Motivation and mindset: Guitar affirmations
I would like to share an insight with you that took me years to realize and put into actual words. It might seem like something that has nothing really to do with your regular guitar practicing, but then actually has a lot to do with it.
Without me even noticing it, I’ve made it quite a habit over the years to always observe the really good players. The talented guitarists who always seem to be lightyears ahead of you and me. It’s easy to say “Oh they are so talented and on top of that they must have invested so much time in practicing!”. Now that is totally true, but there is still something missing from this observation and I’m not only talking about what scales or chords they use. Something way more subtle and deep.
Something you could be doing right at this moment without having to accumulate any new knowledge on the guitar.
It’s the mindset, confidence, trust in their skills, the willingness to make mistakes and to experiment, self-assurance, playfulness and much more. It’s their entire approach to music in general.
You can be the most knowledgeable person about scales and harmony on the guitar, but if you don’t have a healthy mix of the traits mentioned above, all of the knowledge will be for nothing. Something will be missing, your potential won’t fully blossom and you will set yourself up for failure in the long term. The “Attitude” and the “How to” of playing is something that can’t be taught by only playing scales to a metronome.
High-level athletes are known to have a strong mindset of a winner. They don’t give up, don’t take no for an answer and embrace the daily grind of training. So do high-level Classical musicians and countless other performing professions. I would argue that learning how to play guitar or how to improvise is on that same level. See yourself as a high level-athlete or performer too, because that’s what you, if you came this far, already are.
Now, mind you that this is not a psychology course or self-help book. But I would like for you to take your own mind and approach to the instrument more seriously. It would be careless and ignorant to not talk about this if you are planning to evolve on your instrument. That’s also the reason, why you are going to find more “Motivation and mindset” signposts here on this blog in the near future.
I would like to support you with the right tools to stay motivated when things get rough or when you experience a period of a dry spell. Things that I have noticed over the years that made an immediate impact on my play. I can assure you, that it’s going to be tough on your journey every now and then. You are going to hit a plateau from time to time. Small ones and big ones. You will need the right mindset in order to not dwell in these slumps and let them drag you down for too long. You need to learn how to keep picking yourself up, be motivated and stay on your path.
So here we go with the actual exercise.
It’s very simple, but it might be also the most awkward exercise you have ever done.
Affirmations! Short and strong phrases that you say out loud to yourself.
Say them with conviction several times. You can do this before practicing or before a live performance. This works like crazy to get you into the right mindset.
Although it would be hysterical to shout them out of your window, there is no circumstance where you would say any of these in front of a person in real life. It’s just practice! This exercise is just a tool, effective and fun to do. Feel free to come up with your own affirmations.
I challenge you to try this for about 5 - 10 minutes before practice. There is no way for you to not notice a shift in your mood.
You can find more “Motivation and mindset” chapters in my new Jazz Guitar Transformation Online Course here. Make sure to check it out if you want to dive deeper into Jazz guitar improvisation or if you need more tools on how to prime your mind so that you can be the best version of yourself on the guitar.
Don’t forget that you could evolve and practice as a player for the rest of your life. The sky is the limit when it comes to goal setting on the guitar and it all starts in your mind.
