Guitarists...are you a victim and a loser?

Here's another great article by Craig Bassett

Guitarists...are you a victim and a loser?

By:Craig Bassett (The Guitar Solutions Expert)


I was thinking today about THE most dangerous enemy of musical
progress.the victim mentality. What do I mean by this?

Often we can let our personal circumstances dictate our
progress. For example, someone may let their guitar practice
slide because they were really busy at work. This person may
start making excuses such as "I didn't have time". This is
victim mentality. It is believing that your musical progress is
only possible when external circumstances allow it.

What they are really saying to themselves is that their musical
dreams and goals are not as important as paying a few lousy
bills.They are letting their boss's goals get in the way of
their own.

Now.I can't point fingers at anyone. I've been guilty of having
a victim mentality plenty of times! Especially when it comes to
things like going to the gym :)But I don't have a victim
mentality when it comes to guitar practice. There is virtually
nothing that I will allow to get in the way of my musical
progress.

So.how can you stop yourself from becoming a victim and a loser.

1.Stop making excuses. I can guarantee that for every excuse you
can make there is someone out there who has overcome that
obstacle. Don't allow yourself to make excuses. They are the
death of your musical dreams.

2. Watch your language. For example, rather than saying "I
couldn't find the time" say "I am acting like a complete and
absolute loser and if I continue acting like this I will NEVER
achieve my musical goals". Because that statement is pretty
painful to say, you'll soon stop making excuses!

3. Think of solutions. For excuses that you normally make, think
of ways of overcoming those obstacles. For example, if you are
constantly using your work as a reason why you can't practice,
ask yourself questions like.

"How can I get paid more but work less hours?". "How can I get
paid while I sleep?". "How can I stay home all day and
practice?".

If you ask enough questions like this on a daily basis, you'll
find a solution eventually.

4. Think of your "Why". These are the reasons why you want to
achieve your musical goals. If your why is strong enough, You
will NEVER want to stop practicing for any reason.

5. Think of your role models. Use your role models to motivate
and inspire you to keep on practicing.Every time you start to
make an excuse, ask yourself "Would__________make this excuse?"
For example, one of my favourite guitarists is Steve Vai. I
could NEVER imagine making him excuses for not practicing!

To finish off here's a quote that you may want to memorize...

"You can either become a great guitarist, or you can make
excuses, but you can't do both".

About the author:
Copyright 2005 by Craig Bassett. All Rights Reserved.

Craig Bassett is a professional guitarist, guitar tutor and
author living in Auckland, New Zealand.

To get free online guitar lessons, please got to:
http://www.pentatonic-guitar-lessons.com