Vitamin Blog - Guitar in 5 Minutes

3 Awesome Creative Things To Fire You Up

2010-02-17T20:43:00.000-08:00

On one of my favorite podcasts, ESPN's Football Today, they play a clip of Pete Carroll, the new coach for the Seattle Seahawks, at his introductory press conference. He steps to the mic, and in a singularly uninspired voice he intones, "I am so fired up....."

The point is: you can't fake it anymore. There's too many people watching with their blogs, phone cams, Twittering, etc.

So here's 3 nifty things that crossed my desk today to keep your creative juices flowing:

1) The Night I Met Einstein - by Jerome Weidman from Derek Sivers' blog - http://sivers.org/weidman
the story of a man whose ears were opened to Bach by the brilliant physicist himself

2) Ed Hamell, who goes under the name Hamell On Trial, has written 156 songs in 156 days. He's releasing an album called "15 of 100" of the best of the first 100. He is still writing - http://hamelltv.com - inspirational creative outbursting! You go, Ed!

3) An interview with Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead from 1978, in which he talks about buying every guitar instructional book he can get his hands on to learn new exercises. Whatever you might think of Jerry, it's pretty cool to hear a guitarist of his stature talk about getting back to basics and the value of constant learning......http://www.guitarplayer.com/article/gp-flashback-/February-2010/108399

Practice Beginner's Mind.

Snow Falls On The Ground

2010-02-10T18:41:00.000-08:00

Life is unpredictable. You're just moving along and wham! there's 2 feet of snow outside your doorstep. You may even have known about it for a few days but it wasn't real until it was there.

Or you're doing great and all of a sudden - the flu! a cold! something that makes you stop, slow down, and re-evaluate.

Life is always going to be unpredictable. Change is the name of the game.

So, isn't it comforting to have some kind of routine during times of extreme change? For me, I get up every morning, do a Neti pot, and take a walk (when there's not 2 feet of snow) or do yoga. No matter where I am, I like to do this every morning. Starts the day off right. I also like to get my hands on a guitar every day.

Maybe you are practicing the guitar every day when you come home from work or just before bed. Routines that seem awkward at first will become familiar and comfortable as the world continues to spin around you and things naturally evolve and change.

Take the time. Practice Beginner's Mind.

When The Deal Goes Down - 3 Things You Can Do

2010-02-03T18:18:00.000-08:00

Disappointment. It happens to us all. There are minor disappointments - oversleeping, not getting something you want for a present, breaking a guitar string at a crucial moment, losing a piece of musical equipment, etc. Then there are major disappointments - not getting the job or loan you applied for, getting laid off, having a car wreck and missing your gig, etc. But these are still not major life tragedies.

Like the Richard Carlson book says, "Don't sweat the small stuff (and it's all small stuff)". This can be SO hard to remember. But a disappointment is NOT a major life tragedy.

3 things you can do to remember this.

1) Take it easy - Be gentle with yourself. Take yourself out to a movie or dinner, take a nap, take a walk, take the night off from your usual activities. If you are like me (a type A go-go-go personality), then this can be the hardest step, especially if you feel like the disappointment is something you caused.

2) Make a gratitude list - Do it quickly. 10 things you are grateful for. I'll start it for you:

1) You have running water, hot and cold
2) You have a roof over your head
3) You have enough food for today
4) You have enough clothing for today and tomorrow
5) You have a guitar

Maybe you don't have these things; if not, cross them off. If so, then you are ahead of HALF the world. This is truly something to be grateful for. I'm not trying to make you feel guilty - just trying to put it in perspective. Like Rob Brezhny's book Pronoia says, "At least 50 million sub-atomic events had to happen to get you into the shower this morning." Be grateful for what you have, even if it feels like pulling teeth. Being grateful is like a muscle - the more you do it, the more grateful you are.

3) Take action - The antidote to depression is action. Take action. Massive action. Don't make one job call, make 50. Take all that energy that it takes to be depressed and put it to good use. Like Duke Ellington said about his prolific composing, "I just took all the energy that it takes to pout and wrote some blues." Start small though. It can be daunting to go from 0 to 60 in 5 seconds. But honestly, the hardest part is getting started. It's much much harder to make 1 job call than 10. By #7, you'll be in a groove.

Practice Beginner's Mind.

Falling Behind

2010-02-02T14:35:00.000-08:00

It happens to all of us. We start off a new year or a new project all excited and full of enthusiasm, and then in a month's time we are stuck in our "same old loops", back to business as usual feeling stuck and mired.

If you've ever seen the movie Groundhog Day, then you know being stuck in a loop is about. For those who haven't seen it, Groundhog Day is about a selfish man (Bill Murray) who relives the same day over and over (and over) again. It's not a good day in his life - he's a newscaster sent to Punxsutawney, PA to cover the groundhog's emergence (not really a Pulitzer story), he runs into an annoying old school friend, the woman he likes rejects him, and so forth. When he realizes he is stuck in a Feb 2 loop, he tries to kill himself in multiple ways only to wake up in the bed at the beginning of the day again. Gradually, as he realizes he's stuck in the day, he begins to find a side of himself that actually cares about other people and cares about contributing something to the world. And (SPOILER ALERT) he is only released from the day when he "gets it right".

We don't get the chance to perfect the same day; we don't get the chance to re-live high school/college/grade school and "get it right". Many of our best and brightest pass away long before their time. Life is short, and a "vale of tears" as the Psalm says.

But, everytime the clock or metronome ticks, everytime the calendar flips over, everytime time marches on and we feel left behind - we have the chance to start over. Each moment gives us the chance to say, "Well, I'm not happy about that. It's time to do things differently."

So you abandoned your New Year's Resolution to start running? Strap on your running shoes and head out the door at the next chance you can.

Haven't been practicing the guitar? Find 5 minutes today and sit down and play something.

Need a job but are un-motivated and discouraged? Check out those want ads for a few minutes right now. Better yet, start researching what it would take to do what you really want to do.

and practice Beginner's Mind.

"It's a nice day to....start again" - Billy Idol

Taking Care of Ourselves, 5 Things That You Value, and 3 Rewards

2010-01-14T18:00:00.000-08:00

It is so hard for us sometimes to do the things that nurture us. We overeat, watch too much TV, stay up too late, and think we are rewarding ourselves. To say nothing of booze binges, drug binges, toxic people binges, etc.

These "rewards" drain our energy for the things we really want to do - the things that support us, that help us become our best, and give us energy for the tasks ahead. And they all come with punishments - hangovers, fatigue, credit card debts, gained weight, and lost self-esteem.

Today, make a list of 5 things that you could do that express your most cherished values.

These could be:

Spending time with your child, spouse, or other loved one (family)
Learning to play the guitar (music, art appreciation)
Cleaning the garage or spare room (order)
Going for a walk, a hike, or a run (nature, exercise)
Planning for and taking a long-desired vacation (travel)

You get the point. What is it that you truly value? What kind of person do you want be? THEN (and the two lists may overlap), make a list of 3 ways you can reward yourself in accordance with those values. It may include self-denial such as

skipping dessert
going to bed early to get up for a morning walk
going to bed a little later so that you can get in some reading time
making sure you practice the guitar 5 minutes a day
doing yoga in the morning instead of surfing the Web
saving money in a jar for a trip to Paris

When we treat ourselves like we matter, the Universe responds in kind. "Everything counts!" says Gary Ryan Blair. "There will never be a day that does not require perseverance, dedication, discipline, and personal integrity."

Practice Beginner's Mind!

3 Ways To Review Your Progress And Not Beat Yourself Up

2010-01-13T12:45:00.000-08:00

It's so hard sometimes to go back and measure our progress. Whether it's the turning of the calendar to a new year, a new decade (!), or some kind of personal milestone, we all hit those times when we look back and see how far we've come or how we've fallen short of our goals.

If you're like me (i.e. incredibly hard on yourself), it is much easier to see the glass as half or all empty than half full. Try not to take the easy way out! Credit where credit is due.

Reviews are important, though. Accountability is a positive thing and will help you progress personally, spiritually, in business, in your relationships, and in all areas of your life.

Here's 3 simple ways that you can review your progress and not sabotage your future:

1) Acknowledge your accomplishments: Start off by making a list of at least 5 things that you have done right. I credit Ariel Hyatt of CyberPR for this strategy - she suggests doing this every day to keep yourself positive. This could be as simple as showing up to practice your guitar 5 minutes a day, showing up at the computer to write for 5 minutes a day, etc. The point is showing up counts! Give yourself more credit that you feel you deserve. And schedule some kind of celebration for a job well done - let yourself eat your favorite food, watch your favorite TV show, listen to your favorite music. You deserve a treat.

2) Be honest about your shortcomings: In any kind of personal/business inventory, an honest appraisal of your weak points and missed goals is crucial to forward momentum. However, keep in mind that the purpose of listing your shortcomings is to figure out what future action is needed. It's the opposite of wallowing. List where you've fallen short and, for each area, list an action that can be taken to prevent the same thing from happening in the future.

3) Make an action plan: The antidote to depression is action. List at least 5 things that you can do today (even if you don't get to them all today) to make your next year/fiscal period better than the last one. They don't have to be huge earthshaking movements. Small actions breed larger actions. Start small.

I wish everyone has a wonderful, healthy, happy 2010! Hey - we survived the 00s!

Practice Beginner's Mind.

5 Tips To Make It Through The Holidays (and keep practicing)

2009-12-17T20:06:00.000-08:00

Stress. Holidays. Time (or lack thereof). Loss. Hurt. Grief. Frustration. Anger.

Sound familiar? So much of life is out of our control.

Everywhere I have gone this week online and off I see many people having a hard time. So here's my 5 cents worth (thanks Lucy Van Pelt) of holiday advice on keeping your sanity and finding that even keel (whether or not this includes guitar practice, which hopefully it does):

1. Don't sweat the small stuff (and it's all small stuff). If somebody cuts you off in traffic, cuts in front of you in line, is rude, or offends you however, try to let it slide. Especially with strangers. Make a deal with yourself that you'll get angry about it after January 1st. If that seems like too long, start with "I'll get angry about it tomorrow". Remember, all that anger doesn't hurt them; it only hurts you.

2. Breathe.   Lots of tasks to get done before and during the holidays. Take a minute to breathe. Many of us, myself included, walk around holding our breath. You have 10 seconds to catch your breath and start again. Everybody can find 10 seconds. Breathing is so very important. Those who do yoga can practice ujjayi pranayama or "yoga breathing"- this alone can really help re-center you and it doesn't take much time.

3. Be a little selfish.   This is the giving season, it's true. But if you give everything you have to doing things for other people, you may feel a little hollow inside. I'm not talking about big giving, like volunteering at a soup kitchen or playing Santa. I'm talking about the stay-at-home mom who is cooking Christmas dinner, taking care of 2 - 4 kids, and buying all the presents. I'm talking about those who are caregivers for sick relatives. You can afford to take little bits of time for yourself, even if this just means 5 minutes to practice your guitar or meditate. It is an old adage that if we don't take care of ourselves, we have little to give to others.

4. Be a little helpful.   Ha! The contradiction. But if you are taking even just a little time for yourself, you will most likely be filled with at least a tiny bit of the giving spirit. Also, it feels good to hold a door for someone, to do the dishes when not asked, to lighten someone else's load. It's a vicious cycle: we take a little time for us, have more to give to others, and head into our time for ourselves with a lighter heart. This will improve your practice.

5. Take what you need and leave the rest. When I was 9 years old, my best friend got a Millenium Falcon (a Star Wars toy vehicle). He and I would play with it at his house, but I was in massive envy. I asked for it for Christmas, but never got one. I felt 2nd rate for years because, when personal computers came out, I got a Commodore 64 for Christmas instead of an Apple. This is the kind of stuff the holidays bring up, and, as you can see, I had a relatively privileged childhood; I know people whose memories of the holidays include drunk parents, abuse, and no presents. But no matter how "small" the wounds are, they are still wounds and we all have them in some form or the other. So, the other day, I posted a picture on a social network of my 4th birthday party, and a friend of mine (also in the picture - we are still in touch! How fantastic) commented on how she was always jealous because she thought I had "the best" toys. How wild! I can honestly say I *never* thought my stuff was "the best"; I always felt second-rate.

Here is my point: parents do the best they can under the circumstances. Children do their best as well. Sometimes the best is not at all acceptable (i.e. your sister always gets the preferential treatment, there is physical/psychological abuse going on, etc). But unfortunately we cannot redo our own personal histories. They are there forever. But we can choose how we relive them, or not to relive them at all. We can take the best of our families, and leave the rest. Maybe the best was that you had a safe space to escape to when things got rough. Maybe the best is that, no matter what, your family always seemed to be able to laugh together. Maybe the best part for you is that Christmas ends. But you have the power of choice on how to react, and what you will create from these painful memories. If you learn to play the guitar, you can write songs about it and make something beautiful/dissonant/rocking out of the bad feelings. Someone thought I had cool toys - that still matters even at 30something...cleave to the positive! Let go of the baggage (at least for a little bit).

Practice Beginner's Mind! Happy holidays.

Blind Spots

2009-12-13T20:55:00.000-08:00

We all have our blind spots in life. Some people can't stand discussing politics with people that don't share their point of view. Some people don't like sitting in traffic. Some people don't like jazz. Others like all kinds of music except American country music.

My own personal blind spot right now is Lady Gaga - being a huge David Bowie/Freddie Mercury fan, I just don't see the comparisons. But I do applaud her for working the media machine to the max - she is a PR master! Good for her.

There is no rule that you have to like everything or everyone. But I think beginner's mind is useful for these situations. Knowing that we like or dislike something is enough. There is no need to take things further and mire our minds in useless negativity. If I don't like Lady Gaga, that doesn't hurt her at all. But my own negative thoughts and emotions can sabotage my progress. If you are like me at all, you can sit there and be angry for hours about absolutely nothing.

There will be people who go out of their way to push your buttons. In such situations, it's good to take a step back, take a deep breath, and just take it easy for a moment. Make a list of things you are grateful for, and focus on the tasks at hand. And, if you learn how to play the guitar, you can write a song about the person or situation that teed you off. You may never want to play those songs, but you might come up with a winner! I did that when a drunk jerk fell into my Taylor Guitar at a gig in upstate New York in 1999. Very therapeutic :-)

If you are celebrating the holiday season right now, be patient and kind with those around you and try not to get "into it" with anyone. Everyone seems stressed right now. Practice beginner's mind, and the people around you will not seem so imposing. They are just people, after all.

Tough times demand tough talk

2009-12-11T22:05:00.000-08:00

The above title is a lyric from a song by the band called Rush. The lyric continues "...demand tough hearts demand tough songs..."

Things are pretty tough in the world right now. A lot of people are out of work, anybody who invests in the stock market has seen their money half in value and not rebound over the last year, and many, many qualified people are working jobs far beneath their capability. Not to mention the fact that most of the world lives off of $2 a day.

I have mentioned that before, and while this blog is designed to boost you not depress you, think about that: 2.7 billion people try to feed themselves on $2 a day.

So if you have more than $2 to eat with today, that is something to be grateful for.

The beauty of doing something for 5 minutes a day is that it always possible to find 5 minutes, no matter how busy you are. 5 minutes is a bathroom break. Making a sandwich generally takes longer.

The world needs creativity. From a music business perspective, there is a huge oversupply of music so much so that it is very difficult (but not impossible) to make a living selling original music. From a human being perspective, though, I think this is great. More people are playing guitar than ever before. Playing guitar is good for people. There are dozens of studies about the effects of music on stress.

Personally, I think more people need to play guitar instead of taking drugs, starting wars, and giving in to various other addictions. The best thing about being addicted to guitar playing is that it will never give you a hangover (worst case scenario: sore fingers).

And you don't even need to be "addicted" to guitar playing or make that your goal to participate. All you need is 5 minutes a day.

Practice Beginner's Mind!

Thursday's Child has far to go, Friday's child is loving and giving

2009-12-10T21:03:00.000-08:00

One of the reasons I preach the gospel of "5 Minutes A Day" is because it is my experience that consistent action is the best way to get anything done.

I was able to quit my day job by writing a business plan every day at Starbucks for 15 minutes. It took a year, but the results were highly worth it.

With the help of close proximity to some great musicians, I was able to teach myself how to play lead guitar by practicing 5 minutes a day. I'm still not Clapton, but I can do it.

It's not about how much time we put into an activity, especially a new one. It's about regular, consistent action. Practice Beginner's Mind!

Life Is What Happens To You While You're Busy Making Other Plans

2009-12-08T23:47:00.000-08:00

December 8th is a sad day in music history. Two great musicians - John Lennon and "Dimebag" Darrell from Pantera - were both shot and killed on that day (in 1980 and 2004 respectively). Personal musical taste aside, both players were extremely skilled at their musical genres and had a huge influence on their followers.

Nothing is harder on beginner's mind than senseless tragedy. Why would anybody shoot a musician? Especially ones that were about making people feel good? Even tragedies that make sense, like the passing of a beloved grandparent, can derail our enthusiasm and make us feel like life is meaningless.

There were two specific losses in my community of friends and comrades this year. One was a dear little 4 year old girl who lost her battle with cancer, the daughter of one of the funniest, warmest friends of mine from college I can think of. The other was a peer (also from college), someone I sang with on stage, performed in various shows, wrote songs for, laughed with, drank with. Both losses were connected to a specific period in my life - college - a period I love to mourn in my bouts of self-pity (do not think this author is a master or guru - I am walking the path just like you).

What do we do in the face of death? When even tragedy that does not directly affect us reveals how sad life can be?

One thing to remember is Buddha's first Noble Truth - Life is suffering. After all, Beginner's Mind is a Zen concept and Zen is a Buddhist-based philosophy. Buddha meant by this that once we accept the TOTALITY of life in all of its horribleness, we can begin to transcend it. This is life. We have to deal. We can cry and hide, or we can stand up and play our guitars and write songs about what should change.

We can't change the fact that little children die sometimes, great musicians sometimes get shot by maniacs, genocide happens, and most of the world lives on $2 a day.

But we can change ourselves. And one of the ways that we can change ourselves is by being creative.

It is through being creative that we will find solutions. Maybe someday treatments will prevent cancer, maybe through mental health assistance and legislation insane people won't be able to purchase guns, maybe the human race will evolve past genocide, and maybe we will find a way to feed everyone. Maybe not in our lifetimes, but creativity is just that - creating anew. We can create the world we want, first by imagining it, and second by taking action.

The world we want may not materialize in our lifetime. But the only way it WON'T happen is if we stop creating. And we only need to take 5 minutes a day. We don't need to start creating any more than that, be it painting, writing, guitar playing, flute playing, or dancing.

So you see? Your 5 minutes of guitar practice helps the whole world! It's 5 minutes that somebody spent creating something beautiful and doing something creative that wasn't spent dropping a bomb or worrying about where the next paycheck went.

Practice Beginner's Mind. Sorry for the long post. Enjoy the video clips.

John Lennon - Beautiful Boy

Pantera - Cowboys From Hell (Live At Ozzfest) (might be offensive to some, guitar solo is 3:03)

Baby Steps

2009-12-07T21:30:00.000-08:00

This blog is meant to be a daily blog. Yet it's been a week since I've written in it.

Maybe you have started to learn to play guitar and the lessons are just sitting in your email box, unused.

In order to progress, the critic voice who says, "See, I told you so? I KNEW you couldn't do it blah blah blah" has to be sent on a PERMANENT vacation. This doesn't happen overnight. It takes time. But wouldn't they prefer to be in Maui or Florida or someplace warm (wouldn't we all)? Convince them to move to a warmer clime. Buy them a one way plane ticket. Say "Have a nice trip", "Sayonara", "see you around" etc.

Pick yourself up. Remind yourself that you get credit for just trying. A baby doesn't learn to walk by tap dancing. They fall down. And get up again. And try again. The smallest step in the direction of your dreams and accomplishing your goals is a major success and should be treated as such!

Just as I was writing this post, my dear friend Carrie Anne mentioned something about a new song she wrote called "Baby Steps". At the risk of embarrassing her, I want to reprint her lyrics because they are so apropos and I really like the song - reminds me of Victoria Williams....link to the music is below, thanks Carrie!

Look out of your window, can't be a world outside, that is too inviting
I'll stay and watch the leaves blow
Think how they coincide,with many a life..but
Can't see their faces from here..so you put them away with your fears
can't hear their voices from here,voices from here,voices that nobody hears
you can't wash them all away-those bubbles float round the drain
And I can't make it go away,not my choice anyway,not my choice these days
not my choice.
Take baby steps with me
One Step, Two Step..three One step, two step three
And you can't wash them all away
those bubbles float round the drain..not my choice these days

Look into my window,they won't get nothing from me
Till they let me be...me.
Wonder which way the the winds blows
Can't see their eyes from here,there ...eyes.their eyes are red with tears.
Can't see their Blood from here..their Blood from here.

And you can't wash this stain away-as our brothers go down the drain
and you can't wish this pain away- as our sisters go up in flames.

One step ..two step ..three
take baby steps with me..one step,two step ..three..
take baby steps...with...me.

Baby Steps by This Is

When things don't go as planned

2009-12-01T00:59:00.000-08:00

It can be very, very discouraging when plans fall through, especially if these plans involve money, time, loved ones, or anything that you have committed to, like learning a new language or musical instrument.

You have been practicing 5 minutes a day on your guitar and then - maybe the airlines lose or break your guitar. Maybe you have a 10 hr travel day that was supposed to be a 3 hr travel day, and you are too exhausted to practice. Maybe life concerns overwhelm you and you just are not able to practice that day. Maybe you have a horrible chest cold that you cannot shake (like the person typing this) and you feel your daily tasks of self-employment building up like a giant wall about to fall on you the moment you get better.

It is so easy to let life come between us and our 5 minutes or however long of solitude. And it can be so hard to carve this time and space out in stone and say "DO NOT DISTURB!" It is so easy to check out and say "whatever" and so hard to care sometimes. It is so easy to push oneself to the brink of exhaustion and so hard to take a little bit of time each day for the things that nurture and fulfill.

The best part about beginner's mind is that we can start over again at any time. Fell down? Pick yourself off, dust yourself off, and find something - one small, seemly insignificant thing - to be grateful for or to be excited about.

For example, I may be ill but today I watched a great movie called Garden State that I've always wanted to see. All about not settling for where you are and yet not letting our own grandiosity and self-importance carry us away from the things we love. Hilarious, touching, moving. And full of beginner's mind! Zach Braff's first film - all about where he came from.

As Bob Dylan sang, "There is no success like failure, and failure is no success at all."

In order to succeed, we have to try and fail. And pick ourselves up. And start over as best as we can.

Practice beginner's mind!

We Are Here To Make A Sound

2009-11-23T21:04:00.000-08:00

It occurred to me today that I owe a debt of gratitude for this blog and the Guitar In 5 Minutes concept to the writer of the book "Zen Guitar" - Phil Toshio Sudo. So officially I want to recognize this right now and say a warm mahalo/thanks to the late, great Phil for his wonderful book. Definitely the best book I have ever read about guitar playing, being a musician, and approaching music from a spiritual perspective.

Phil talks about beginner's mind in great depth at the beginning of the book. He distills our purpose in studying guitar down to one key drive which links us all:

We are here to make a sound.

Whatever that sound may be - something we hear in our head, something we heard on the radio or on TV - ultimately we are here to discover that sound, make it, and celebrate it (his words).

And behind that sound, says Phil, like behind all sounds, is the source of all sound. Zen masters call it the sound of "one hand clapping". It may be the sound of the Big Bang. Or whatever you call God.

"If you get to that source, you will know the answer to every question because you have heard it all." - Phil Toshio Sudo

While I love this book, and I love what he says - that's a TON of pressure on a beginning guitarist! Find God! Ready.....GO.

So let yourself off the hook from that part (though it can be nice to meditate on such things), and focus on this:

What sound would you like to make? What's "your" sound?

Don't overthink. Just answer with the first thing that comes to mind and move on. Your sound will change over time no matter what the answer is today. This should be a fun exercise and not torture ("OMG I don't have a sound? What's wrong with me? I can't pick one? Aaaaah?") Let that part of your mind go out for a session at the therapist, and summon your beginner's mind who thinks "Hm....The Beatles had a nice sound...."

Above all, stay open, eager, and enthusiastic! Get psyched. Practice beginner's mind.

Firsts

2009-11-22T17:17:00.000-08:00

A helpful exercise for rekindling musical (or indeed any creative) enthusiasm is to go back to what first grabbed you to pick up a guitar/keyboard/flugelhorn and make music.

For me, I grew up in the golden age of 80s pop music in a brief moment when quirky and creative was actually mainstream; being "interesting and weird" were looked on as positive, "hit" qualities! It helped if you were British or acted British too. Songs like Thomas Dolby's "She Blinded Me With Science" and Wall of Voodoo's "Mexican Radio" were huge hits, artists like The Police, The Cars, Talking Heads, U2, and David Bowie were dominating the radio airwaves and charts. I'd listen to Casey Kasem's American Top 40 and every song would be interesting.

Whenever I get frustrated, I can go back to this music. Whenever I need to rekindle my beginner's mind, I can listen to "Roxanne" or "New Year's Day" and it takes me back to my "tennis racket" guitar that I'd mime with in the mirror which eventually became a real guitar. There is spark, energy, creativity, and power in that music for me. Thankfully, I have a lot of different kinds of music that does this for me.

What about you? What did you imitate as a kid that you do now as an adult, or want to do now but won't let yourself? Did you go around singing with a wooden spoon? Maybe you had a tennis racket guitar. Whatever it is, let yourself go there today. Find that original spark music and cue it up. See where it takes you.

Above all, stay open, eager, and enthusiastic! Practice beginner's mind.

And a-one and a-two and a-

2009-11-19T14:49:00.000-08:00

Hello there! This blog is meant as an inspirational companion to the Guitar In 5 Minutes website, but can be applied as support in undertaking any new activity. I hope it inspires you to start new things, try new things, and keep broadening your horizons! And above all, keep a childlike sense of wonder. It's a beautiful world, despite what the news might tell us!

Beginner's Mind or Shoshin is a Zen Buddhist concept. It refers to having no preconceptions and a spirit of openness and eagerness when undertaking any activity, just like a beginner would. This is advisable for to anyone even if they are very advanced in their activity.

So today's message is: practice a beginner's mind. Remember how exciting it was when you got something new as a child? Did you care whether or not you were "an expert"? When you got a ball to play with, did you care if you could throw it farther than anyone else?

One of my favorite books, The Artist's Way, talks about how, in the long run, enthusiasm is more important than discipline in any creative activity. Discipline can be great in short bursts, but to sustain a creative life, you will need to be enthusiastic about what you are doing.

So get psyched! I know it's hard if you are working a crappy job that you hate to make ends meet and life seems like an endless stream of frustrations, disappointments, and hurts. Find one thing to be excited about today. Find one thing that you can apply your "beginner's mind" to. Leave your jaded, cynical, sarcastic self in the coffeehouse with Ginsberg. Today we are excited, and we are on our way!