Recently I was having a conversation with my Mastermind Group. We were discussing goal setting, a very important component of any Mastermind Group. One of the members suggested we explore the idea of pursuing “desire” instead of “goal setting”. Wow, that instantly gave me a big shift on my perspective regarding learning to play the guitar!
Over the years, I’ve been a big proponent of setting goals, or intentions. I even recently wrote a blog about New Year resolutions, advising using goal setting instead of resolutions. However, my friend got me thinking in an entirely different way.
Why do people learn to play the guitar? For many reasons, I suppose. It’s good for your brain, soothes the soul, and is a great stress buster, as I’ve been saying all along. But why do they stick with playing the guitar? That’s where the desire comes in! My most successful students became successful out of love for the instrument, or from wherever their desire to play came from. Maybe they wanted to join a band, attend a jam session, or just impress their friends or family. No matter, the desire was what was driving them to continue practicing, working through the pain of developing those calluses on their fingers, sticking with the challenges learning to read music brings. The desire to play a particular song, express themselves from their soul, feel connected to something bigger than themselves – that is what desire is, and desire is what keeps the student coming back to the instrument, over and over, walking away when it becomes too frustrating, but always returning, picking up the guitar and starting again, and again, and again.
Goals can certainly help us attain our desires, but the desire must exist first. Setting all the goals in the world won’t amount to anything without the desire to meet those goals. It’s very important when considering whether to take guitar lessons or not, to take a few minutes and focus on what you really want to get out of a lesson. What do you desire? Why do you want to learn the guitar? What is your desire and where does it come from? Once you know the answer to these questions, we can work together to set goals that will help you reach your desire.
Desire also plays a part in why I teach beginner guitar. I am driven to share the same pleasure and joy I get from the instrument. When I see a student make that connection with the guitar, watch them develop a repertoire of music they love to play, and see them continue to grow in skill, that makes me happy!
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