Tag: Mentality

Patience , Persistence , Positivity

<中文版: a href="http://www.teresawong.hk/?p=17414">耐心（patience）、堅持 （persistence）、正面 （positivity）

I don’t need to stress that you need passion in your playing, because I already can tell you have it – you are either reading my posts and/or learning from me!

So hence the 3Ps here: patience, persistence, and positivity.

For me, the hardest lesson to learn is to have patience. I always wanted things to happen right here right now. I could usually make it because I tried very hard to, but the result was not always great. Now, I understand I need to put more time and patience into things if I want truly great results. Therefore this year, my homework is to gain patience.

For you my students, the hardest lesson to learn is to be positive. I can tell you all work hard (and can always work harder!), albeit sometimes feeling frustrated. The problem is when you feel frustrated, you beat yourself up way too hard (like I used to do so to myself). What happens is that you lose your cool and momentum to continue, to persist through your practice and playing, and to persist towards the goal you want to attain. You hesitate, you pause. You stop moving forward. You stand there and start to wonder why you should continue this journey, too many a times.

You then ask me, “what should I do?” You stop doubting yourself, like I keep reminding you. You do what I tell you to do: practice with focus, practice with strategy, practice with a plan. Keep your eyes on the prize: the goal you have always wanted.

This year, I am setting with each of you a learning plan, from a smaller goal (quarterly) to a bigger goal (yearly). Then, we need to work together and attain that goal as much as we possibly can. This year, I will not be so lenient and relaxed with each of you, because we need to push forward harder. I, need to pull you all forward more at a much faster pace than last year, because time is too precious to be wasted on being negative of yourself, time is too meaningful to be wasted on having all this useless self – doubt that you all have (including myself in the past). I know you all want to achieve some goals respectively, from playing more beautifully to attaining the next level of diploma certificate etc. And the only way- and I stress the only way- to achieve that goal you have in mind is to start being positive about yourself, start truly believing in yourself that you can make it, because, if you have even a slight doubt about your ability and your determination, there is no way you would keep going on and get that goal you always want to. Certainly, we all slip once in a while, we pause and we are lost in the mist. We do not see clearly where this path is leading us towards. But we have to pick ourselves up and move on after that pause. We stand back up right after that slip. We start walking slowly again, and we start running. Rest assured that I am there to take your hands. Rest assured that I won’t let you just stand there and pause forever. I, will always be in the front leading you. So, even when you are lost in the mist, remember, I am there in the middle of that mist. All you have to do is get back up and walk towards me, so that we can walk side by side. One day, I hope some of you walk in front of me and take my hand if I ever start to slow down and pause. One day, I hope some of you run much faster than me. Then I would be one very proud teacher.

You all have a blessed Chinese New Year holiday, my dear students and readers.

Always grateful and passionate about music and life,