Summertime Middle

We’re a little past Midsummer and not quite to the middle of summer and it’s past the midpoint of the year, so here we are, Summertime Middle – or

stuck in the middle (with you)

 

Ok, bad song lyric semi-quotes aside, while it’s not strictly the midpoint of the year, we’re clearly in the middle of – everything and you are here.

Midpoint of the year

Summer workshops have been held and continue to be going.

The winter holidays are far in the rearview and sneaking up in front of us.

School’s not in, but we’re still remembering the good of last term while beginning to anticipate the coming return.

Hallmark is showing Christmas movies (oh, wait, that doesn’t tell us anything about the season, really).

And those who love it are starting to show the early signs of a candy corn craving!

So, it’s clearly time to do another important midyear thing – check in on our goals.  I have scavenged some useful questions we might consider at this point in time.  Of course, this assumes that we all have some goals for this year – whether they’re formally written (or over the top with a project plan) or informally noted in memory (or dreamt up like a wish).  Let’s go through the questions  – I am, of course, going to ask you to share with me what you come up with, but really this is an exercise left for the reader – what’s important is that you know where you are, where you meant to be, and if you’re getting there – although I have an abiding (and prurient) interest!

Here we go:

  • Wha’cha doin’? (definitely ask in a sing-song-y way!)  What have you been working on? Stuff you learned at a workshop this summer? Stuff you learned before the summer but needs polishing? Dusting your harp?
  • Done anything exciting lately? – what’s making you look forward to sitting to your harp?
  • What’s taking up most of your time lately? – what’s taking longer than you thought? Or are you dreading? Or keeping you away from your harp?
  • What’s your biggest challenge right now? – what’s a bigger bugbear than you thought? Getting up to speed? Committing to memory? Learning anything new? Sitting down to your harp?
  • What’s your day look like? – is there time for practicing and playing? Are you getting sunscreen on your soundboard? Are you looking longingly at the pool from your bench?
  • What are three interesting ideas you’ve had lately? (ok, I didn’t change this question at all – I like it just as it is!)
  • What are you doing to make yourself just a little bit uncomfortable just now? No, really – if you’re not a tiny bit discomforted, are you growing?
  • Did the goals you set earlier still make sense? If so, what’s next to keep going?  And if not, what would be a better goal?
  • What are you going to do next? If you’re proceeding apace on your goals, what’s the next step?  If you’re revising your goals, what’s the next step?  If you didn’t set any goals, what’s the next step?

If you’re pillorying yourself for not achieving your goals to do, stop it.  Rather, take a moment to review your old goals and identify what’s not right about them.  Because in this case, it’s not you, it’s the goal – either it wasn’t a good fit, it was too much of a stretch, it was a “should”, you just changed course, or something that made the goal not fit.  No matter, this is a great time to rewrite your goals.  Recraft the outcome, the path, the underlying rationale – whatever is needed to assure that you’re moving to your real goal, not an old/ill-fitting/unfortunately worded endpoint that isn’t serving you. 

If instead, you’re clapping yourself on the back in triumph, still take a moment to review your goals and assure yourself that you’re on the best path to the finish (for those goals), that the goal (even if you are moving deftly forward) is still the right one for you, and to identify that you still want to go where you’re headed.  Also, if you’re blown through your goals, you can take a moment to add to them!

As promised, a nosy question – how are you coming with your goals?  If you’re doing well against them, let me know!  And if you’re not, please share what was wrong with the goal and where you’re headed.  I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

What do you see?

So – did you make a vision/mood (visi-mood?) board?  What do you see?

This is meant to be an exercise that allows you to explore your thinking on what you’d like to accomplish (translation – your goals) for the year.  I hope you did make a board.  It’s an interesting way to get started on moving forward to where you think you’d like to be.  It’s certainly not writing up a load of resolutions or wishes.  If nothing else, it’s a compelling way to go about thinking about what activities you’d like to contemplate for the coming time. 

I did one.  I liked that it really required thinking.  It meant not only conceiving of what to do and focus on, but also then find a graphic way to represent it – yikes! 

Going graphic meant that I really had to examine all the things I was thinking about and generate ways to represent that.  Here’s what I came up with.

Vision Mood BoardHow about yours?

Of course, mine doesn’t mean anything to you – it’s my board!  But it does incorporate all my big goals for the year for my music.  More importantly, it helped me figure out which were actual goals (things that I can actually accomplish with a defined finish line and more than just a little detail on the process for getting there) and which were just wishes (of course I’d like to do all kinds of big and exciting stuff …but a lot of those things are just colossal stretch – and more a hankering than a goal). 

Making a board also really shone light on the “shoulds” that were crowding in.  You know the sort of thing – I should do x and if I really wanted to move forward, I should do y (where x and y are things that maybe a lot of other people are doing but that I just don’t value or am just not interested in doing).  The problem with shoulds is that they weigh a lot but don’t actually help you move.  Being able to identify those shoulds let’s you set them aside and focus on the goals you want to meet rather than to fixate on things of no import.

So, did you make a visi-mood board?  Did it help you define your goals for this year?  Did you learn anything?  Do you feel ready to codify your goals for the year?  Let me know in the comments!

Vision of the new year

Happy New Year!  It’s that time of year when it seems like everyone is setting goals and resolutions – our vision of the new year.  This year, we just don’t know.  There is still loads of uncertainty going into 2022, but we go on anyway.

Of course, the reality is that at this point of any year we have no idea what’s coming!  Our vision is limited.  It’s only in the last couple of years that we’ve been made very aware that we don’t know what’s coming, certainly in a way we haven’t been in the past.  So really, this year is beginning like every other year we’ve seen the start of.  It just seems more unavoidable this year.  Maybe it’s unavoidable, but it’s also status quo.

Vision Mood boardNow that we’ve established that this year is just like every year, we can get moving setting some goals.  Even though this year is like others before, we do feel more uncertain and actively setting some goals and writing them down may be more important this year than any other year.  After all, even though it’s the same as every other year, it still feels different.  And we could all use a little bit of support to make it through the unknown. 

But let’s not be hasty.  While we know that setting some goals will help us to keep focused throughout the year, we also know that most people don’t even get through January before those goals have been forgotten or overcome by events.  So, we can get to our goals but let’s get there smartly. 

Let’s start moving forward by looking back.  Start by asking yourself about the good that has come from our previous year.  Actively recognize your previous successes – all of them!  Might as well start on a positive note.

Now, for those goals.  You might have heard the oft reported  study that people who write down their goals are significantly more likely to achieve them (like so much internet data, the “Harvard study” that reports only 3% of people actually achieve their goals is apparently an urban myth, but actual research has also shown this!).  Writing goals down can be broadly defined – the point is to develop the goal and get it out of your head so you can refer to it (rather than either forgetting about it or allowing it to “morph” from a goal to just an idea you had).

Let’s set ourselves up for success.  Rather than just throwing some goals on paper and then forgetting about them (whether they’re written or not), how about starting with an exercise to really help focus and define good, achievable, success-oriented goals.  Let’s bastardize the Vision Board (which captures your view of what you’d like to manifest) and the Mood Board (which is really a visual planner).  You don’t have to buy into the hype of either of these tools to use them – and smushing them together into a single entity is just more useful.  Because really all these do is help you to see:

  • a representation of where you’d like to go (these might become your goals)
  • how you might go about getting from here to there (these might become your process)
  • and the outcomes along the way (these might become products or outputs along the way). 

The important thing is to capture your thinking and then to look at it critically, make sure you have captured your thinking accurately, made changes as needed and capturing those too. 

Of course, you can use any medium – you can make a visual representation as a collage, drawing, painting, make paper dolls – whatever.  But don’t be focused on how you get it out – you could also write it out.  Use what works for you – write a puppet show, compose a song, choreograph a dance!  It really doesn’t matter as long as it helps you refine what you think you’d like your goals to be. 

This week, take some time to think about what you’d like to do this year (don’t be too focused on when you start  or how long you will be working on it.  After all the “new year” is just a calendar convention, January is when we’ve come to consensus on when the year begins).  Give yourself some time and space to do this – have a cup of tea and a slice of quiet and think about it.  When you think you have an idea, start building your board (in whatever format you choose).  Be free.  Be creative.  Be flexible.  Get it captured in your format.  Don’t just think about it – we’re going to move on from here, so you need a place to start.  Remember, you’re thinking and capturing – not committing!  And if you’re willing, share it with us – let me know in the comments. 

Ooops, missed that

It’s been quite a time.  All the stuff going on around us.  Disease. Death. Destruction.  But we’re really lucky – we have our instruments and our music to help soothe us and to aid our journey through the mire.

Most of us try to face toward the future, to the time after all the yuck we’re experiencing.  Therefore, we might not have noticed that time is passing.

And so, the midpoint of the year, which is July 1st (or 2nd, depending on the year and your desired level of precision), has come and gone, by quite a bit – over six weeks (!).  I like to mark the midpoint of the year – to see how things are going and to assess if I’m “there yet”.  At that point in the middle of the year, plenty of time has passed to have started some projects, made progress on others, and to have finished some as well.  With projects in work, I can also get a good idea how I’ll be getting along through the rest of the year. 

I try not to make it too much of a report card.  You know –

SUBJECT GRADE
Effort A
Follow Through C
Completion F

And if it is a report card, for it to be more kindergarten-like:

If you can focus on the critique (of the smiley report card) and avoid the criticism (of the other), then you can make a better assessment too.  After all, at the beginning of the year, you have boundless energy, unending ideas, and a blank calendar.  By the middle of the year, you have less energy, the calendar is mysteriously stuffed AND you have a clearer idea of what you are really interested in.  Because really, you only do those things on which you focus.

At this point of the year, when it’s hot, and still, and called the dog days for a reason, you might find that your focus has drifted.  Between the alluring beauty of the easy things and the unending distraction of the glittery things, you may have lost sight of the most important things (as defined by you!).   That makes this the perfect time to ask yourself if the important things of January have maintained their status in August?  Ok, really the perfect time would have been on July 1st, but today is nearly as perfect a time to ask. 

Then the question is, ask what?  Here are a few questions you might ask (and answer!) in the middle of the year:

  • Are those things identified in January as being important still important?  If not, then take them off your agenda, ‘cause you’re not going to get to them!  But if they are still important, then it’s time for the tough questions
    • Why did they get short shrift?
    • What is stopping you?
    • What do you need to do to get back on track?
  • What has gone well?
  • What one thing do you need to have done by 31 December to consider this a good year?
  • Were the goals set in January the right ones (and if not, what should they be now?)
  • Am I only trying to do this because it seemed important before?

And my personal favorite –

  • Am I enjoying myself? (because, after all, if not, why do it?)

On balance, I’m fairly pleased so far this year.  How about you?  We have about four and a half months to go, so there’s loads of time to keep on and move ourselves to where we’d like to be.  Don’t forget that writing it down helps – both to realize what you have remaining to do and to remember what’s still to go (and why it is important to you).  List the tunes you’d like to learn, the technique you want to master, the events you’d like to play, the people you’d like to meet, etc.

Then you can work on making it happen!  How does your year look here at the mid-point?  Let me know in the comments!

Check Please!

I don’t know about you, but the days are flying past and I need to check in to see how I’m coming against the things I thought I wanted to do this year. 

I realized, with a start, that we’re halfway through the second quarter of the year. That’s not bad, in and of itself, but it does mean that I completely missed my first quarter check-in.

Check please!

If I don’t check in, how do I know how I’m doing?  How do I know if I need to step up my game or if I can coast?  

Yes, this is a rhetorical question. 

No, I never can coast.

I’m an inveterate To-Do list maker.  I have lists of things to accomplish daily, weekly, monthly.  And I have a list of things I’d like to get done this year. *  And you already know I’m 100% a product person so I do these check ins to make sure I’m making products!

I try to be organized and to have a measured approach.  I don’t always succeed.  But I do always try.  So, it’s about time for me to check.  So far:

  • I haven’t done very well on following my planned blog topics.  I dutifully made a calendar of topics before the end of last year.  I have actually been successful on all the holidays so far.  But I don’t think any other posts so far have been to plan.  There’s always some better idea that crops up.  Or one of you asks me a question either via email or through the comments on the blog (yes, I do read them!).  Or what seemed so clear and important then has either been overcome by events or just isn’t as captivating as it sounded when I was in planning mode.
  • I have done better than I expected with some other things though – I have learned more music to date that I had planned.  Ok, that’s double edged because I have learned a lot of things I hadn’t originally planned on learning, but I haven’t fallen as far behind on the things I had planned on as I expected! So, on balance, that’s good.
  • I have not done as well on some extra-music-y stuff I wanted to do.  I am very far behind on some creative projects that I wanted to take on.  Of course, I didn’t have much of a plan for inserting that into my schedule beyond, “I’d really like to include doing these creative-y things”, so who’s surprised I’m not getting anywhere? (not me)

So what have I learned now that I’m in the middle of the second quarter?  Here’s a list:

  • I am fairly pleased with my productivity to date.  I often feel like I’m not doing anything (or worse, wasting time doing pointless stuff).  And I’m a little behind on a couple of things, way behind on one thing but a little ahead on some other stuff.  That means I’m fairly balanced in terms of getting things done.  This is especially exciting since so many things are in flux for one reason or another – ok, really on one reason is plaguing my planning. (why, yes, I can make a pun in the middle of all this seriousness!)
  • What I didn’t build a plan for isn’t happening.  Of the things I’m not doing, I’ll review whether I care.  Because, if I haven’t left room for it, something will need to change.  I will have to spend a little time exploring those ideas and see if they’re things I think I wanted to do (probably because all my friends are doing them or because they look like they’d be fun) but aren’t really priorities to me.  Or if they’re things I’m a little afraid of, so I’m procrastinating (probably because I don’t know where to begin).  Or if they’re just no longer important enough to spend time on.  Once I know that, then I’ll know what to do – replan, postpone, or delete.  What I won’t do is beat myself up for not getting to it.
  • I’m going to spend a few moments rejoicing in the things I have done well on.
  • Then I’ll review the rest of the year and see what needs to be tweaked.  And what I need to add.
  • And then I’ll get back to work!

How about you?  How’s your stuff going?  What do you need to change? What are you going to drop?  Do you check in with yourself to see how it’s going?  Let me know – I’m always curious!

* Before you ask, no, I do not have a list of the lists!

Apples or Oranges

Do you want to be a better musician?  It’s a not unreasonable question.  But if I answer honestly, I would say, “Better than what?”

I DO want to be better. Better than I am today.  And even better than that on the day after.  At this point, I’d like to call your attention to two things about what I have said –

  • The inward focus – I’d like to be better I am
  • The forward look – Tomorrow, I’d like to be better I am today

Let’s start with the inward focus.  The question, “Better than what?” is really important.  I hope that you’re in a place in your harp life that your better-than-what is you.  Better than you yourself are right now, not focused on anyone else. 

This can be a hard thing to learn.  Especially if you spend any time on any kind of media – the information (and the temptation) is ever present.  Whether it’s your harp hero or someone you don’t even know on Facedegram who’s been playing for 15 minutes and has already uploaded 50 videos of their triumphant harpysteria*, it can be easy to develop an envy of someone else’s progress (and their unmitigated willingness to share it). 

But none of that matters.  What matters is you.  How YOU are coming along.  How YOU are developing.  How YOU are progressing to where it is YOU want to go.  How YOU have improved today.

This can be particularly vexing if you’re not at the beginning of your harp life.  When you’re harp-young, every day you can find something to notice that is a little better than it was.  Your tuning isn’t from some alien planet anymore.  You actually landed on the string you meant to on the first try.  You no longer confuse the sound box and the pillar.  You closed on the string rather than snapping back from it like it bit you.  Heck, you used more than one finger!  Every day has success potential.  When you’re harp-young there are so many things to improve and they’re so obvious, even to you – a newb.  Every day when you practice you can see some improvement. 

But after a while, as you progress, you begin to realize that while it was easy to not sound like an injured animal right off the line, the internet didn’t lie.  The harp is one of the most difficult instruments to learn to play well.  Your obvious improvements (the kind you can’t miss) seem to be farther and farther apart.  And it’s easy to forget the small advances after they happen**. 

This is also a time when many people begin to go out and meet other harpers (or in the time of plague, seek them out online).  You have an opportunity to see others play and you might begin to compare yourself to them.  I have a story to share on why this comparison is such a very bad idea.

In my harp youth, I was on the verge of quitting (again).  My incredibly wise teacher strongly suggested that I attend an adult beginners event and specifically suggested a workshop with the fabulous Sue Richards.  I was extremely nervous, and struck up a conversation with the person sitting next to me.  I shared that I had only been playing a few months and I thought she said she had too.  I held my own for the first tune and was extremely pleased with myself.  But when we got to the second tune, I was lost.  My brain was full.  My new friend, with whom I had kept pace in the first tune, sailed through the second, even playing the left hand harmony!  I was devastated, clearly in way over my head, never going to learn the play, I should just go home.

I learned later that I had misheard her – she wasn’t a beginner.  She was a professional.  And already knew that tune.  She was so encouraging to me throughout the workshop – but my confidence had gone.  I was comparing myself to her – and falling miserably short.  I thought I was never going to learn to play the harp.

I spent a while nursing that hurt and comparing myself to everyone else I met.  Except there was one thing even I couldn’t overlook.  When you meet other people – it becomes clear that you have NO IDEA what they are on the inside.  Playing a week?  Or 20 years?  Or 20 years, but really only 5, due to interruptions?  Practice 15 minutes every other day or 4 hours every day?  Health issues?  Complicated existence?  Love the harp?  Like it? Endure it?  YOU DO NOT KNOW.

And if you don’t know – you can never compare apples to apples.

If you can never compare apples to apples –

why bother to even look at your orange?

The only thing to do is look forward – where are you going?  Everyone else’s progress has no bearing on yours.  Nothing is as it seems (especially on facedegram) (and quit scrollcrastinating – go practice!).  You can only work on your goals, your dreams, your growth.  Your harp playing. 

When I finally got it, I practiced in my time. I learned at my pace.  I got bold in my tempo.  I kept meeting people – some more developed than me, some not yet as far along. 

Sometimes I see someone play and feel a twang of impatience at my own growth.  But then I remember that what they are doing is not what I was hoping to do.  It’s just cool…and I’m happy for them!  Sometimes I become aware of someone comparing themself to me…and try to encourage them focus on their goals rather than mine. 

This is the real reason I’m always suggesting you focus on your goals, your progress, and tracking that – so you’ll know you are making that progress and don’t fall victim to the comparison trap.  How about you?  How are your apples? Let me know!

* Why, yes, I did notice that I’ve already made up two words in one sentence.  Go with me, it’s one of my superpowers.  Facedegram is any social media cesspool brain drain and harpysteria is not a person who makes harps in a coffee shop, but rather is a portmanteau of harp and hysteria.    

** Those tools I’m always suggesting?  All ways to help keep focused on what you want rather than on what someone else might. 

Looking forward

It’s one thing to know more about how you approach things to help shape your goals but it’s quite another to capture that info and use it! 

I have seen research reports that indicate that only 8% of people who set goals actually achieve them. Yikes! 

When you look at what helps those 8% get over the hurdle – writing it down is the prevalent shared element.  Those people are no more motivated or dedicated or special than the people who don’t write their goals down, they just used a tool to help them get along.

This might sound familiar – I’m always telling you to write it down.  I encourage you to have a practice journal so you can keep track of the day-to-day mundane parts of practice (what metronome setting? which phrase still isn’t right?) as well as the delights (f-i-n-a-l-l-y got through that tricky part successfully!) and the disappointments (ugh, I feel like I’ll never get that phrase….but when I look back I see I have only been working on it for 2 days, not the 2 millennia it feels like!).

All this documenting can start with the goals themselves.  Now, maybe you have broken your pen, or you used all the writing paper in your house to line the hamster cage, or you just don’t want to write.  Ok.  I get that – you think I’m wrong (although I have multiple students who will tell you otherwise!).  You might enjoy this suggestion anyway.

Once you’ve formulated a goal, you still want to capture it.  Preferably in an enduring way that allows you to center and focus on it – not just now when you’re setting the goal or at the end when you’ve achieved it – but more crucially, in the middle of working on it.  You know, that time when it’s so easy to lose interest or to get sidetracked (shiny object syndrome anyone?), or to begin to despair that you set a goal this is achievable, just not by you.  You can think of this as the “worried in the dead of night” phase of working toward something.

VIsual capture of goalsAnother thing those successful goal setters do (after they write it down) is to keep their goal(s) in front of themselves so they can remember what’s important to them.  So, how might you go about capturing your goal(s) so you can keep your eye on them?  Well, if you’re like me, you’ll write lists and maybe a narrative [of course, if you’re really like me, you’ll lose the paper, or write on the back of it and then throw it away…and then you’re stuck trying to remember what you had thought was so important to do].  But if what leads to success is keeping the goals in front of ourselves, maybe a better approach is to go with something we look at.

Maybe we take it to the wall! What if you made a visual representation of your goals instead of just writing them down? 

A what?!?

Bear with me.  Not everyone is verbal or likes to write.  And sometimes doing something that feels a little uncomfortable actually changes your vision of the activity (for example, trying to write with your non-dominant hand makes you think about the act of writing differently).  And it is a lot easier to hang a visual item on the wall to look at it frequently than it is to pin a bunch of words to the wall.

So, give it a try – this year, as you capture and form your goals make a visual representation of them.  You can do this however you choose – make a collage of photos (from magazines or online), draw in your favorite medium (I’m currently shifting from my washable markers phase to crayons…but I just bought some chalk pastels, so I feel another change coming!), paint, sculpt, mixed media – whatever.  I’m really keen on a mashup that is part bullet journal, part sketch book, part junk journal.   You will probably need some words too – but those can be written, lettered, drawn, cut from magazines or newspapers (if you’ve never seen one of these, they are an ancient form of communication rarely seen in the modern world!) – again however you choose.  When you’re done you can hang this where you’ll see it – near your harp? next to your bathroom mirror? next to your tv?  Doesn’t matter as long as it’s a place you can see it, reflect, and keep your goals in mind.

And if, like me, you’re more verbal and your mind is screaming “NO!!” – try this anyway.  Expressing yourself in a different medium will give you an opportunity to think differently.

Because what’s important is that you keep your goals in mind so you can become a better harp player!

I’ll be working on mine.  Let me know if you’re really going to give this a try… and if you’d like to share, I’d be delighted to see how you have captured your goals! Just send a photo! 

Happy Goal Setting!

Process – Product – So what?

WOW!  Last week you had some great comments and questions!  A couple of you privately asked what the point was.  If you were wondering what the point of all that was – or if there even was a point, you’re about to find out!

I don’t know about you, but I try really hard to not make resolutions at the New Year.  If I do make a resolution, it’s usually at an equinox or solstice. Why then?  Why not?  There’s nothing about 1 January that makes it more special than any other day, although it does feel momentous and there’s great fanfare to its arrival, but any day is a good a starting point.

However, the New Year is the beginning of a year and one could argue that at the beginning is an excellent place to start something.  It provides an opportunity to focus on the action needed and to set goals.

So PROCESS? PRODUCT? So what?

Process or Product goalsWell, goals work best if they are actually aligned with what you want.  Goals work worst when they are really good….for someone else!  If you’re primarily a process person, you will be better served to have goals that align with you and are more process driven.  If, on the other hand, you’re a product person, then setting process goals will likely just result in failure and self-recrimination.

And who wants that?

Since you’ve had the opportunity to think about how Process or Product you are, now you can craft goals for yourself that build on your strengths.  By starting with your strengths, you’re much more likely to be successful.

If you’re more Process, you might define goals for the coming year that focus on the journey.  These might be longer term, stretching throughout the year (or even across years).  Because you’re process oriented, you will do fine with these goals. And you have the flexibility to have any “products” happen when they happen rather than adhering to a schedule.   And if there are no products, so what?

If you found you are more Product focused, your goals might look really different.  Products are likely to be shorter term, and each of them might be very finite.  You can schedule them and then adhere to the schedule as part of the goal.  And if you don’t reflect on how you got there, so what?

The lovely thing is that you can use either Process or Product for any goal!  If the goal is to play all of the Carolan compositions (since those seem to be all the rage just now with multiple approaches to collecting and arranging them) it’s more how you state the goal and then work it, rather than the goal itself.  For a process person, stating the goal that look like this: “I will play through all the Carolans by the end of the year”.  For the product person that might be too nebulous, so it might be stated, “I will play one Carolan tune each day for the next 261 days.”  Same goal, different approaches.  The process person would probably chafe under the product approach and the product person might get nowhere with the process statement – but stated in their own best way, they can each have a great year and achieve that goal!

By focusing on your strengths, you can also develop goals that are less “should” and more “will“.   For instance, your goal could be, “I should organize all my sheet music” (can you hear the sneer of that “should”?  That sneer is what makes me think, “I should but I won’t”).  But what if we shifted it around and removed the “should”? Then it could be stated, “Alphabetize and arrange my music library” (more product) or “Read through and bring some order to my music” (more process).

Of course, this is also the opportunity to set a goal to practice things that don’t come as naturally to you or are uncomfortable for you.  This is an opportunity to strengthen your weaker Process or Product side.  Do you see how that subtle wording shift above makes the goals more approachable?  Also notice that they’re the same goal?  Of course in this example, many of us might smush it all together and enjoy a ramble through all the music we want to get to but might not (on the line between Process and Product), but we’ll enjoy the time we spend.

No matter what your goals might be this year, putting them in the context of your strengths will certainly make them more appealing.  And more accomplishable.  And more enjoyable.  Avoiding “shoulds” will also give you the opportunity to shake off the shackles of expectations that don’t fit you.

What are your goals this year?  I’d love to hear them – share in the comments!

PS, you may have seen that sometimes I post a comment in which I reference an email rather than a previous comment.  I know that not all of you are interested in sharing every thought you ever had with everyone on the planet.  You are always welcome to send me an email sharing your thoughts.  Usually you have excellent thoughts that I might edit and share your thinking with the group but know that if you send me an email comment and I post it in the comments, I will strip it of all attribution to protect your privacy.  I really do like hearing from you so please don’t hide your light!

Welcome to the Process and Product of 2021! 

It’s that time of the year when we reflect on the past year and think about what might come in the next twelve months.

Of course, the last year wasn’t really all that nice and we might be inclined to avoid thinking about it at all.  But that would be a mistake.

You probably learned a great deal in the last year.  Some of it good, some of it bad, almost all of it about you.  So think about what has happened so you can make a better start to the coming year.

You might think that I’m going to tell you to make your resolutions or goals for 2021.  But I’m not.  In fact, I think that would not be a good idea.  Let’s wait on those goals for a sec and instead, let’s talk about something you’ve been telling me.

Process or ProductOne of the things you told me – a lot – was that in the past year, you weren’t motivated.  That you weren’t practicing.  And that this not practicing lead you to feel badly…because you knew you should be maximizing your time by practicing more.

And if you’re on social media, this might have made you feel even worse as people made videos and wrote music and built complicated multi-window concerts that included participants all over the world and shaped facebook empires and instagram realms, leaving you to feel like you needed to be just as creatively productive …even if you were still working full time (or were mildly depressed by the situation and your infatuation with doomscrolling!).

And possibly even worse, you told me that this made you doubt if you should keep playing.  Doubt if you’d ever get back to your harp.  Bemoaning your lack of progress…and motivation. Wondering if you ever really were a harp player.

Some of you said something to the effect of – if there’s no one to play for there’s no reason to play and if there’s no reason to play there’s no reason to practice and if I don’t practice then I can’t play…so maybe I should just give it up!

Poppycock!

What you might see as a lack of motivation is likely just a need to determine your style.  Once you know what that style is, then you can focus on what works for you. 

Some of us are Process people.  We are in it for the journey.  We love to explore the nooks and crannies of the path.  We just love the route – and if we never get anywhere, that’s ok too – we’ll amble along taking in more information, learning as we go, enjoying the ride.  We like a unending, undefined pursuit.

Some of us are Product people.  We don’t really have a lot of thought for the journey – we are focused on the destination.  We love to arrive! We honestly don’t give a fig for how we get there; we just want to get there.  And then (possibly even before we get there) we’ll look for our next destination and work on getting there ad nauseum. 

The process focus is popularly held as a more enlightened approach.  And smugly superior process people like to point out that product people are missing the point, aren’t mindful enough, etc.  Product people don’t even look up of course, because they are busy getting where they’re going and don’t have time to listen to process people prattle on about the path.

If you’ve been feeling unmotivated because there’s nowhere to play, you’re probably a Product person.

But as you might have already guessed, there is no one right way.  There are even some hybrid people who both enjoy the journey and rejoice in arriving at the destination.  As we continue to move through the year with ongoing uncertainty, the process people might appear to have an advantage.  But the real advantage will be to those who know what their approach is and going from there. 

It is important is to know what you are and to work with that knowledge to achieve two aims:

  1. To encourage yourself to continue
  2. To stretch yourself to be more like you aren’t (and observe how that helps you grow as a musician)

You likely already know which of these you are. If, over the last eight months you were a font of great ideas and noodled around with them and maybe put at least a few of them into play – you are likely a process person.  If, on the other hand, your ongoing self-talk included something along the lines of “there’s no one to play for, there’s nothing to do, why would I bother to play” you’re probably a product person. 

A Product focus begins with the end in mind – you practice because you have a gig coming up.  Or a harp circle.  Or a lesson.  It might not be in you to practice just for the joy of it.  And you might feel silly when you just sit to play – rather than practice – when no one is listening.  You typically do practice (only because when it’s time to perform, there’s not many tunes you can just pull out of your ear without practice).  For you practice is a means to an end, not a journey.

A Process focus is much more open ended.  You dally.  You practice things just to know them rather than to prepare to perform.  You may look forward to the feel of the harp against you and the sound of the strings as you play. You might noodle for hours just to noodle.  And if you never perform that stuff, so what – look at what you learned.

It is important to note –

– most people have a some of both Process and Product,

– one is not better than the other, they’re just different ways to look at the world

So, as you begin to feel your way into the new year, but before you get down to defining what you think the year might look like in terms of your harp life goals or resolutions – I have some homework for you!

  • Assess yourself and determine if you are more Process or more Product.  Be honest!
  • Once you’ve determined which you are, mark where you are on the continuumProcess Product Continuum
  • Write down three things that might come from being more what you aren’t (e.g. if you’re mostly process, what are three things that you might benefit from being more product focused)
  • Write down some ways you anticipate this will make you uncomfortable
  • Note how this exercise (and actually implementing the three things you identify) might improve your practicing and playing.

Are you more Process or more Product?  Let me know what you’re like and what you think your three things might be in the comments below!

 

The Bucket List

Some people have a bucket list. Of course, even more haven’t made one, but they probably have things they’d like to have accomplished by the time they’re done on the coil mortal.

A bucket list is a compilation of all the things a person would like to have accomplished, completed, or dreamt of.  It is (yet another) goals list, pure and simple.

You might think a Bucket List is a macabre thing to keep.  After all, most people think of it as a list of all the things you may (or might not) have accomplished in your entire life.  Ok, that would be macabre.

But what if you instead think of it as a gentle reminder of what you think is interesting, curious, important, and/or worth pursuing?  If you look at it that way, it could be sort of interesting – and a little goading.  And probably worth keeping for quick and frequent reference.  For guidance.  And as a reminder to keep your head up (metaphorically…. although you should also do that physically while you’re playing!).

Apparently loads of people have lists that include travel around the world, run a marathon, be a better person, write a novel, or pursue a passion.

BUT – YOU ALREADY HAVE A PASSION.  You’re no desultory harper!

What sort of things might you put on the list?  Well, that’s going to be fairly personal.  After all, it will be all the things you hope you will do before you are no longer able to play the harp. I have my own ideas (although, to be fair, I’ve been checking mine off as fast as I can!).

How, you might ask would you go about making your bucket list? Well, it’ll take a little time and effort, but it’ll be worth it!  First, note that you might be making more than one list.  After all, once you start thinking about it, you might be making a life list, a harp list, a family list, etc.  And that’s ok – you can have multiple lists!

I’d suggest making the list in your practice journal.  You have to keep it somewhere, so why not there?  That way you’ll see it each time you sit to practice – and be reminded of some of the reasons you’re about to practice…

It’s your list – you can put anything you like on it.  Secret fantasies, deepest desires, put ‘em down.  You’ll never know when you’ll have the chance to check one of them off, but you’ll be ready for the opportunity if you know you want to (you won’t have to think about it when it happens – you’ll be ready!).

Of course, also put down stuff you know you can do if you try.  Learn that piece you admire.  Write down that tune that you hear in your head.  Ask that well-known teacher for a lesson. You have nothing to lose!

Then there’s the harder to define stuff – what do you want your harp legacy to be.  Don’t think you have one?  Oh, you do, you just might not have thought about it before.  Do you want to be sure that you have actually played for your friends?  Wish you would sit a Master Class?  Want to participate in that fabulous workshop everyone’s always talking about?  While these things might be more challenging, you can get there.  And writing them on your list will remind you to keep at it.

Maybe the hardest thing about generating your bucket list is to prioritize it. What’s the most important to you?  What will take you the most time (or require new skills or significantly more practice)?  Does anyone in your life need to have an input (whether they be an audience member or a travel companion or some other adjunct to your thinking)?  You’ll need to factor that in. Also, is there any intersection of your harp and your life bucket lists?  Maybe you can take your harp with you as you travel around the world?  Always wanted to go to Scotland (always a good idea) – maybe there’s a workshop you plan around (or you could join us sometime in the future!). Two birds, meet one stone!

What does not belong on your Harp Bucket List?  ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT INTERESTED IN!  Don’t want to play in an ensemble? Don’t.  Don’t want to play orchestra parts? Don’t even write it down!  Never wanted to learn that “must do” repertoire?  Then DON’T!

You’re capturing what YOU want to do with your harp life.  Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks.  Maybe you’re not quite ready to do some of it, that’s ok.  You’ve written it down so you can be reminded of what you want to be so you can keep acquiring the skills or practice you need to be able to get there.  And remember – it’s your list.  Share it with others if you like, but you don’t have to.

When you complete something on your list, savor that!

Make your bucket list – so you can do all the things you want while you are able. Live your harp life!  What might you put on your bucket list?  Got a good idea?  Want to share it in the comments?