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Food For Thought : Stop Comparing Yourself To Others

Alicia Willis

Moderator
Legend+
  • Nov 11, 2019
    1,382
    2
    5,151
    34
    Lexington, South Carolina
    5
    Hey Ya’ll

    I was having a conversation with a friend when I brought up the fact that many of us often compare ourselves to others, especially when it comes to our guitar playing and improvement.

    I mentioned how I get so frustrated with myself, but have to also remind myself that I AM a beginner and have been learning and playing for a minuscule amount of time compared to others.

    So often we look up to those who seem to be doing things we will never be able to achieve but the truth is, you just can’t do that in this current moment, in time you will !

    You all know I myself am a huge fan of acoustic music and basic chord progressions, I used to beat myself up over not being able to do a Barre F chord so much I literally thought, “If I can’t do that I can’t do anything”

    But that was so far from the truth. I CAN do that now.

    At one point I thought, I’ll never be able to alternate pick....but I did...

    At point in time I thought, I’ll never be able to play a solo.....but I did.....

    At one point I thought, I’ll never be able to do a pinch harmonic....but I did... (not consistently but that’s okay lol)

    Anyway, the point is, everyone is always making progress and advancements at their own pace.

    So while you are looking up to others thinking to yourself “why can’t I do that?”
    There is always someone looking at YOU with that same thought.

    We are all unique in your abilities and journeys, stop comparing yourself to others and just enjoy the process !

    ❤️
     

    Kat the metalhead

    Music Theory Bragger
  • Jan 20, 2020
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    1,064
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    Ontario Canada
    9
    so well said! this needed to be said for sure! when i first started playing i wanted to be like billie joe armstrong and syn, i surpassed the point of playing like billie joe and i was shocked i could play green day songs with ease but it took time. as for syn i wanted to learn crazy solos and shred just like him and when i found out i couldn't when i was younger i got so mad and just disappointed. i thought i was gonna be a rhythm player for the rest of my life but the thing i found out from the school is that rhythm guitar is very important and even needed for solos. so i figured i should be proud of my rhythm skills and questioned why do i even need to be like syn and shred like crazy when i could just be myself! i decided that im gonna be a main rhythm player and just do solos for fun and practice 🥰
     
    Synner Endless Summer Collection

    Dominik Gräber

    Hot Topic Tourer
    Contest Winner!
  • Nov 11, 2019
    2,787
    1
    5,990
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    Saarland
    www.instagram.com
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    Love this! Well Said Alicia.
    I've been thinking about that lately too.

    Thing is, it's often not a concious decision to compare yourself to Others. I mean, social Media, Internet, there are people everywhere you May Look Up to for their skills and May compare yourself too.

    You really need to be self aware and reflect on what you already achieved and how much better you are compared to your former self. So it's good to have a reminder to do so Like this thread! :)
     

    William B.

    Hot Topic Tourer
  • Nov 11, 2019
    2,157
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    I just wanted to play rhythm guitar like Zacky, I thought it was really cool how Syn helped him become a better player.
    I'm happy to be able to have matched my goal, just not in a band yet. I keep learning new stuff, it's really cool, I really like all the little small things that can be added or worked on every time I play. Just from wanting to learn the guitar I learned a lot of skills that I can apply to my everyday life and improve. I still lack discipline, never got frustrated. I expected the journey to be hard, but I didn't anticipate it would take so long to play in a band. Probably after 10 years of getting familiar with Rhythm, I started to get more into solo stuff. I don't think anyone on this site would take as long as me considering the community, lessons and teachers. I went bananas when I got word of this site, was apathetic for like 2 years. What got me out was 9 seasons of The Walking Dead and Kavinsky - Nightcall and Synthwave type music whenever I could bear to listen to anything. I was lagging so probably went off topic, I still feel like a beginner
     
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    Jak Angelescu

    Guest
    Hey Ya’ll

    I was having a conversation with a friend when I brought up the fact that many of us often compare ourselves to others, especially when it comes to our guitar playing and improvement.

    I mentioned how I get so frustrated with myself, but have to also remind myself that I AM a beginner and have been learning and playing for a minuscule amount of time compared to others.

    So often we look up to those who seem to be doing things we will never be able to achieve but the truth is, you just can’t do that in this current moment, in time you will !

    You all know I myself am a huge fan of acoustic music and basic chord progressions, I used to beat myself up over not being able to do a Barre F chord so much I literally thought, “If I can’t do that I can’t do anything”

    But that was so far from the truth. I CAN do that now.

    At one point I thought, I’ll never be able to alternate pick....but I did...

    At point in time I thought, I’ll never be able to play a solo.....but I did.....

    At one point I thought, I’ll never be able to do a pinch harmonic....but I did... (not consistently but that’s okay lol)

    Anyway, the point is, everyone is always making progress and advancements at their own pace.

    So while you are looking up to others thinking to yourself “why can’t I do that?”
    There is always someone looking at YOU with that same thought.

    We are all unique in your abilities and journeys, stop comparing yourself to others and just enjoy the process !

    ❤️
    My girl preaching the facts
     
    Synner Endless Summer Collection