May 15, 2019 by Klaus Crow
photo from Istockphoto
“The best way to predict the future is to create it” – Peter Drucker
A lot of people are not aware of their daily habits. They just go through life without a plan or compass and don’t have a clue how to achieve their dream goal. If you want to make a change in your situation you need to interweave it into your daily habits. Your daily guitar habits determine your ultimate future.
If you want to play in a band you need to create a daily habit that is going to lead you to this path. If you want to become a songwriter we have to get you a writing habit plan to get you to from a to b to z.
It doesn’t matter what your dream is. Maybe you want to build a guitar repertoire so you can play in front of an audience. Wouldn’t it be great if you could play some tunes without the need of sheet music? Do you want to add a new style to your playing? Anything is possible. You have multiple dreams? Great! You need to customize your daily habits to your wishes.
What you do today is what you want for your future. You can’t change the past, but you can change the future. Add a new habit to your day so you know you are going forward. Be careful though, don’t take too much on your plate. If you are too fanatic right away you might lose the persistence to keep going. Set time restrictions for each habit so you don’t overdo it. This way you can manage all your habits and make the most of your time without losing focus. Just a small habit now is enough to make a big difference later.
If you don’t have much time on your hands, but you do have multiple dream goals, here are some steps to get you going:
- Write it down.
Writing down your dream goal or goals on paper is one of the most important things you can do. You can not trust on your memory. By writing it down you have made the first step to creating a new habit. You need to look at your dream goals first thing in the morning and before you go to sleep so it becomes a part of you.
For example let’s assume these are your goals:
1 – Building a repertoire
2 – Becoming a better guitar player
3 – Becoming a songwriter
The next thing you need to do is make it more specific.
- Create small steps for every goal so you have a nice plan to work on.
1- Building a repertoire:
*Write down all the songs you would like to perform. Enjoy this process.
*Find sheet music for all the songs or transcribe them.
*Start with the first song and memorize the chord progression and lyrics.
*Take your time to learn every song thoroughly and don’t think about the time
it takes to learn your vast repertoire. Think about today. Think about the few small steps you can take today to make a difference. You’ll build your repertoire as you go.
2 – Becoming a better player:
*Define becoming a better player. Write down what you want to learn.
*Do you want to learn cool songs? Do you want to learn to improvise? Do you wanna play neat chord progressions? Do you wanna become a faster player? Do you want to know more about music theory or a combination of all those things?
*Start with the things that matters most to you.
*What steps do you need to take to make this happen? Look for the right sheet music or guitar exercises online. Ask your guitar teacher. Buy a guitar book or instructional DVD that meets your wishes.
* Prepare your practice session. Know what to do when you do it. Sit down and take a half an hour to learn something new. Learn to improvise, learn to play faster, learn new chord progressions. Combine all the things you want to learn. Don’t let your mind wander. Focus! Be as productive as you can and use the small amount of time you have wisely. Don’t be overwhelmed by everything that there is to learn. You’ll get there. Just think about today. Think small steps.
3 – Becoming a songwriter
*Check out “So you wanna write a song huh?”
*Create a nice chord progression for the intro, verse, chorus, bridge, etc
*Everyday create a small piece of music. If it’s just an Intro… Great!
*Create all you can do with the time and inspiration you have.
*Do whatever you can. If you’re not really inspired today it’s okay.
*Just create something small, really small. That is enough for now.
*Enjoy what you created and record it on an Mp3 player or on your laptop.
*Listen back later with objective ears.
*If you finished a song put it on Myspace, Youtube, Last.fm, etc. Let people know who you are.
*Perform your songs in public. Put yourself out there. Take a chance.
The final step:
- Chunk up your goals into smaller goals to make it even more specific. What is it that you are going to do today exactly?
For example:
1 – Write down a few songs I want on my repertoire.
2 – Learn some new chords or a chord progression.
3 – Create an intro.
Do this everyday. Write down specific small steps. Read these steps before you’re off to sleep so you feel more accountable the next day you wake up.
When it comes to luck, you make your own. – Bruce Springsteen
There is one word to resume the steps mentioned: DISCIPLINE.
Its hard to come home after fighting your way through the clutter of society, disipline must be assumed, you don´t have to be a man on the hill and leave everything behind, you can ask you kids and wife to leave you alone for a couple of hours, pick a time of day or night, pre-install yourself, meditate for 20 minutes, look inside yourself, “the kindom of heaven is within” {13th floor elevators} so its all in the will power or power of will, don´t let it pass by! give yourself your time, and don´t let the distractions and worries make you forget! Give yourself your time, remember , Einstein, Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Timothy Leary, Sergius Golowin, H.R. Giger, H.P. Lovecraft, John Lennon, had the same time granted as you do! Not a second more, not a second Less!
Great Article, I also really like what Rodrigo said. Sometimes there is a fear of not being good enough. Sometimes you feel like you don’t want to write down your goals because that means you are making a commitment to yourself that you might break.
The only way to get over this is to believe in yourself and go for it. You may not be the next big hit but you will always regret it and wonder if you never try.