Do you HAVE TO practice?
Nope, that’s not what I mean. Of course you NEED TO practice to maintain your current level of play, to keep your tunes in your head and in your hands, and to continue to grow. After all, playing an instrument is a complex task that requires a great deal of memory. So, yes, you NEED TO practice.
But that’s not the question. The question is, do you HAVE to practice?
And the answer to that is question is…
no
You don’t HAVE TO practice.
You GET TO practice!
You have the rare privilege to have daily harp performances in your living room – DAILY! And you don’t even have to buy a ticket! What a deal!
Yes, practicing is an obligation – but it’s an obligation you have set for yourself. You have a block of time already set aside by you, for you. A lot of people have the intention of doing something for themselves, but you have already made that commitment. And each day that you practice, you GET TO benefit from that commitment.
And that GET TO probably leaves you grateful to yourself for making that time for you.
GET TO is a choice that you make (just like HAVE TO is). GET TO is a mindset you select. Just like you select what to practice, you can select your mindset going in. When you GET TO experience the practice you NEED, your growth will HAVE TO show!
What is your mindset? Do you define your time at the harp as something you GET TO do? Or does it still feel like something you HAVE TO do? Let me know how you see it – in the comments!
For me the difference is in thinking about “have to” and “need to”, rather than “get to” because I do find practicing to be a sheer necessity. Not just because of what it does for my musical progress — but also and often even mainly for what it does for my entire mental and emotional state. I’m simply a happier and nicer person when I play music every day! Even when it’s hard work and something I might have to talk myself into doing, I’m always so much better afterwards. So I do say to myself at times, “I have to practice now” when I guess what I’m really saying is “I need to practice now”
Glad I only see you on days you get to play1 🙂
This is awesome! I do need to flip that switch and re-phrase what I say. I like how saying “I get to practice” honors doing something for myself. This is great:)
What a great way to put it Jen! I agree- it does feel like a privilege now. But when I was exhausted from working and had so little time it didn’t feel like that. I was a beginner for many years and had lessons every Saturday so it was an obligation that I failed at more often than I met.
I made the commitment when I retired to really work at it and I’m so glad I did! It’s so much more rewarding now.
That mindset is so important…but so is giving yourself permission to do what you can (and patience too).
nice psychological shift! attitude matters so much!