In December 2012, I bought a guitar learning tool that I just knew was going to change my life. The name of the guitar learning tool was called Rocksmith. It was a guitar game, similar to that of the famed Guitar Hero, except instead of using a cheap plastic guitar with five measly buttons; you use a real electric guitar and play the actual song just like the band itself would. It also has built in guitar arcade games to improve essential guitar skills. When I watched the trailer for this game, I just knew that I had to have it. I bought it and knew it had the potential to help me become a rock star
So what happened? Of course since I had this amazing guitar learning tool, I was destined to become a master of the guitar! Especially because I am supposed to be this incredible life coach that does everything perfectly and never messes up, right? Well not exactly, I make plenty of mistakes and have plenty of struggles in my life as well. The funny thing about guitar just like most things in life is that it is super challenging to get good at it. It takes intentional practice to even get okay at it, and to become a guitar master, it takes a lot of practice. Not to mention the guitar strings literally cut into your fingers and hurt until you build callouses. The first few days and even weeks, I did pretty well, I practiced often, but after a while, I gradually stopped. The game began to pick up dust on my shelf, along with the now forgotten guitar gathering spider webs in the corner.
Well, then in 2013, I bought the newest version of the game with new songs and more cool features, and the same thing happened, I practiced a while, stopped, and then more dust and cobwebs. And then again in 2019 I bought an updated version. And the same thing happened, more dust, more cobwebs and not that much better at guitar.
And here I am, 8 years later since buying this amazing guitar game and not that much better. However, I can simply chalk it up like most people do, to oh well that’s okay everyone starts stuff and doesn’t finish it, and that’s just the way it is.
I’m guessing that over 90% of the people that bought that game did the exact same thing that I did, possibly 99%. Why? Because that’s usually the way that things work.
Now I want to tell you a different story that I recently heard about a girl named Audrey Shida. Audrey lives an hours from Nagasaki, Japan. She lives in a countryside where there aren’t many stores. Her dad purchased Rocksmith so that he could learn to play guitar and encouraged her to play also. At the time, she was 8 years old. However, unlike myself and many others, she didn’t stop.
And what do you think happened?
Search YouTube for “Rocksmith – Audrey’s Success Story” and see for yourself… and if you don’t feel like searching, let me just tell you, she has become an extraordinary guitar player, but it really is worth the 3 minutes of your time.
If you want to be really be blown away search YouTube for “audrey shida through the fire and flames”… If you aren’t familiar with the song, Through The Fire and Flames, by Dragonforce, it is one of the top 3 hardest songs to play on the guitar. I first learned about this song through Guitar Hero 3 and instantly fell in love, it is such an amazing song and I would love to be able to learn it. However, I haven’t, while at the same time not only has Audrey learned this incredibley challening song, that wasn’t hard enough for her so on top of playing this insanely challenging guitar part, she also plays the bass line with her foot!
WHAT!!! This is amazing!
Now you may be thinking, “I don’t have 2 or 3 hours a day for 8 years to spend learning guitar or doing what I really want to do.” Well, it turned out she only started practicing 30 minutes a day and a bit more on the weekends. In just starting 30 minutes a day, she has become a rock star!
As I watched her story, I was spellbound. Eight years ago I couldn’t have possibly imagined by playing a silly guitar game that I could become a guitar master, but now that I can see it worked for her, there is a strong chance that it will work for me; that is, if I put in the work!
I’m grateful for Audrey Shida sticking with her dream to inspire me to return to one of mine, and I do have to say since I watched her video, I have recommitted to practicing just 20 minutes a day, and I haven’t missed a single day — and if I had I’d just start again the next day.
What is it that you want to create? What is the dream that you want to make come true in your life? Stop listing all the reasons that you can’t and just start! Just commit even to 20 minutes a day and see what happens. I have noticed even in the last week since I started doing this, that go figure, I got better. That’s what happens when we just show up each day and stay in the game. It’s the power of compounding!
We all have 20 minutes a day, we just have to make what we want a priority. We spend plenty of time watching tv, staying caught up on sports, etc. ; we can each find 20 minutes a day.
As you begin to create what you want, you may have thoughts pop up in your head of why you can’t do it. A few examples of these may be, “I’m not good enough, I’m behind, I wish I would have started sooner, I’m too old to start, I’m too young to start.” – I call these thoughts crazy leprechaun thoughts. They are like hecklers at a sporting event trying to get in your head. Because if they can get in your head, they can stop you from doing a great work.
Could you imagine a professional athlete coming off the field and out of the game to confront a heckler? Of course not because they know the more attention they pay to hecklers, the worse their game is going to be. When you have these heckling thoughts like, “I’m too young.” Just say to yourself, “Okay there is that thought that I am too young, what do I want to create?” And then get back to working on what you want most.
I know many people that feel super behind in life, remember that regardless of your thoughts understand that you are not behind, you are right where you are and if you don’t start taking the actions necessary to get where you want to be, you are going to stay right where you are.
What would happen if you stopped listening to all those crazy leprechaun thoughts from your mind that continuously heckle you from the stands? Would you move forward on something you love to do? You only get one life, no matter where you are on the timeline of life, you can only start where you are.
I love one suggestion Vincent Van Gogh said about silencing those heckling voices,
“If you hear a voice within you say you cannot paint, then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.”
Stop listening to that voice that tells you that you will never be good enough, you’re too late, you’re too old, you’re too young —- these are all just lies. As most of you know, I believe in a higher power that being Heavenly Father, but I believe in a lower power also, being the adversary or Satan and I believe he is the father of all lies even the ones that you tell yourselves— he is also the father of all of our doubts, fears and insecurities! That’s where most of our crazy leprechaun thoughts come from— DON’T listen to them and don’t heed them… You are enough and you are okay right where you are!
If you stopped listening to your crazy leprechaun thoughts, what would you start doing?
Yes, If I would have started playing the guitar daily 8 years ago, I would be a rock star, but I didn’t and it doesn’t serve me to hold onto that thought. The only thing that does serve me is to start today so that 8 years from now, I will be there. As I said I have already started that 20 minutes a day practice and I commit to doing it at least for the next year and probably long after that.
Join Me, and by this time next year, we will both be much closer to our goal. Even if you can’t see how everything will work, just show up each day for 20 minutes and you will improve significantly!
Just start now, because it’s always better now than never! When you start, you make the impossible, possible!
-The “It’s Possible” Guy
Joseph
Remember You’re okay. Start doing what’s possible in Your life and you will create miracles!
P.S. If this article has blessed your life, please share it! It may be just what someone else needs to hear, and they will thank you for it!