Don’t let yesterday’s fuck ups be today and tomorrow’s hang ups
What up! It’s been a while. I highly recommend you listen to this post today instead of reading it! https://youtu.be/Tj856sgi5zw
So today’s post is inspired by my guitar – that sexy curvaceous piece of craftsman ship that sits on my lap and acts as an extension of my very soul. I could write you a whole essay on why I play guitar and what I love about music and the importance of having a creative outlet that takes your demons away.
However that’s not the point of this discussion –in brief: I play quite a bit, I’m not that technically proficient or musically educated but I love making music and it makes my soul happier than almost anything else on this planet.
This is the first point I’m going to make:
If you love doing something – being not amazing at it isn’t an excuse to not do it. You should spend as much time as you can doing it –because you will get better just by virtue of doing it and frankly it’s not about getting better, it’s about doing something that you earnestly love.
Anyway, that’s not the point of this discussion.
Do some visualising with me:
Picture yourself playing a tune on whatever instrument you wish –a guitar, a piano, a kazoo, a banjo -whatever–maybe your friends are jamming with you, maybe you’re playing in front of a crowd.
The music is flowing, your soul is alive, everything is perfect and it feels like nothing could go wrong. It feels effortless and you’re just riding this beautiful wave of inspiration.
*PLUNK*
You hit the wrong note or the drummer drops the beat or something happens.
Do you stop and cry about it?
Do you stop playing and apologise to the instrument, yourself, the audience and the rest of the band? Do you say you’ll never play again because you made a mistake?
No mother fucker, you wince, grit your teeth, maybe let out an Fbomb and keep fucking playing!
The flow is more important than the one or two sour notes- the best part about making a mistake while playing is that mistakes happen. A mistake is one isolated moment but time is a never ending stream of moments – some good, some amazing some shit and a lot in between.
The number of mistakes I’ve made, the number of opportunities I’ve passed up…
If I were to stop and count them or spend time feeling sorry for myself do you know what would happen?
I’d never do anything, I’d never learn anything and I’d miss a life time’s more worth of opportunities.
So certainly learn from your mistakes but don’t let the past hold your present back. Don’t let the baggage that no one but you cares about stop you from having new experiences – don’t let it make you hesitate and worry about fucking up again – you’ll more than likely fuck up again but that doesn’t matter.
The band doesn’t care if you fuck up- they all fuck up too.
Does the audience care? No they’re having too good a time to notice what you’re doing.
And if you do fuck up so badly that everything stops and everyone notices then make it funny, have a laugh- pick your ass up and keep playing- the show must go on!