Why is this so damn hard? Practice discipline

[Christian Schulze]

Hi there my beloved Synner Family, CJ here (its been a while since I wrote here, love the new interface)

Last couple of months/weeks have been crazy insane (For those who know, you know).

Now that things have calmed down a little bit for me, I struggle finding the passion or rather disclipline to really go after it. Like after a long day of work the only thing I want to do is sleep XD (may be my inner Blues guy taking over a bit too much if you know what im saying).

So here I am questioning myself. Why is it so damn hard to just sit down and practice? We all want to become proficient in our instrument I belive and all our Idols worked their asses off to become the Beasts that they are on them.

Why is the resistance towards our dreams so hard. Is it just lazyness or maybe more?

Maybe its our inner saboteur, our Thanatos,our longing of our own death, that wants to see us fail?

But why? Why do we want to throw stones in our own way?

Maybe we are afraid of our own success. Maybe we are afraid of change (Change is really scary!).Maybe we are afraid that maybe after practicing something for hours on end we still cannot master it and just don't want to waste our time?

Funny thing is that all the things that I mentioned just now has a maybe in front of it. So we will never know what will happen when we follow through on our Billionth vow of dedication of our craft. We know what willl happen if we don't pursue it 100% of the time.

Shredding powers just wont come over night (And GOD I WISH THEY WOULD!!!!).

Fast action, almost reflex fast action comes after a long an grueling process of interiorization. Slowly getting it into our subconscious. It is slow and long and boring....but it is the journey that matters.

So here I promise to myself for the Millionth, Trillionth Time that I will give it my best shot to consistently play guitar everyday. Hope you do so too!

 

[idssdi]

Good to have you back CJ and I love this forum topic.

For myself I notice I struggle practicing when I'm just tired because I simply lack the concentration to do so. It starts feeling like a chore and I just rather Netflix and chill or something like that. It's not a consistent thing for me but some days I just don't feel like it. Remember, to be good at something a lot of the time you also need to think it's fun for you to spend time on it in your free time. You already have a job so there is no need to force yourself playing guitar because it doesn't pay the bills and there's nothing wrong with it at all to not play as much. I mean it has to be fun in the end


One of the things that help me a lot is play something different then what I'm used to. Playing the same things over and over again can become boring so changing it up may help. For example I have a list of John Mayer and Avenged sevenfold songs I want to work through. I very consciously added songs in between to have something else to play so I wouldn't get bored

 

[Christian Schulze]

Good to have you back CJ and I love this forum topic.

For myself I notice I struggle practicing when I'm just tired because I simply lack the concentration to do so. It starts feeling like a chore and I just rather Netflix and chill or something like that. It's not a consistent thing for me but some days I just don't feel like it. Remember, to be good at something a lot of the time you also need to think it's fun for you to spend time on it in your free time. You already have a job so there is no need to force yourself playing guitar because it doesn't pay the bills and there's nothing wrong with it at all to not play as much. I mean it has to be fun in the end


One of the things that help me a lot is play something different then what I'm used to. Playing the same things over and over again can become boring so changing it up may help. For example I have a list of John Mayer and Avenged sevenfold songs I want to work through. I very consciously added songs in between to have something else to play so I wouldn't get bored

Yes I mean this not a paying the bills situation, but still it is something that I wanna accomplish on my hobby. I guess I just need to take a step back at certain times. On the other hand, if I dont persist consistently...I may never get there. So its a players dilemma XD

 

[Alicia Willis]

God do I understand this ! My journey has been short thus far but it’s already had its massive breaks ! I’ll be honest, I’ve not really played in the last two weeks other than a quick little jam with Ashley and picking up the acoustic a couple of times and just playing some chords.
Sometimes it’s just incredibly hard to sit down and really practice when you have so much going on in your life, and I find it’s even more difficult when the things going on are not the greatest. Stress and anxiety make us not want to do the things we love and want to do.
But I’m sure it will pass, and you’ll get back on it ! As long as it doesn’t feel like a chore, I almost quit when it began feeling like a chore for me.

 

[idssdi]

Yes I mean this not a paying the bills situation, but still it is something that I wanna accomplish on my hobby. I guess I just need to take a step back at certain times. On the other hand, if I dont persist consistently...I may never get there. So its a players dilemma XD

Try to look at it like this because maybe it helps. If you force yourself to play you may get annoyed/frustrated with the instrument and give up. If you take a step back when you need to you keep the motivation and will get better at playing your instrument. One of the most important things I have allowed myself to do is sometimes you don't need to focus on practicing to get better but just play. By playing a lot you get better but that doesn't always have to be dedicated practice if you know what I mean

 

[Rad Synner]

Results don't come without action. It's easier to say ''One day I'll do this'' than to say ''today is Day one towards this''.

To me it's just come down to discipline and knowing what you want. Once you've figured what you want, then its for you to make a road map to guide you there at your own pace but it has to be sustainable and consistent.

If you say to yourself that you will practice 6 hours a day but you cant maintain that lifestyle then you already failed before you started.

But if you say that you will put 10 min per day towards practice and you maintain that lifestyle, then before you know it, that 10 min becomes 15. And then 20. and then 40 up until you have the high regimen you wanted.

I guess that I see it like building a tower. The tower is going to be only as strong as its foundation. If the foundation is not solid, then it is condemned to crumble.

And like Luke Skywalker said: Talent without training is nothing.

So its your responsability to make your dream happen and if they fail, it is equally yours.

Again, this is is my view upon it and I forged it around my perspective. The key is to find what's right for you and for what you want and need!

Peace!

 

[Christian Schulze]

God do I understand this ! My journey has been short thus far but it’s already had its massive breaks ! I’ll be honest, I’ve not really played in the last two weeks other than a quick little jam with Ashley and picking up the acoustic a couple of times and just playing some chords.
Sometimes it’s just incredibly hard to sit down and really practice when you have so much going on in your life, and I find it’s even more difficult when the things going on are not the greatest. Stress and anxiety make us not want to do the things we love and want to do.
But I’m sure it will pass, and you’ll get back on it ! As long as it doesn’t feel like a chore, I almost quit when it began feeling like a chore for me.

Indeed. Once it feels like work.....then its not gonna be good!

 

[Calvin Phillips]

Gotta just stop looking at it as work and practice. I only really practice on my days off. After work due to the tight schedule inslip the practice most nights and just jam what feels good at the time. I think you just gotta make it so its not like you're going to work after going to work.

 

[Christian Schulze]

Results don't come without action. It's easier to say ''One day I'll do this'' than to say ''today is Day one towards this''.

To me it's just come down to discipline and knowing what you want. Once you've figured what you want, then its for you to make a road map to guide you there at your own pace but it has to be sustainable and consistent.

If you say to yourself that you will practice 6 hours a day but you cant maintain that lifestyle then you already failed before you started.

But if you say that you will put 10 min per day towards practice and you maintain that lifestyle, then before you know it, that 10 min becomes 15. And then 20. and then 40 up until you have the high regimen you wanted.

I guess that I see it like building a tower. The tower is going to be only as strong as its foundation. If the foundation is not solid, then it is condemned to crumble.

And like Luke Skywalker said: Talent without training is nothing.

So its your responsability to make your dream happen and if they fail, it is equally yours.

Again, this is is my view upon it and I forged it around my perspective. The key is to find what's right for you and for what you want and need!

Peace!

My man with the philosophy. I like that!

 

[Rad Synner]

My man with the philosophy. I like that!

I have my moments. But enough smart shit for today. Im heading back snorting ants with ozzy and playing bass

 

[Christian Schulze]

Gotta just stop looking at it as work and practice. I only really practice on my days off. After work due to the tight schedule inslip the practice most nights and just jam what feels good at the time. I think you just gotta make it so its not like you're going to work after going to work.

Yeah I think seing jt as a chore is fucking with me a bit to be honest XD.

 

[Ryan Vega]

For a long time i just played and considered that practice, but after awhile i learned to practice with the intent to get better and as long as you do that everytime you sit down to praccy no matter how long you'll get some benefit out of it, there's lots of like premade practice schedules you can see on google if you want to start out short times. Another thing that helped me play faster in a quick amount of time was playing fast to the metronome, i learned it in john petrucci's rock discipline, it's good to play slow to it but you should set it to your goal speed as well so you can get the feel for playing fast, helped me tons cause i use to just slave away to the click slowly, but that did help me with cleaner playing so just gotta find that balance

 

[Firsty Lasty]

Why is the resistance towards our dreams so hard. Is it just lazyness or maybe more?

Here's the big picture of what's going on: the experience of life comes down to deprivation/displeasure vs stimulation/pleasure of your senses (including within your own body, for example adrenaline) and your imagination (including imaginative processes such as abstract thinking and relationships). That's a bit of an oversimplification, but it IS what having sentient consciousness comes down to. This is the meaning of life.

If you don't feel motivated to practice it is because the scales are tipped to that side. It may be that guitar doesn't spark your imagination like it used to, or maybe you don't believe in the ambitions you formerly imagined, or it is a physically uncomfortable experience, or it is not mentally stimulating enough vs the other things you could be doing, or something along those lines.


Now for some practical advice. My top three tips for having energy after a long day of work are #1 maintain good posture, bad posture all day will cause you to be psychologically crushed. #2 remove all garbage from your diet. I recommend nothing like coke or pepsi for the rest of your life except for special occasions. #3 socially connect. I have no idea what's going on in your life, but I can tell you that being isolated is demotivating and being connected leads to a more active lifestyle. Online friendships don't count, it must be IRL. Yes I realize there's the pandemic going on, sorry I can't fix that.

 

[Chris Lever]

I really needed this today. I have been struggling to find the notion to look at a guitar, let alone pick one up. It has been a long time since I had that passion. I am sick of the excuses and I am wanting to put the work in! I never look at community threads like this one, and I certainly never comment in them because I always feel like I can get through my slumps. Today is my first step in admitting that I want to be surrounded by likeminded people that all share not only a common interest, but also want to fill each other up with positivity. I honestly believe that's the key to forming discipline. Having people to spur you on.

 

[Christian Schulze]

Here's the big picture of what's going on: the experience of life comes down to deprivation/displeasure vs stimulation/pleasure of your senses (including within your own body, for example adrenaline) and your imagination (including imaginative processes such as abstract thinking and relationships). That's a bit of an oversimplification, but it IS what having sentient consciousness comes down to. This is the meaning of life.

If you don't feel motivated to practice it is because the scales are tipped to that side. It may be that guitar doesn't spark your imagination like it used to, or maybe you don't believe in the ambitions you formerly imagined, or it is a physically uncomfortable experience, or it is not mentally stimulating enough vs the other things you could be doing, or something along those lines.


Now for some practical advice. My top three tips for having energy after a long day of work are #1 maintain good posture, bad posture all day will cause you to be psychologically crushed. #2 remove all garbage from your diet. I recommend nothing like coke or pepsi for the rest of your life except for special occasions. #3 socially connect. I have no idea what's going on in your life, but I can tell you that being isolated is demotivating and being connected leads to a more active lifestyle. Online friendships don't count, it must be IRL. Yes I realize there's the pandemic going on, sorry I can't fix that.

Thank you so much for this! I know that some changes need to happen. The current lifestyle that I am currently having is not very kind on me.

 

[AGA]

I have a tip that I've been applying for working out and building discipline in general.
Do things RIGHT AWAY. Set a specific time for practice, make sure it's the same time every day and honour your commitment to THAT time.
Instead of aiming to practice 30 min a day and trying to fit it in the day, say "noon is MY practice time" and get to it right away.

Usually, when we have something to do that requires effort the hardest part is to begin.
We build it up in our heads and argue with ourselves internally while trying to muster up the will, until we convince ourselves to "do it later" and then we don't.
If you get to it before you have time to even think or argue with yourself, before you know it you will be doing it. And once you are doing it, it's not so bad.

Also, pre-plan what your session will be about, don't just go in without a plan. This will help build A HABIT.

Another tip that works for me is to practice in the mornings, before you get tired from the day, although I realize this might not be an option for everybody.

Best of luck brother!

 

[idssdi]

I have a tip that I've been applying for working out and building discipline in general.
Do things RIGHT AWAY. Set a specific time for practice, make sure it's the same time every day and honour your commitment to THAT time.
Instead of aiming to practice 30 min a day and trying to fit it in the day, say "noon is MY practice time" and get to it right away.

Usually, when we have something to do that requires effort the hardest part is to begin.
We build it up in our heads and argue with ourselves internally while trying to muster up the will, until we convince ourselves to "do it later" and then we don't.
If you get to it before you have time to even think or argue with yourself, before you know it you will be doing it. And once you are doing it, it's not so bad.

Also, pre-plan what your session will be about, don't just go in without a plan. This will help build A HABIT.

Another tip that works for me is to practice in the mornings, before you get tired from the day, although I realize this might not be an option for everybody.

Best of luck brother!

I kind of partly agree with this. For me a rigid schedule doesn't work because as soon as something takes a bit longer the schedule is messed up so I work more on an order of doing things. For example when the gyms are open it's gym-breakfast-uni/work-groceries-dinner-guitar practice-something random. The thing out of these that are absolutely necessary are breakfast, uni/work and dinner so I pretty much have a set time for those. All the others are kind of optional so the exact time at which do them varies. One day guitar practice may be at 7 pm and another at 8 pm it just depends how much time the other stuff I need to do that day is costing me. For me personally, I'm also very keen on my responsibility so when I say I'll do something I kinda have to do it because staying true to my word and all that so it's kind of better for my stress level to not go 'today you'll practice this long' because what if I either Don't have the time or am just exhausted you know

It's a similar idea but kind of a different approach

 

[Christian Schulze]

Thank you Aileé this actually sounds pretty good. I will give it s go!

 

[idssdi]

Thank you Aileé this actually sounds pretty good. I will give it s go!

It's Interesting how you quote me and say thank you Aileé

She did give me the right words to explain how I get consistent practice in so indirectly it may kinda make sense

 

[Christian Schulze]

It's Interesting how you quote me and say thank you Aileé

She did give me the right words to explain how I get consistent practice in so indirectly it may kinda make sense

My bad. Must have been my phone clicking on the your comment instead of hers