5 Quotes for the Struggling Musician
Published: May 7, 2015 | Category: Motivation
5 Quotes for the Struggling Musician
Having difficulty staying on track with your practise goals? Feel like you are beginning to lack focus, musicality, or even courage and meaning in your performances? Here are 5 quotes to help you get back on your pathway to success – that is, to flourish at what you love to do.
Setting goals gives us an ideal, a dream of glory and happiness! However, disparagement results from the cavernous gaps wedged between our dreams and reality. Setting unrealistic goals may be overwhelming and result in procrastination and depression.1. "Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” Pablo Picasso
So, set realistic goals that you can achieve within a reasonable amount of time. Here you need to consider your unique context --as an individual with your own special skills and circumstances – rather than as compared with someone else. Importantly, find your own rhythm, your own style: you know yourself what you are capable of – really! Listen to your inner self, and decide what steps you can and will do. Once realistic long-term goals are set, focus on the short-term: one step at a time!
Keep things simple and manageable. Your ”vehicle of a plan” should unfold naturally, giving you the courage to begin to “vigorously act” towards reaching your goal.
2. "Ideas are one thing and what happens is another.” John Cage
Life is full of the unexpected, and so your daily or monthly goals may not go as expected. Some practice sessions may seem unproductive, mistakes persist, and memory issues may remain unresolved. Perhaps you have recently had a bad experience in a performance, audition, or music exam that seems to haunt you?
Mistakes are part of growing and learning, so expect that sometimes they will happen even when you least expect them. Discouragement often happens when there is a chasm between our high ideals and the reality of learning. Remember that everyone makes mistakes, even top professionals who have been performing some of the same repertoire for decades. It’s important to be patient with yourself, have a variety of approaches, and persist! Do your very best -- that is all that matters.
Honestly evaluate all of the elements that contributed to the less than ideal performance, as a way to gain insight; and remember to also acknowledge the ways that you succeeded. Use all practice and performance opportunities as learning experiences –about your skills as a musician, your own learning style, and about your self-development. By continuing on, by persisting with your achievable goals, you gain confidence, courage, and strength. You can then be prepared for the next challenge that comes along.
3. " A pessimist is someone who complains about the noise when opportunity knocks.” Oscar Wilde
After huge investments of time and energy in learning our music, we sometimes fall into a rut, putting a damper on feeling a sense of progress. Discouragement from encountering repeated obstacles with the music (for examples, technical difficulties, or memory lapses), a series of unsuccessful performances, or even from resulting physical injuries – creates negativity. Worse, negativity can result in spurring blame or excuses – from “bad sleep” to “bad support.” But these excuses are fleeting relief. Deep down, you know these excuses are invalid.
Stop! Self-defeating thoughts keep you stuck. Decide to control your attitude. Find ways to build your confidence. Turn that negativity on its head and instead focus on your positive goals, your original inspiration for your goal, and the love that you have for your music. Revisit your passions and dreams, so that you can then realistically re-evaluate your progress and strategies.
An underlying attitude of optimism will not stop all bad feelings, but it will feed your creativity and openness to new perspectives, and thus give you the courage to continue to do what you love to do. Take responsibility, and focus instead on the source of discouragement –face the truth. Only then can you determine a positive strategy to progress and success. Like yourself and your music, then learn to like how you are progressing towards your goal.
4. "We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.” Eleanor Roosevelt
Goals represent potential change and growth. Each high goal also comes with its own set of challenges. Facing growth also means facing “growing pains, “otherwise known as fear and anxiety. As you draw closer to you goal, things seem to become more difficult. You may question your ability, imagine scenarios in which you fail, or question whether you should just give up.
Here think back to your past performances – both good and bad. Remember that recital full of slips, the memory slips in your exam? Remember your bad streak, even, perhaps, hitting depths of despair? Guess what? You moved on and you were ok! Despite not fulfilling your own high expectations at every opportunity, you persevered with your music! You reconnected with your passion, that joy – you chose to continue, to play, to study, to face new growth.
This is a testament to your resilience – that which makes you stronger. The next time, you will be less afraid, because you have already lived through one bad experience and you were just fine. Each bad experience that we live through gives us more trust our own inner strength! No matter the result, you will survive and be stronger for trying. Knowing that you possess this resilience lets you trust in yourself for future performances. Knowing that you will prevail allows you to play fearlessly today.
5. “Whatever you can do, or dream you can, Begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it, Begin it now.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Musical progress is a continuing stream of developments, and experiences. Reflect on what you have learned and achieved after striving for goal, exploring each event or accomplishment. Then begin anew!
All things must come to an end. In the midst of a particularly difficult music exam or competition, remember that tomorrow is a new day with new beginnings. On the other hand, if you are successfully performing a recital, enjoy this ephemeral bliss.
Be bold, persevere, and trust yourself. Tomorrow brings a fresh start, and a new beginning!