10 Life Quotes That'll Change The Way You See Playing the Guitar (Not Kidding)
Inspirational quotes are only worth something when you can apply them. The ones in this post will help you improve your guitar playing mindset & results.
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Everyone loves an inspiring & motivational quote or two. And when it comes to us musicians, they can help inspire us to create our own bit of musical magic. The secret is to apply the message behind the quote to an important area of your life.
With that in mind, use these ten quotes to inspire a new mindset and motivate you in your guitar playing from this day forward.
#1. “Within you is the divine capacity to manifest and attract all you desire.” - Wayne Dyer
It can be hard believing in yourself sometimes when it comes to playing the guitar can't it? "Will I ever sound any good?" "I'm only doing this for me; I'll never be as good as him/her..." These are two examples of self-limiting thoughts holding you back from being all you want to be on guitar.
Believe your guitar playing can sound epic, and you'll naturally work your socks off to make that happen. You have more or less the same potential inside you to get to as good as you desire on the guitar as anyone else. Practise and enjoy the journey.
#2. “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the things you did." – Mark Twain
Love to play at an open mic night, but your lack of confidence is holding you back? Whatever you daydream about doing on guitar, why not make it a reality? When it's time to shuffle off this mortal coil, nobody wants to think if only I'd just gone for it. Stop getting in your own way, believe in yourself and set a date.
#3. “Never complain, never explain. Resist the temptation to defend yourself or make excuses" - Brian Tracy
As a guitar teacher, I've made an interesting observation or two in my time. One of them being that the people who improve - and continue to improve - the most at playing the guitar don't make excuses. They just get stuck in. If you're given some constructive playing feedback, take it on board and crack on working at it.
In the time you've wasting using the "my fingers are too fat", "I didn't get to practise much his week because my other half/kids/dog made me do DIY instead", or "I played it much better at home" excuse, you could have been practising and nailed it.
#4. “My day begins with gratitude and joy. I look forward with enthusiasm to the adventures of the day, knowing that in my life, All is good.." - Louise Hay
Before even picking your guitar up, take a minute to notice how you're feeling in that moment. Do you feel inspired and up for it, or does your energy feel low and drained? Try this. Focus on how brilliant your life is, how blessed you are for everything you have compared to millions of less fortunate people on Earth.
The fact you can even afford to have a guitar is a blessing. So get a smile on your face and go into your practise session with an abundance mindset instead of a scarcity one. You'll be amazed at how much more productive and fun your session will be.
#5. “Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know." - Lao Tzu - Tao Te Ching
A clever lot, those ancient Chinese. Considered one of the world's most important philosophical texts, if you're looking for inspiration for how best to lead your life, you can't go wrong reading the Tao Te Ching. Say this line to yourself whenever you come across some know-it-all wise guy in real life, on a guitar chat forum or video comment thread bigging himself up and dissing others.
So, when you hear them bragging how they could play barre chords perfectly within two hours of picking a guitar up or trying to dazzle you with overly complicated music theory jargon, recall this quote. Watch how the comments now make you smile and think, "Aww, the poor dear", instead of "I could smack him one."
#6. “You can conquer almost any fear if you will only make up your mind to do so. For remember, fear doesn’t exist anywhere except in the mind" - Dale Carnegie
Do you get crippling anxiety and nerves just at the thought of playing your guitar in front of others? Take this as a reminder that you have the power to turn it into whatever you want. If you think something is a problem, you'll feel like it is a problem. But if you tell yourself, "I got this, I will not let this phase me", your self-made fears will melt away. Give it a try; you'll be amazed.
#7. “It’s better to travel well than to arrive" - Gautama Buddha
Do you want to know the most common bit of advice I give to my guitar students daily? "Slow down". Learning to play the guitar is not a race. The faster you try to rush through things, the longer you'll take to master the instrument. Ignore those ridiculous clickbait titles that promise you can learn to play "like a pro" in 5 days. It's never going to happen.
Take it easy, be methodical, and enjoy your journey of growing and improving on your guitar.
#8. “Procrastination is one of the most common and deadliest of diseases and its toll on success and happiness is heavy." - Wayne Dyer
We all do it from time to time. Procrastinate. It really is the thief of time, isn't it? And when it comes to your progress on the guitar, wasting time can be a killer.
Yes, life gets in the way sometimes, and that's fine. After all, I hardly think if it's your turn to make the dinner and you told your other half, sorry, I've read I need to stop procrastinating and play my guitar more, I didn't have time to cook, you're not going to be too popular.
Here are two tips to help you beat time-wasting. First, make practice easy; use a practice planner. Try our 25 minute workout here to make it even easier. Secondly, make your practice space a guitar only zone free from distractions. Simple, yet highly effective.
#9. “I never fail. I either win or learn" - Nelson Mandela
This quote applies to any of you who may have had a nightmare of a live performance. We've all been there. I missed the bar I came in on once because I was too busy making pouting faces mid-solo to the camera at a festival with 50,000 + people watching (oh, and it was being televised to several European countries too.)
I wanted the ground to swallow me up.
It wasn't a fail; it was a beauty of a life lesson: stop showing off to the camera lens and just play your guitar, you doughnut! What's the most valuable lesson you can take from a mistake you've made playing the guitar to date?
#10. “Don't die with your music still inside you" - Unknown
I left this one to the end as, I think you'll agree, it needs no further explanation. You're reading this because you have found one of your callings - to express yourself through playing the guitar. Play like nobody is listening, as they say, and simply go for it.
