The ‘Practicing’ Paradox

It’s true that “slow and steady wins the race,” except that there is no race. When we worry so much about where we THINK we should be, we often prevent ourselves from actually getting there. (And by the way, there’s no finish line.) There are many ways of saying this: “The path is the goal,” “Live in the present moment,” “Let go of results,” but none of these is particularly helpful until something in us shifts, and then we say “Wow, THIS is what they meant!” How’s THAT for a paradox?

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10 thoughts on “The ‘Practicing’ Paradox”

  1. Very true! I hate “practicing” – whether it’s piano or guitar or djembe – but I try to think of it instead as, “Oh, boy, I get to play piano/guitar/djembe and just groove on the music!”

    Reply
    • That’s a great attitude, Kelly. I think we each have to find an approach that works for us, and ‘keeps up keeping on’, as they say. Do you play the djembe in a group? African?

      Reply
  2. After an intense quiz in class, we jammed for almost an hour last week on your Blues Workouts, beginning with A minor. We traveled through a couple of other keys, and a seemingly endless variety of styles, tossed in some variations on chords and progressions…kinda sad when we stopped, one minute over the official end of class. That’s how to “practice!” Thanks for the excellent lessons and guidance!

    Reply

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