Positive Opposite

Have you heard of this? If I tell you “Don’t think about pink elephants!”, what is the first thing that pops into your head? Likewise if I tell you, “Don’t think about missing that note!”, you’re probably going to be thinking about missing the note. My job as a good and effective teacher is to use the positive opposite, so, “Think about hitting that note.” Or, even better, “Hit that note squarely in the center with a beautiful, strong sound.”

Many musicians struggle with perfectionism, myself included. Often it can be quite debilitating, stunting our growth and potential on our instrument. Instinct would be to say “Don’t be a perfectionist”, which would perpetuate the problem. But what is the positive opposite of “Don’t be a perfectionist”? Is it, “Be an IMperfectionist”? This might sound silly, but is it? Solving the condition of perfectionism means acknowledging that “perfect” IS NOT THE GOAL. The goal is musical, meaningful, moving, memorable… A lot of m-words, apparently. The positive opposite is focusing on what you want to do, rather than what you don’t want to do. You get it.