Sing alone with it. Repeat it. Sing it an octave higher. Sing it an octave lower. Sing it backwards. Sing it in harmony. Sing it off key. Sing it like you’re shouting. Sing it in a whisper. (Hat tip to Derek Sivers.)

Circle around it and look at it from every angle. Sniff it. Put it against your face and feel its texture and its temperature. Hug it. Push it down. Abandon it in a strange place and see if it finds its way back to you.

Eventually, you’ll become so familiar with these themes, they will be triggered by events that happen to you during your day, and you’ll shift to the point of view appropriate for that theme, and instantly be ready to respond to any situation.

This playlist is not for mindless entertainment, it’s for mindful entertainment. In fact, here’s a theme for you right now—mindfulness is only useful if it’s entertaining.

That makes a good segue to this next point.

These themes don’t come packaged up with entertaining anecdotes or elaborate explanations. It really doesn’t matter what I or anyone else things these themes mean. It really doesn’t matter how these theme were illustrated by someone else’s experiences. What matters is what you think and what you experience.

What matters is that you think about them for yourself and embed them in your consciousness. What matters is that you practice being aware of these themes in your daily life.

The object of this exercise is to replace the endless useless chatter of your ego with useful thoughts. Bear in mind, though, that as long as you inhabit your body, you will never turn the ego off permanently. Bear in mind, also, that you will be able to override the ego and take charge of your life, though the ego will always be there trying to convince you that it knows what’s best for you. Just be cordial and tolerate it, because it isn’t going to change its ways.

Playing these themes on a daily basis as part of the inner soundtrack for your life, will accelerate your mastery of the mindsets and attitudes of the solopreneur.

There is a place for stimulating stories, but this isn’t it. There is a place for amusing anecdotes, but this isn’t it. There is a place for elaborate and entertaining explanations, but…

Before you get into the playlist, I’d like to share a bit about solopreneurs so you’ll have an idea of what you’re getting into. One of the best ways to do that is by first spelling-out what Solopreneuring is not.

Solopreneuring is not for everyone. Solopreneuring is not a job. Solopreneuring is not a career. Solopreneuring is not about financial transactions. Most of the metrics advocated by other disciplines do not apply to Solopreneuring. Solopreneurs cannot compare themselves to other kinds of -preneurs.

Solopreneurs measure success in ways that only another Solopreneur would understand.

Solopreneuring is a life of contradictions, paradoxes, riddles, puzzles, mysteries, chances, opportunities, and absurdities that may never make any sense. Solopreneurs must be certain within themselves of what they control and what they do not control. Solopreneurs must be prepared to relinquish any illusion of control.

Solopreneuring is a commitment to a relentless lifestyle of curiosity, discovery, experimentation, investigation, exploration, guessing, thinking, creating, learning, and unlearning.

Solopreneurs are forever making mistakes and wandering off the beaten path into wilderness areas where there are no paths and their wit and experience are the only things they can count on. They have to learn to laugh at their foolishness and recognize their own arrogance and ignorance.

There is no illusion of security in the life of a Solopreneur because the life of a Solopreneur is a perpetual exposure to risk, a continual assault by unpredictable events and uncertain options demanding a choice. Bluffing is familiar companion in the life of a Solopreneur.

Solopreneurs are never bored. Spare time is something that does not exist for Solopreneurs. They are always working, but they are also always playing, because that’s how Solopreneurs approach work.

And that’s just the beginning. Solopreneurs are continually beginning. The beginning is never done. And, like life, nothing is ever finished before it is done.

There are always obstacles. Every constraint conceals opportunities. There are always problems to be solved and challenges to confront. There is always what must be done next, and sometimes what must be done next is nothing. Sometimes what must be done next is not doing. Sometimes it is being rather than becoming. Finalizing rather than finishing. Releasing rather than ending.

While Solopreneurs are hardly ever completely alone, they are prepared to go forward alone if that’s what is required. They are comfortable being left alone in their own company, though perhaps not in the beginning of their journey.

Solopreneurs have to cooperate. No one can do everything well. As a Solopreneur. you have to know your strengths. You have to know what excites you and propels you to do the next thing. You have to know what weakens you and repels you so you can cooperate with others in ways that are beneficial to the relationship. Never mistake the life of a Solopreneur for a lone-wolf lifestyle. Solopreneurs have to be great collaborators.

Solopreneuring is an approach to life that values the richness and beauty of personal experience whether it is solitary or within a group. Business is just one context for a Solopreneur. Solopreneurs are Solopreneurs in every context whether it is business or entertainment, pleasure or conflict, friendly or not.

Solopreneuring isn’t something you ever turn off once you turn it on.

Now for the Playlist.

There is only one way to get the Playlist and it isn’t on one of the streaming services. I don’t give it out over social media. You can’t buy the book or watch the video. You have to subscribe a free email list to get access to the playlist.

You play the playlist mentally. That’s part of the practice.

You’ll get one theme in your email every day, but you don’t hav to use it. Choose one for the list of themes you’ve received over time—things you’re working on or situations you are confronting. You may want to keep a list in a note-taking app or a spreadsheet. Whatever works for you. Writing it out in a journal you carry around with you is a great addition. I like to put the theme at the top of a page, and then write notes about that theme as they come to me.

Open this one email before you open any other emails. Before you check social media or start reading the day’s news.

The email will usually contain just a few words—a sentence or a short paragraph at most. This list will never be used for anything else. It will never contain anything but daily themes or announcements about the Playlist or the Solopreneur Playlist Community. I will never spam you or share your personal information or even the fact that you subscribe to this list with anyone else. You can unsubscribe at any time. And, it’s free.

This description of the Playlist has been a bit of a test for your focus. This page only contains words for a reason. If you are still reading, congratulations. You have proven you have at least the potential for the required focus to really appreciate the Playlist. Even though this page contains a little over a thousand words, many people bail on this page after a few seconds because there are no photos, videos, or compelling graphics to keep them interested. So, you’re partially pre-qualified. All you have to do now is decide.

One final thought, and I’ll leave you with your decision.

I have been a Solopreneur all my life. Even when I was working for a global Fortune 100 company, I always had the Solopreneur mindsets and attitudes. The Playlist works in any situation or context. You don’t have to be in business to be a Solopreneur. Being a solopreneur is a lifestyle, not a career choice. It took me years to figure that out. Don’t think you have to force yourself into being self-employed to benefit from the Playlist.

But also, be prepared to go forward alone if that’s what it takes, because ultimately, everyone who masters anything finds that mastery leads you lots of places, but inevitably, out there on the horizon of your journey are the richest of all personal experiences—solitude, silence, wonder, beauty and joy tempered by curiosity, discovery, and ultimately transcendence of everything you think you know today.

Use the form below to sign up for the Solopreneur Playlist whenever you are ready. You have an open invitation.

Your pen pal,
Repar T