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Difference between revisions of "Practice Everyday"
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== Day 172 == | |||
--- Eric version --- | |||
'''Frog in the Well''' | |||
After years, the frog in the well decided to explore the known world and oh lord was it surprised by the sheer amount of new and unexpected predators there were! | |||
That's how the tale went for me, someone who has practiced drumming for quite a while now. I love it with all my heart and will not stop trying to improve my skills as a drummer. But what does it matter without a frame of reference? And what better way to get a frame of reference than competitions? That's right, after approximately five years I have participated in my second drumming competition. Just my classic characteristics of being an absolute introvert and avoiding competitions at all costs until I feel like I am good enough to not get sent home immediately in the first round. | |||
The competition in question is Ludwig, an incredibly prestigious jazz drumming competition with a long, rich history. Some competitors even decided to fly all the way back to Beijing from a whole other country just to participate. Surely this will be a challenging experience. Therefore, like all smart people, I decided to recycle one of my previously practiced songs and spend about three hours preparing. What a great idea! After walking into the competition, I swiftly discovered my mistake. All other competitors are dishing out perfectly written fills and rhythmically genius patterns while I only have a boring funk song with no way of showcasing my technique. As mentioned in the previous diary, I am someone whose confidence will get pummeled into the ground even if one singular person of my skill level appears, let alone ten of them. As I waited for my turn, I was sweating and panicking, thinking about how I can do better on stage. Before I knew it, it was my turn. The set was completely unfamiliar and different from the one I practiced on, and the lighting was so dramatic I could see nothing beyond five meters. Beside me, another contestant was playing one hell of a song, and as the judges applauded at the end of her performance, her score appeared on the big screen: 91/100. This was devastating, as almost every other competitor have gotten a score greater than 90, meaning that if I performed badly it is very possible for me to get immediately eliminated. And under such immense pressure, it is only natural for me to play my song horribly. | |||
Oh how I panicked! I absolutely despised my decision to not spend any amount of time whatsoever on preparations, and it would seem as if everybody else was better than me. My mind floated around, thinking of all the possible outcomes of the competition and just how far below I could be. I could scarcely focus on eating dinner. My anxiety grew and grew as the days passed, until one fateful morning when the scores were revealed. And I just barely passed the 60% threshold and made it to the national round. | |||
And there you have it, the tale of a frog stuck in a well deciding to jump out and get instantly humiliated. Not only does this warn us to never underestimate our opponents and never arrive at a war underprepared, but also the fact that we should familiarize ourself with our competition first and foremost. But, perhaps the most important lesson, we need to do our absolute best. As long as we do that, success and failure does not really matter anymore - at least we can face ourselves with confidence. If we cannot do that... well, the above-mentioned scenario will happen. | |||
== Day 171 == | |||
--- Eric version --- | |||
'''Mentality''' | |||
Recently I have become somewhat of a tennis fanatic and have sunk hours and hours into competitions. However, as it was the first time, I simply continued to lose and lose and lose... until I won a match using something called "mentality". | |||
You see, I am quite an "overthinker" of things, and - even though this perk has lead to some success in academic fields - it leads to quite some trouble in competitions. First, it becomes quite difficult for my mind to focus solely on returning a shot. Sometimes it decides to think about a physics problem; other times muse about a philosophical issue, but simply refuses to think about the competition at hand. Second, I always consider the consequences if I lose this point. For example, when the score is tied 40-40, I think: ooh, if I lose this point my opponent wins, so I cannot lose this point! But the more I actively try to avoid losing, the more likely I am to lose. This leads to a negative feedback cycle of me not wanting to lose, not daring to give high-quality returns, therefore being more likely to lose, which lowers my confidence and makes me avoid losing even more. | |||
However, the mind is a double-edged sword, and if the disadvantages are so obvious, so are the advantages. Via participating in competition after competition, I have somewhat managed to care less about the result and just play the game. Through this slight change in mentality, I managed to win my first match against a weaker player. But even then, a win is still a win, and my confidence got a big boost. All of this summed up in a crazy match against the champion, where the score was tied 3-3 and a tiebreaker commenced. If I was my previous self, I would start considering the consequences and proceed to lose horribly. But this time, I disregarded all of it. The score became two meaningless numbers in my brain. The game became a practice round. The competition stopped mattering to me. I was just playing tennis because of my passion and enjoying the process until suddenly the match ended. I won 7-5, which basically translates to me winning by one singular point. Tiny, yet decisive. | |||
The power of mentality carries far beyond tennis. In every singular occasion - tests, public speaking, even asking for investment - everything will either be boosted or doomed by your mentality. If you have the required skill, all that stands between you and your glorious success is your mind. Be confident, and you will achieve. Waver and hesitate, and the opportunity slips out of your hands. If there's one thing I learned from all those defeats, it would be: never underestimate your own willpower. | |||
== Day 170 == | == Day 170 == | ||