We Are Somewhere in the Middle

There will always be someone better than you at your instrument or voice, and there will always be someone worse than you.  You fall somewhere in the middle of the range.  Always. 

The reason this line of thinking feels so important to me is that it helps me stay grounded in reality and connected to the passion that made me start playing music in the first place.  If each of us can take an honest look at where we are, what we know and don’t know, then we can (collectively) get further away from the suffering created by ego-based thinking that keeps us locked in untruth. 

And, yes, there is always going to be that someone who is the absolute very best at something in the moment.  But, eventually another someone will come along to “break the record” and sail past it like a rocket into the night.  4 minute mile, anyone?

Ok, so back to my original tangent . . . and the reason I wanted to write this article.  Last year one of my students was struggling with executing a piece of music on piano.  Piano was not his primary instrument.  I asked him to play the song for me and within the first few bars it was obvious he just simply didn’t know how to play the piece.  I had just heard a host of reasons why he couldn’t play the piece, and as he struggled over the keyboard I wondered what would happen if he could simply admit that he didn’t know how to play it.  Could he approach playing piano with curiosity and wonder instead of a litany of reasons why he couldn’t do it?  The reality in that moment was that he didn’t know how to play the song.  That was the end of the story line.  He added the belief that he was a poor piano player, which was affecting his progress.  What if the story could become more truthful and in turn more hopeful?  What if, when we lack ability, our thoughts stopped at “I don’t know how to do this YET!”  I propose we would act more like children and dive right on in.  We might even enjoy learning, who knows?

And, yes, like this student there are things we simply cannot do yet.  But it won’t always be that way.  Telling ourselves we are the worst (or the best) at something will always lead us away from the truth.  The truth, once again, is that we are somewhere in the middle.  Always.  And if we can let go of our need to be at the top or bottom, we stand a chance to actually be present with what we are doing and enjoy ourselves while we play.  That joy will eventually lead us to our greatest ability. 

Now, all that said, there are many beliefs that keep us from our having an open, joyful heart when we sing or play.  Realizing we are all in the middle somewhere is just one helpful thought that I use to keep myself in check.  It does not replace the experience required to master a technique or instrument.  It does not excuse us to be lazy or mediocre.  It does not give us passion. Though, it does give us an opportunity to be more loving toward ourselves so that we can realize our true greatness, wherever that falls between the best and worst.

Peace,

Liz