As January is drawing to a close (how can that be already?), I thought it might be a good time to reconsider the pace at which many of us are wanting to make changes in our lives—all those new beginnings and new ways of being that we promised Our Selves about a month ago.
Those intentions that seemed so doable at that time may have not only lost their luster but also be falling by the wayside because they just feel "too big" to achieve.
There's no need to give up and resign Your Self to the thought of "what was I thinking?" Instead, it's a matter of a course correction that can be done a little bit at a time.
Here are a few considerations to reset your practice so that it doesn't feel as daunting or overwhelming.
Let's borrow from the arts to create small, manageable pieces that become the foundation for lasting change.
Remember that the great masters often concentrated on a much smaller area of a large piece—think the Sistine Chapel and how Michelangelo would draw in detail sections of it to get the lines of a hand or the exact expression of a person just so. He didn't just start to paint the ceiling without having done the specific research for the precise effect he wanted.
Now let's look to pianists who along with all the theory and scales they've played over and over will often draw on etudes to fine tune their abilities and dexterity. Again, they just don't sit down and magically begin to play complex compositions.
When we're willing to concentrate the practice in smaller moments and challenges, then forging a path towards an aim is much more feasible and even easier.
Consider "Studies and Etudes" (3:09):
