Confidence booster
Here’s another easy exercise for you to try out in the practice room. I use this with my students quite often as it helps balance out their perception to something that is more realistic.
We naturally focus on the things that we’re not so good at (thanks “negativity bias!”), so this exercise strengthens what we are doing well, before tackling the stuff we need a bit more work on. A simple, yet effective method that you can start using straight away! 👍
THREE THINGS EXERCISE
At the end of each practice session/concert/lesson etc., pick out 3 specific positive things that you achieved. The key is to be as specific as possible, rather than make it too broad.
• The first thing is something specific that you played well – we’re not talking about an entire piece or excerpt here, narrow it down to a single phrase or bar.
• The second thing is something very specific that got better – it didn’t need to end up sounding perfect, but something that you definitely improved upon over the session.
• The third thing is something specific that you tried really hard at – here the emphasis is on the effort you put in, rather than the actual result eg. if you really went for it on a high note, or tried to put as much energy into a phrase to make it as exciting and interesting as possible. This puts the emphasis on the process involved in playing music. If the processes you have in place work effectively, then the result will take care of itself.
How did you go? Try this exercise each day for the next week and let me know if you felt a positive shift in your thinking. Write down your three things in your diary each day, then look back at what you achieved at the end of each week. You might be surprised what things you have come up with! Hopefully over time you will start to notice more of the good things that you do during your sessions, breeding greater confidence, motivation, and self-belief.