{"id":17349,"date":"2016-12-09T10:00:28","date_gmt":"2016-12-09T18:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/classicalguitarshed.foureyes.com\/?p=17349"},"modified":"2022-08-02T04:08:33","modified_gmt":"2022-08-02T11:08:33","slug":"reality-guilt-inner-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/reality-guilt-inner-game\/","title":{"rendered":"Inner Game of Practice: Release Guilt and Accept Reality"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a lot involved in playing classical guitar beautifully. It takes a technique nurtured over time. It takes ongoing musical study. It takes regular attention and focus to realize the results we all want.<\/p>\n

And being an \u201coptional\u201d endeavor, it\u2019s easy to let guitar practice slide to the back burner at times.<\/p>\n

If we don\u2019t have a consistent schedule around guitar practice, it\u2019s easy to skip a day, then two. Then it\u2019s a matter of starting up all over again, without the momentum of recent successes.<\/p>\n

When this happens, it\u2019s easy to fall prey to unproductive thoughts.<\/p>\n

The Trance of Unworthiness<\/h2>\n

Tara Brach<\/a> teaches meditation and has coined the phrase \u201cthe trance of unworthiness\u201d.<\/p>\n

This is the idea (quite prevalent) that we should be different than we are. That we should have done things differently, made different choices, been stronger\/smarter\/better, and that we should do more\/different\/better in the future.<\/p>\n

Of course this is a breed of perfectionism. We see some ideal, and assume that we would be at that ideal, had we not messed it up in some way. Or that we\u2019ll be at that ideal if only we scratch and claw our way up to it.<\/p>\n

By falling into this unproductive thought pattern, we can easily become demotivated and create guilt. Not just in guitar practice, of course, but in all facets of life.<\/p>\n