We recently connected with Matthew Valencia and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Matthew, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
I have always been a very goal-oriented person from a young age. Growing up, my father would take me to work with him most weekends and I grew accustomed to doing whatever was needed to help out. In middle school, my parents made a deal with me where if I kept my grades up then they would get me a dog. As a result, I did well in school and ended up with a dog who became my best friend for over ten years.
Nowadays I set goals for my own benefit, whether it be to work towards something or simply for my own satisfaction. Last year I set a goal for myself to finish my last of graduate school at USC with a 4.0 GPA. This was no easy task because on top of school I was also working full time and had several part time or side jobs as well. I concluded that this goal would be purely to challenge myself and although it was extremely difficult I managed to reach my desired GPA. I could have easily settled for slightly lower grades, dropped one of my jobs, or reduced my full time job status to part time, but I knew that doing any of that would make me feel less satisfied with myself in the end. I pride myself on accomplishing anything that I set out to do, almost to a fault.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I feel as if I live several distinct lives due to my work. During the day I work full time as a fleet manager for an electrical supply distributor. I would say it’s an average 9-5 job, however the nature of my work takes me all over the place. I travel constantly and work odd hours to solve issues as they arise.
Outside of my full time job, I also teach part-time at a high school where I coach several music ensembles and teach private lessons.
I also own two small businesses: the first being a vending machine company where I own and operate a few machines currently placed in a warehouse break room, and the second being my instrument repair/piano tuning business. I’ve been in the band instrument repair trade for 8 years. I started as an apprentice at a music store and have worked my way to running my own repair shop out of my home with several dozen regular clients.
Additionally, within the last year I’ve taken a deep dive into photography and videography where I purchased a high quality cinema/still camera and several quality lenses to work with. I’ve been able to tap into the vast network of musicians and artists that I know to monetize one of my favorite pastimes and have turned it into a full side hustle. I do event photography and videography, mostly for performing artists.
Finally, there’s music. I am a freelance musician and recording artist and I’ve been fortunate to have been part of several larger projects recently, such as some short film scores and a few studio recordings. I play a variety of woodwinds, my main instruments being saxophone as well as flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, and piccolo. I also compose and arrange music as well as operating a home studio which has given me the flexibility to produce high quality recordings from my home.
I feel most satisfied constantly having something to do all the time, so my intense workload has allowed me to fulfill that desire so far. Oddly enough I feel that not being mentally stuck on one thing for long periods of time is what fuels my creativity and allows me to feel free when it comes to being an artist.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Resilience, commitment to follow through, and time management have all been key skills that have gotten me to where I am today. People often ask me when I sleep when they learn of all the things I’m involved in, and my answer is always, “whenever I can”. I would definitely not recommend this as a long-term strategy to anyone, but my driving force has always been my conviction to execute whatever it is that I have committed myself to.
To anyone looking to improve on any of these skills, I would definitely recommend planning. Get as granular as needed. Sometimes my days are planned out by the hour so that I can stay on top of everything. Time management is the foundation for executing whatever it is that you’ve set out to do. Planning the appropriate amount of time for tasks takes some trial and error, but it is undoubtedly one of the most important steps you can take to keep yourself accountable and organized in your day-to-day activities.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
Without a doubt my father has been instrumental in helping me build the skills I needed to plant the roots for long term success. His work ethic is unparalleled and I strive to emulate that every day of my life. He taught me to invest myself 100% into whatever it is that I do. When I chose to study music my parents supported me fully and support has helped me so far in countless ways. Their support came with the condition that I fully commit to music and artistry, and I’ve done my best to keep that spirit in mind with everything I’ve done musically up until this point.
Additionally, I carry that sentiment with anything I set out to do, I always make the effort to put out the best quality product that I can for whatever I am tasked with. That mindset has helped me advance in my career so far so I have no intention of stopping at any time.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @mottrepairs
- Youtube: @mottpott3589
Image Credits
Matthew Valencia
