My brain can get off track so easily. It's a full time job to keep myself focused on the task at hand.
Today was no different. But this time I had to chuckle to myself. My oh my what a trip my brain tried to take.
I was rehearsing a piece on the piano that I've been rehearsing for a month from the new CD. As my fingers went about their normal routine, my brain decided to jump tracks and go a different way and the result was a 'crash'. "When will I ever learn" I say to myself as I shake my head and try to keep going.
Within two seconds of music my brain can wonder what's in the mail (especially since yesterday was a holiday and there will be extra mail today), think about the fact that next week my CDs should arrive and how much work I'll have to do when that happens because of all the orders I've been taking ahead of time (let's see, do I have everyone's information correct?). And oh yes, that reminds me, I need to figure out why my printer isn't printing clearly before I print mailing labels.
From there it jumped to the books in the back of my van that will be taken to the library and donated to a good cause. Which reminded me that I still have more cleaning up to do in the room I've targeted all week to be de-cluttered. The books came from that room. More to do!
Then there is the bag of clothes I bought from the consignment shop this morning when they had a 50% sale from 5-6 a.m. this morning. I got up at 3:45 a.m. to go and participate in the thrill of black Friday (is it a thrill?) Now I need to go through my old clothes in my closest, de-clutter and reorganize. I can do that tomorrow (I think as I play through the next 2 seconds of the piece) and then I lose it. Bad mistake on the piano.
I know better. Even after all these years of practice, I CANNOT lose my focus or I lose my performance! I often think if people knew what was going on in my head while I'm performing they would be amazed that I'm even 'there' at all.
This probably seems silly, and yet it carries over into so many areas of my life. For instance, today at lunch, while I was eating my tuna salad sandwich, I realized that I could also be opening my mail and see if my new credit card came (because my old business card had fraudulent activity this week and a new one had to be issued and I can't get my new CDs unless they have my new number). I started to get up from my seat to go get the mail, and then I made myself sit back down and only do one thing at a time. EAT my sandwich for crying out loud! Sit and enjoy lunch with my husband. Really, brain??? Must we always be SO active and travel so many places in one sitting?
I am determined to keep my train on its track and not let it de-rail me. No matter how many times around the track I have to go. Sometimes the rehearsal is as much a mental focus exercise as it is musical.
Sometimes in life you set out to accomplish one thing and start thinking about other things and the next thing you know, you haven't accomplished what you've set out to do.
What is the most important thing you must do right now in this moment? I challenge you to stick with it and see it through to the end. I know you'll see an improvement in your performance. It certainly works wonders for me.
Now what was I going to do after I blogged???
P.S. I have a new website coming and we are switching to WordPress. In case there is some kind of technological glitch in the process, please be patient with me as I embark on another learning curve. I hope that I can continue this blog without interruption but I have no idea what I'm getting into. Stay tuned.
Today was no different. But this time I had to chuckle to myself. My oh my what a trip my brain tried to take.
I was rehearsing a piece on the piano that I've been rehearsing for a month from the new CD. As my fingers went about their normal routine, my brain decided to jump tracks and go a different way and the result was a 'crash'. "When will I ever learn" I say to myself as I shake my head and try to keep going.
Within two seconds of music my brain can wonder what's in the mail (especially since yesterday was a holiday and there will be extra mail today), think about the fact that next week my CDs should arrive and how much work I'll have to do when that happens because of all the orders I've been taking ahead of time (let's see, do I have everyone's information correct?). And oh yes, that reminds me, I need to figure out why my printer isn't printing clearly before I print mailing labels.
From there it jumped to the books in the back of my van that will be taken to the library and donated to a good cause. Which reminded me that I still have more cleaning up to do in the room I've targeted all week to be de-cluttered. The books came from that room. More to do!
Then there is the bag of clothes I bought from the consignment shop this morning when they had a 50% sale from 5-6 a.m. this morning. I got up at 3:45 a.m. to go and participate in the thrill of black Friday (is it a thrill?) Now I need to go through my old clothes in my closest, de-clutter and reorganize. I can do that tomorrow (I think as I play through the next 2 seconds of the piece) and then I lose it. Bad mistake on the piano.
I know better. Even after all these years of practice, I CANNOT lose my focus or I lose my performance! I often think if people knew what was going on in my head while I'm performing they would be amazed that I'm even 'there' at all.
This probably seems silly, and yet it carries over into so many areas of my life. For instance, today at lunch, while I was eating my tuna salad sandwich, I realized that I could also be opening my mail and see if my new credit card came (because my old business card had fraudulent activity this week and a new one had to be issued and I can't get my new CDs unless they have my new number). I started to get up from my seat to go get the mail, and then I made myself sit back down and only do one thing at a time. EAT my sandwich for crying out loud! Sit and enjoy lunch with my husband. Really, brain??? Must we always be SO active and travel so many places in one sitting?
I am determined to keep my train on its track and not let it de-rail me. No matter how many times around the track I have to go. Sometimes the rehearsal is as much a mental focus exercise as it is musical.
Sometimes in life you set out to accomplish one thing and start thinking about other things and the next thing you know, you haven't accomplished what you've set out to do.
What is the most important thing you must do right now in this moment? I challenge you to stick with it and see it through to the end. I know you'll see an improvement in your performance. It certainly works wonders for me.
Now what was I going to do after I blogged???
P.S. I have a new website coming and we are switching to WordPress. In case there is some kind of technological glitch in the process, please be patient with me as I embark on another learning curve. I hope that I can continue this blog without interruption but I have no idea what I'm getting into. Stay tuned.
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