Posted on

Be kind to yourself

lifeisshortMany times we do not have control over what is happening in our life. It just happens the way it does – whether we like it or not. No control.
But we do have control over how we react. We can always decide what our attitude is. How we see things and how we process them.

A great teacher once told me: “Don’t be dramatic – unless you are an actor and get payed for it.” This was maybe the best piece of advice I ever got.

Imagine you are playing in front of an audience and suddenly unexpectedly you screw something up. You played some major garbage. It just happened.

For a musician this is a completely normal scenario. And as a human it is, too. The truth is, we screw things up all the time. We miss an entrance, play some wrong notes, the instrument suddenly makes funky noises. Maybe we said something that has been misunderstood or things turned out completely different.
It happens all the time. At least in my life ;o)

What next? Do you feel embarrassed? Do you feel ashamed? Like a total failure? Like an idiot? Are you scared to disappoint somebody?
This is the standard reaction we all have. I certainly have it and I see it all around in my students’ life and in my collegues reactions.

Let’s face it. When we don’t get dramatic nothing is wrong here. A human being made a mistake. Period. Very normal. Nothing to be embarrassed for. Nothing to feel guilty for.
Humans make mistakes. And this very normal and interesting phenomenon just showed itself inside the boundries of your life.

Be friendly to youself. Please don’t beat yourself up.
Being human means: mistakes are on your way constantly and you can not run from them. So don’t do it.

Everything is fine. Relax. And just enjoy the ride ;o)

Much love,
Anselma

 

Get news and FREE resources for a happy, music loving life:
tips & tricks for great teaching, inspiration, psychology clues, insanely practical ideas and other freaky bassoon stuff.

your@email