Do you find yourself starting new projects all of the time?
It’s easy to get excited about a new idea. Conversely, it’s difficult to stick with the project that you haven’t finished yet.
Because finishing something often requires an incredible amount of tedious, frustrating work. But if we don’t finish our projects, then no one gets to interact with our idea, and we don’t experience the fulfillment that comes from connecting with our community.
Can You Make It To The Second Chord?
I teach a summer guitar course for elementary/middle school students. The class is usually successful because the students work in a classroom environment for over an hour ever day. They’re forced to put in the hard work.
A question popped into my head while I was teaching the class the other day: Can you make it to the second chord?
Just about every student can successfully finger that first D chord. Playing that second chord is exponentially more difficult though. I take that back. Most students can play that second chord too.
The real difficulty is experienced when trying to switch between those first two chords. That’s where the hard work comes in. Nothing but tedious, repetitive practice will do. You have to sit your butt in the chair and switch between that D chord and that A chord over and over and over again until you get it right.
A lot of people just don’t have the stamina to make it through this phase.
The good news is that after you make it through that second chord, things get easier. Switching to that third chord isn’t quite as hard. Why? Because the skill that you obtained through the hard work of switching between the first two chords carries over. You’re building on what you already know. You have momentum.
Making it through that first difficult part is crucial though. It stops most people. Don’t let it stop you. Work through the pain.
Finish your project.
Make it to the second chord.