Do you ever find yourself wondering if you’re actually getting any better? I often find myself thinking about that Pablo Casals quote about why he still practiced when he was an extremely experienced human. He said, “because I think I am making progress,”.
But for us mere mortals, it can be really challenging to find evidence that we’re improving. We can get hung up on asking if we are growing as musicians. But what if we asked ourselves the question in a new way?
Rather than asking, “am I making progress?” we instead asked, “what don’t I notice anymore?”
Because if you have mastered a skill, it no longer consumes your thinking and your practice time. It has moved from an activity that requires constant attention to being an activity you do automatically – no focused thinking required.
This is true no matter the skill – playing harmonics, using a fork, signing your name – whatever you have done so many times that you no longer notice doing it.
That’s why it’s so difficult to see your own progress – it’s always there but it’s lurking inside all the things you no longer pay any attention to. In fact, all you see is where you haven’t gotten to – the gap between what you have learned, mastered, made automatic and what you have left to learn. Whether you mean to or not, you’re looking forward. And when you try to look back, you don’t see anything! And since you don’t see anything, you underestimate how much you have accomplished. Ugh, what a rat race!
This is one of the reasons that keeping track is so helpful – it highlights your movement in a way that helps you see that you’re actually moving! You don’t want to only capture the big wins – they’re easy to see. It’s the small incremental progress that is so important for you to see in yourself.
So, this week try to catch yourself growing! Be vigilant for things that are now easier than they were in your last practice. What did you play without having to ride herd on every little movement -that’s what you want to notice, capture…and celebrate!
You can also capture non-movement wins. Did you practice every day that you intended to? Did you maybe get an extra 5 minutes in? On a week that was unending, did you play through a tune – and enjoy it because it wasn’t a struggle? WIN! WIN! WIN!
So, this week, try this – name and write down three things that come to you automatically now that used to require effort even a month ago. Whether its consistent practice, near-perfect scales, or a successful performance, track that! Not goals, and definitely not wishes! Just a skill you are moving forward with.
What are we noticing, really? We’re noticing the small things that at one time were insurmountable (or just hard – let’s be real) but now are just a thing we do. What do you no longer notice? Let me know in the comments – I’m curious!