Forward momentum requires the desire to get somewhere. Whether you are
driving your Uncle’s Volvo to the beach or practicing a Paganini violin
concerto, its natural to assume that you have your goal in sight. Perhaps
even more important than the goal is the desire to get there. In interviews
with gold medal Olympians the common thread to their achievements is an
active visualization of reaching their goal. It seems the more you can
imagine the sight, sound, smell, and surroundings of your goal, the more
motivated you will be to do the work needed to reach that goal.

Once you have set in your mind what your goal will be, it’s time to work
backward and establish a “critical path”. In other words, what are the
elements needed to create the competency to achieve the goal. For example,
if you want to be the guitarist in a blues band, you should dissect what
techniques and physical strengths need to be developed to meet that goal.
Then set up a practice regiment that will allow you to develop in those
areas. The regime should be broken down into a daily function to meet
weekly, monthly, and yearly goals.

Forward momentum requires the desire to get somewhere. The desire is the
motor that pushes everything else. The only problem is that for an extremely
motivated and driven person the downside is coming up short of the set goal.
Sometimes circumstances in life will conspire to prevent one from reaching
the ‘brass ring’. Not everyone wins the gold medal, or gets that big record
deal, or plays at the Royal Albert Hall. When things do not turn out as you
have dreamed, its easy to get cynical.

Someone once said that cynicism is basically frozen disappointment. I
believe it. When a goal has been etched into your mind for years, it is easy
to turn against all the reasons that created the desire to achieve the goal
in the first place. As a guitarist I am always amazed when I meet old
friends who were once active and accomplished players that state they have
not picked up an instrument in years. At one time music was their passion,
but the goal they sought was fame and fortune…when that wasn’t awarded them,
they grew cynical toward the pursuits of music, and the music industry.

All of these former players that I have encountered all have the same aura
of defeatism. There is an emptiness that is palatable in them. Some do not
even enjoy listening to music anymore. There is a cure, however. That cure
is to redirect and redefine the drive that they once had by creating a new
mindset where the journey is the destination.

When the goal of making music is based on material rewards, or based on
approval addiction, the results will be disappointing to most. To the lucky
few who do achieve material rewards equal to their dreams, the majority will
find success to be shortlived in the fickle world of the music business. The
key to continued joy in creating music is to shift the goal and the drive to
either something smaller or larger than the unachieved dream. The new larger
goal would be a goal that will take more than a lifetime to accomplish. In
contrast, the new smaller goal would be something that can be accomplished
everytime you sit down with your instrument.

By redefining your goals and dreams to either bigger or smaller goals, goals
not based on material rewards, you can free your mind from the "achievement"
mindset. You can relax and enjoy the process…enjoy the journey.

As a guitarist there should be no greater reward than feeling the vibration
of the strings against your fingers.

When you accomplish that feat, the drive to arrive will be renewed and
enjoyed more fully than you could ever imagine.

-     Ari Lahdekorpi

“ Two inmates look through prison bars, one sees the mud, the other sees the
stars.”

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© 2005 Yonge Music