Is Your Past Holding You Back?

I was recently reminded of how just a split second of dwelling on the past can totally throw you off track with what you're doing now and in the future. It was one of those small moments that resulted in a big A-HA. It isn't that I didn't know this already, but sometimes life needs to remind us.

In my past I spent around 11 years studying classical guitar and I have spent even more years playing acoustic guitar on and off. I've had periods of years where it was serious study and others where I would play only when the mood moved me. Lately I've fallen somewhere in the middle and find myself playing because I want to, but more regularly because it allows me to immerse myself in a mindset and activity totally removed from my business and doesn't require the cooperation of weather or time like my outdoor pursuits in nature do.

The other day I found myself playing a fairly difficult piece that I once played fluently. I don't know whether it was muscle memory from years of practicing or simply my new relaxed demeanor, but I was playing it well. At one point, though I made a big mistake that surprised me and rather than let it roll instantly off of me, my mind tried to go back to that measure of music and figure out where the error occurred while I was still playing the rest of the piece. Well that did it. You just can't keep moving powerfully forward if you are looking back and I thoroughly derailed myself. It was if I were Edward Scissorhands trying to play guitar. I felt like a train off the tracks and just had to stop.

I made a mistake which isn't a big deal. I've come to learn after years of stubborn resistance that it is just what happens to everyone whether novice or expert. The key is staying in the moment and not getting distracted by what has passed or worrying about what is to come. The difference with this approach is that if I make a mistake, I just notice it and keep on playing focusing on the current phrase of music. If I do that I can keep playing and usually make it through the piece with a musical and pleasing result. I stay in the flow instead of resisting. It is like being on a river; if you try and stop a raft in a rapid you will struggle and capsize. Instead if you continue to go with the flow or catch an eddy you can pause and progress in a much more enjoyable and successful way.

This is a great practice to take into all that we do. It doesn't mean we don't look at the past to learn. In fact, it is crucial. In my example above, once I finish the piece, going back to examine the offending phrase I flubbed and make adjustments for the future is the best way to learn and ultimately master a difficult section of music. It is not the main focus of my experience.

As I think about this I keep getting an image of someone running through the woods but looking behind them the whole time. How long do you think it'd take for them to run smack into a tree? Not long I suspect. That is what dwelling in the past while living in the present and creating an inspiring future looks like. Not pretty.

Where are you spending more time focusing on the past than the present in your life or business? In what cases do you instantly focus on what happened before rather than experiencing what is happening right now?


Copyright (c) 2009 Paula Gregorowicz