Don’t get discouraged! Seriously, it doesn’t help.
I know it’s easy to feel discouraged with the whole process of learning an instrument. I feel that more often than you’d probably think, given that I play music for a living.
The thing is, you are going to experience ups and downs along the way.
Sometimes I feel inspired and everything is flowing smoothly! Those times are great! But what about when exactly the opposite is happening?
It can be quite the emotional roller coaster for me. If you are anything like me (which you probably are to some degree, you are a human after all.. at least I think you are) then you’ll experience that as well.
Mindset is key
It’s important to keep the whole project in view. It will take you years and years to be good at playing music. Maybe you already are “good” according to whatever your goals are, but plateauing isn’t what we’re looking for.
Playing music is a life long journey of growth, and standing still isn’t fulfilling. We have to keep learning and growing.
Think of your progress over time. Taking into consideration the inevitable ups and downs will help you be less frustrated by the bad times.
To borrow an idea from the Tao Te Ching (in the Trent paraphrase version) if you let yourself feel to hot when you’re on fire then you’ll feel extra cold once things cool down.
What I mean is that if you identify too much with the points in time where you are playing at your best, it will make you feel extra bad when you aren’t playing as well.
You can maintain a median between those two by having a calm attitude on both ends of the spectrum. Don’t get too excited when you’re on fire, and don’t feel depressed when your fingers aren’t working.
That’s pretty much all I wanted to share in this video. Just a little encouragement for you. DON’T GET DISCOURAGED!!! The journey is long and it is about enjoying music and sharing that with other people.
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