Be Vigilant Against Negative Self Talk

Tune in to the chatter in your mind while you are practicing. Whats going on in there? “I am a piano god and the world is lucky that my magical fingers grace this instrument”,  “I can’t believe I’m not famous already” “I own this instrument” OR………….perhaps its something more along the lines of “I should already be able to do this”, “I can’t believe how long this is taking me”, “If only I had (started younger, grew up in a musical family, practiced harder, had a different experience as a child, etc etc”. STAY AWAY FROM THE NEGATIVE THOUGHTS. You are your own unique musician and your practice time is sacred. It’s just between you and your instrument. ACCEPT your playing for what it is, particularly during your practice. Yes, we all yearn deeply to be a better player, but while you’re practicing, be vigilant against the negative thoughts about what you SHOULD be. They will not help you, this I promise. AND, at the end of your practice, please, for me, say something nice to yourself – even if you aren’t where you wanted to be – you still did it and that’s what matters. Now keep doing it.