LTR: Your Best Self Through Drumming with Chris Lesso

Bowing to the best within yourself means to STEP UP by living the standards that will elevate your rise. But how to do this consistently, especially on the days that you just don't have the drive for it? Motivation is great, but it DOESN'T LAST. This is where a grade to continually level yourself up against is essential. We always measure what matters. To set the bar high for yourself, populate your life with mentors that demonstrate consistent excellence through actions. Mentors can be alive or dead, you may know them personally or not. One person that holds himself up to the highest of standards is retired Navy SEAL and author Jocko Willink. In this video blog I'll share his run through of a tool he uses to measure himself towards, the USMC Fitness report used for Navy SEALS to grade where they're at in all areas of leadership and character. This document is the ultimate PSS to hold yourself to. Learn more at Chrislesso.com

A few years ago, I let go of perfection as one of my goals in my drumming, and replaced it with CLARITY. What is clarity? Expressing yourself so clearly, that the person at the very back of the room can hear and FEEL your ideas with a bright intensity. Going for clarity in your drumming brings an ATTITUDE with it, making it a MUST to express your ideas into the world. We've all had the experience of hearing an idea exactly as you want to play it in your mind first, or trying to mimic an awesome lick by one of your favorites, and it comes out sounding like a sack of potatoes falling down the stairs. Drums are a communication instrument, and this is about transmitting your ideas and feelings THROUGH the drums with crystal clarity, even if they're not perfect. Can you make someone FEEL the emotion through your drumming that is listening to you play? Think of your favourite music, songs that speak to your soul, and everything it's transmitting to you through the sound. Have you ever noticed the urgency and ATTITUDE coming off of some of your favorite players? Listen to Ginger Baker with Cream, or the first Clash album … it's not perfect, but boy is it ever crystal clear, radiating with attitude and intensity. Learn more at Chrislesso.com

I am excited to share this with you! This is a conversation I had with Mike Mangini where he reveals his systems and tactics, pulled from the archives of 2002. In my years of being the eternal student of drumming and life, I've always strived to spend time with some of the best in the world and compress time by using the habits and strategies that work best for the greats into my own game, and now you can too. What makes this interview compelling, is that we have almost 20 years of hindsight to see how these systems and habits compound over time in Mike's drumming and life. This is a powerful concept! I am 100% interested not just in the best for today, but in the LONG GAME. Not many can live SUSTAINED GREATNESS, and Mike Mangini exemplifies this. Some of Mike's methods for developing his best self through drumming include: Living the highest standards of EXCELLENCE. Living with urgency and a mighty mission. This is THE WHY of what we do. Studying outside disciplines BESIDES drumming, like business, time management, the human brain and body, and self discipline. Giving the utmost attention to DETAILS. They matter! Ultimate trust and belief in what sets you apart. Your personal DIFFERENTIATION. OPEN HANDED drumming, using the ‘all limbs equal' approach. Living with NO LIMITS. Surrounding yourself with MENTORS, and stealing from the best in the world. Having FRONT SITE FOCUS in all we do. Enjoy spending some time with Mike Mangini, and take the energy, artistry, and passion into your best self through drumming! Learn more at Chrislesso.com

*This is an excerpt from ‘LTR METHOD: Unleashing Your Best Self Through The Power Of Drumming'. Get it now to elevate your drumming and life at chrislesso.com It's easy to be your best in the beginning. You're fired up, motivated, ready to go! But what do you do when you're on that last mile, depleted and hurting? This is actually the MOST important time to give your best. The end of the race during the very last mile is when you will most feel like surrendering, cutting corners, and settling for less. When you have nothing left to give, this is exactly the time to give 100% and END STRONG. How you perform when it's hardest is a true reflection of where you're REALLY at. You're also giving yourself signals of how badly you really want to achieve what you're building. This is where most people give up! How you END is the most important step, because it always carries forward into your next BEGINNING. ‘Give the highest quality to your last actions.' The end is when you will least feel like giving your best, but make it a PSS (pre-set standard) to keep kicking ass until your very last moments. When you least feel like giving your best is exactly the time to do it! End the day with quality. The last action you complete of the day will be the clearest in your mind as you start the next day. The way you end one cycle will determine how you start the next. You don't want your mind to internalize lowering your standards going into a fresh new day. This carries over to the little things as well, where the end of one action determines the next in a chain. LME is an attitude put forth in all you do. It is easy to THINK about, and harder to actually DO and put into ACTION. This is about setting yourself up for the WIN! Learn more at Chrislesso.com

What is open handed drumming? Simply, it's not crossing your hands. Why? As you read earlier in the LTR method, there is no right or wrong. AND all your favorite drummers play with their hands crossed. So why go against the grain? Because when obstacles are removed, freedom expands. The goal of the LTR method is to empower you with BOLD SELF EXPRESSION. This means speaking your authentic true voice, proudly displaying what makes you UNIQUE for all the world to see. This game is not for everyone; there are many other books on the market that will help you play like everybody else, but this is not one of them. In fact, it's probably not for the majority of drummers out there, and that's ok. Learn more at Chrislesso.com

“You train how you fight and you fight how you train.” Navy SEAL saying You can't just think your way to being a better drummer and human being. Living the art of possibility and potential takes continuous massive action. This is about having SYSTEMS NOT GOALS, and then living the never ending process of re-examining your systems, recalibrating them, measuring the results, and repeating. Take the 5X Training Challenge HERE: http://bit.ly/5XTrainingChallenge I'll be going deep into the art of practicing in my upcoming book ‘The Rhythm Of Practice'. Join the LTR movement at chrislesso.com for free sneak peaks and bonus content coming soon!

Make SOME percentage of your playing OPEN HANDED now! Even if you only play this way a little at a time, the worst that will happen is you'll come up with new ideas and your hands will balance out and get stronger. You'll cultivate GRIT by going bravely into the unknown and trying something uncomfortable. Your future self will open up to something more incredible that you can possibly imagine. Read the rest HERE: bit.ly/OpenHandedDrumming Join the LTR DRUMMING WORLDWIDE movement at chrislesso.com for free tools to achieve your BEST SELF THROUGH DRUMMING!

I was recently a guest on Eric Boudreault's show Drumfills Kafé where we went into some tools on how drummers can use adversity as a tool to get BETTER. Uncover ways you can use attitude, technique, and resiliency to be your best self through drumming by using obstacles to your ADVANTAGE. Check it out, and stay inspired!

This is a story from my hometown about how I was innocently and unknowingly doing everything possible to get myself fired from the first pro gig I ever had. What was I doing so badly that was practically guaranteeing I would never play with this band again? Find out the concepts I learned the hard way so YOU don't have to. See how you rate in each of the four areas to take your drumming and life to the next level. Unless you master them, you are guaranteed to get fired from your next gig! Through the power of drumming, we want to be the SERVANT LEADER by contributing to something greater than ourselves: the song, the band, and the groove that lives in the creative spirit of all music. Find your best self through drumming, and DON'T GET FIRED!