Practicing and Changing Your Approach

We have our habits. We have our practices. We have the way we like to do things, the things we like to eat, the way we like to get to work, the way we choose to practice our instrument.

If it's too comfortable and unfocused, it can make us lazy and fragile.

General Sherman, the legendary Civil War strategist, once explained that he lived by an "old rule never to return by the road I had come." He didn’t want to retrace his steps. He wanted to blaze new trails, cover new territory, challenge himself.

This philosophy isn't just military wisdom—it's a blueprint for personal transformation.

In Meditations, the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, 161 to 180 AD, writes about holding his chariot reins with his weaker hand. "The left hand is useless at almost everything, for lack of practice." "But it guides the rains better than the right." "From practice." He recognized that true strength comes from developing ourselves in all directions, not just where we're already capable.

This is not always easy … but neither is life! The philosopher Epictetus said when a challenge is put in front of you, think of yourself as an athlete getting paired with a tough competitor or a sparring partner. You want to be Olympic-class? He said, “This is going to take some sweat to accomplish."

Yes, the unfamiliar path is harder. It requires more effort. But as any athlete will tell you: growth happens because of resistance. Iron sharpens iron. Comfort is the enemy. Each challenge makes you stronger.

Practicing is essential for musicians to develop their skills and maintain their proficiency. However, innovating and incorporating new elements into practice can greatly enhance a musician's development and creativity.

What would you give for the key to unshackle you from the fear and laziness holding you back? How would it feel to not just retrace your steps down the same ol’ road this year but to instead blaze a new path where you’re making satisfying progress toward becoming the person you know you can be? Toward the person who knows, lives, loves, and appreciates the good life.