Why does it really matter.....?

As musicians, we often wonder if our audience really likes our playing. If we're playing in a band situation, the comparison levels just go up.

Did those people like my solo?......Uh-oh, the drummer is looking at me like I did something wrong......What does that person over there think of my song?......Gulp. I think I just made myself the worst player out of everyone in the music contest. 

And of course, questions like these only cause us to worry. And if you think that you're going to fail, it likely won't happen because of the way you're thinking.

This applies to other things, too. If we don't stop trying to get people to like us and trying to look better than someone else, then we're not going to succeed.

And, the truth is: You're not going to be better than Gershwin in one year. Or Duke Ellington. Or any of these other famous people you hear about. Because they put years of effort - often much of their lives - into the skill that we know them for today. In fact, I once read that it takes 10,000 hours of work to master something.

If you practiced, on average, between 1 and 2 hours per day, then that would come out to 15 to 25 years of work. One year isn't going to change much except allow you to develop an interest, learn the basics, and possibly choose to continue doing this. When you stack years upon years, that's when you start to see improvement.

So, if it takes an average 20 years to master something, then you can't compare yourself who, let's say, has been playing music for 2 years, to a professional musician who has been playing for 20 years.

In conclusion, it doesn't matter what other people think - or the differences between us. Everyone has different talents and is at a different stage in anything they may be working on. So just be happy with where you are right now. Keep learning - and keep listening.