Learning to play the guitar can have its ups and downs. But, you can't let the bad feelings get a hold of you. Learn to focus on all the good that comes from playing music and the guitar. It will do wonders for your attitude toward practice and with your further development as a musician...

Everyone likes to feel good - as much as possible. It makes people get things done. Getting things done will in turn make people feel even better. It's a great cycle to be involved in.



When we feel good as musicians it reinforces creativity, it helps with inspiration and it boosts musical productivity. So if you need to really get into the flow of things, (like writing songs and improving your guitar playing through more quality study time), start focusing on feeling better.

Life is too short to get into (or stay) within a slump. If you don’t like the way things are going, then realize that you can fix them or you can change them. Remember the old saying, "If its to be, its up to me."

In this post I wanted to discuss feeling good and maintaining a happy perspective, because you can’t make others feel good if you don't feel good. And, when you're feeling all bummed out, it can be really hard to stay positive and productive with your skill development.



So, do everyone a favor and start feeling good today. Through thinking positive thoughts you’ll attract more positive things from yourself and from others.

Below are a few handy tips to help you keep up a stronger mindset - even if things seem really nuts in your musical life - try to use some of these pointers to maintain better balance.



FEEL GOOD TIPS - FOR BETTER MORE MUSICAL DAYS:

1). Change your approach when your results start to weaken. If your results are lacking, change your pattern of behavior. Change your environment, change how you are looking at the task and use the change to your advantage. The different perspective will help you with being able to gain a new insight involved with what you're practicing /planning.

2). Perfection will drive you crazy, back off from the feeling of being 100% at everything you do. Let go of thinking that makes you believe that you must have absolute control. Stop being a perfectionist, it will do more harm than good over time. Aim for completion at the highest level of competency instead of 100% perfection.

3). Carve out your own path as a player, being a follower of another players path will never lead to total self-satisfaction. You are a unique individual. Live your own personal musical life. Make your own musical choices. Pay attention to what you're good at. Don’t try to live the musical life of somebody else, you are your own person. Be unique, focus on being unique. If everyone goes off in the same direction, try to go in the opposite direction... it might be the best path for you.



4). Learn something new everyday, or at least every week. Study, and research new concepts, guitars, recording gear. Get into music theory, ear training, new scales. Having a new technique under development can be liberating. Go to a lecture or a demonstration at your local music store, or sign-up to go to a musicians worksho. Listening to what others are discussing might open a new doorway for you.

5). Hang out with other musicians - Jam - Play for Fun - No Rules! There's something incredibly valuable about hanging out with other musicians and jamming. Learning a piece with a band will do wonders for your feel and for your timing. It will help with your flow and jamming will help you gain new insights of how to pace yourself against other players and their own personal sense of dynamics and style. Plus, there's the all important comradery of being around other like-minded musical people and players and you need this as a musician, (no matter how good you are you need that sense of musical comradery).



So, go forward with these ideas and use them to make some really positive changes happen in your musical life. Sometimes, all it takes is getting up from out of where you are right now and starting a move into another brand new direction.

Far too many musicians are loners. Pick up the phone, send an email, send a text and communicate with others - it makes a huge difference from being a loner, (plus you'll feel good hearing back from others). 

Plan your days for a positive experience and something amazing will happen - you'll have MORE positive days and more positive experiences when you try it.

“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”  ― Napoleon Hill