Food For Thought : Stop Comparing Yourself To Others

[Alicia Willis]

Hey Ya’ll

I was having a conversation with a friend when I brought up the fact that many of us often compare ourselves to others, especially when it comes to our guitar playing and improvement.

I mentioned how I get so frustrated with myself, but have to also remind myself that I AM a beginner and have been learning and playing for a minuscule amount of time compared to others.

So often we look up to those who seem to be doing things we will never be able to achieve but the truth is, you just can’t do that in this current moment, in time you will !

You all know I myself am a huge fan of acoustic music and basic chord progressions, I used to beat myself up over not being able to do a Barre F chord so much I literally thought, “If I can’t do that I can’t do anything”

But that was so far from the truth. I CAN do that now.

At one point I thought, I’ll never be able to alternate pick....but I did...

At point in time I thought, I’ll never be able to play a solo.....but I did.....

At one point I thought, I’ll never be able to do a pinch harmonic....but I did... (not consistently but that’s okay lol)

Anyway, the point is, everyone is always making progress and advancements at their own pace.

So while you are looking up to others thinking to yourself “why can’t I do that?”
There is always someone looking at YOU with that same thought.

We are all unique in your abilities and journeys, stop comparing yourself to others and just enjoy the process !

 

[idssdi]

Well said!

 

[Rad Synner]

Idk, I look up to my boy JC and so far, im capable of doing everything he does so... but then again, im like, probably amongst the top players in the world. Genius is really the best way to describe myself.

 

[Kat the metalhead]

so well said! this needed to be said for sure! when i first started playing i wanted to be like billie joe armstrong and syn, i surpassed the point of playing like billie joe and i was shocked i could play green day songs with ease but it took time. as for syn i wanted to learn crazy solos and shred just like him and when i found out i couldn't when i was younger i got so mad and just disappointed. i thought i was gonna be a rhythm player for the rest of my life but the thing i found out from the school is that rhythm guitar is very important and even needed for solos. so i figured i should be proud of my rhythm skills and questioned why do i even need to be like syn and shred like crazy when i could just be myself! i decided that im gonna be a main rhythm player and just do solos for fun and practice

 

[ari.mac]

Amen to that Syster! I also get very frustrated at myself at times (very often ) but then I realise that I just started and it is okay to not be able to do certain things just yet. With work and time everything is achievable!

 

[TheTroller]

Then there's the opposite, where you have the dunning kruger effect and you spend an hour in your bedroom noodling around with fast arpeggios and then watch a video of Michael Angelo Batio and you realize you suck. :/

 

[TheTroller]

Then there's the opposite, where you have the dunning kruger effect and you spend an hour in your bedroom noodling around with fast arpeggios and then watch a video of Michael Angelo Batio and you realize you suck. :/

Ignorance is bliss lol

 

[Gemma G.S.]

I appreciate this so much! I get down on myself a lot and these are all important things to remember. We're all at different levels, but we all share the same love for music!

 

[Dominik Gräber]

Love this! Well Said Alicia.
I've been thinking about that lately too.

Thing is, it's often not a concious decision to compare yourself to Others. I mean, social Media, Internet, there are people everywhere you May Look Up to for their skills and May compare yourself too.

You really need to be self aware and reflect on what you already achieved and how much better you are compared to your former self. So it's good to have a reminder to do so Like this thread!

 

[carlosmqr]

Thats so true Alicia!
I think more than compare to others I look up, in a good way, and try to motivate myself to get there! We all learn in different ways, some people take more time than others, some people practice 8h a day some people twice a week etc theres so many variants involved!

 

[William B.]

I just wanted to play rhythm guitar like Zacky, I thought it was really cool how Syn helped him become a better player.
I'm happy to be able to have matched my goal, just not in a band yet. I keep learning new stuff, it's really cool, I really like all the little small things that can be added or worked on every time I play. Just from wanting to learn the guitar I learned a lot of skills that I can apply to my everyday life and improve. I still lack discipline, never got frustrated. I expected the journey to be hard, but I didn't anticipate it would take so long to play in a band. Probably after 10 years of getting familiar with Rhythm, I started to get more into solo stuff. I don't think anyone on this site would take as long as me considering the community, lessons and teachers. I went bananas when I got word of this site, was apathetic for like 2 years. What got me out was 9 seasons of The Walking Dead and Kavinsky - Nightcall and Synthwave type music whenever I could bear to listen to anything. I was lagging so probably went off topic, I still feel like a beginner

 

[Jak Angelescu]

Hey Ya’ll

I was having a conversation with a friend when I brought up the fact that many of us often compare ourselves to others, especially when it comes to our guitar playing and improvement.

I mentioned how I get so frustrated with myself, but have to also remind myself that I AM a beginner and have been learning and playing for a minuscule amount of time compared to others.

So often we look up to those who seem to be doing things we will never be able to achieve but the truth is, you just can’t do that in this current moment, in time you will !

You all know I myself am a huge fan of acoustic music and basic chord progressions, I used to beat myself up over not being able to do a Barre F chord so much I literally thought, “If I can’t do that I can’t do anything”

But that was so far from the truth. I CAN do that now.

At one point I thought, I’ll never be able to alternate pick....but I did...

At point in time I thought, I’ll never be able to play a solo.....but I did.....

At one point I thought, I’ll never be able to do a pinch harmonic....but I did... (not consistently but that’s okay lol)

Anyway, the point is, everyone is always making progress and advancements at their own pace.

So while you are looking up to others thinking to yourself “why can’t I do that?”
There is always someone looking at YOU with that same thought.

We are all unique in your abilities and journeys, stop comparing yourself to others and just enjoy the process !

My girl preaching the facts

 

[Gabby Heafy]

well said! really nice words!

 

[Chris Johnston]

Such a great post & really well said! It's something I often battle with