NEIL COWMEADOW - THE EXPERT GUITAR TEACHER IN TELFORD. GUITAR TEACHER AND AUTHOR. GUITAR LESSONS THAT WORK! DEDICATED TO TEACHING SINCE 1999 - ACCELERATED LEARNING TECHNIQUES: LEARN FASTER, PLAY BETTER, AND UNDERSTAND...

The Thursday Thesis  - 26/10/2017

“Filthy weather” she said, shaking her umbrella and wiping her feet with a barely-subdued stamp.
I think that was the moment when I knew she didn’t get it.

You see, some folks get it, and some folks don’t get it: she didn’t get it, not by a long way.

So it was raining and windy outside – so what!

Inside it is warm and cosy and – well – safe.

Screw safe, baby – let’s get out in the rain and make a splash. Let’s put on our wellies and stomp two-footed in the puddles – we’re not made of sugar, darling, so let’s get wet!

Any wonder I’m single?

Thought not.

But I do love rain, wind, snow, fog, sunshine and clouds: what’s not to like?

At least if I can feel, see and hear the weather, and taste the sea-spray in the wind I know I’m still alive.

But it’s really all about attitude – as someone once said “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing”. Now, if your attitude is like clothing, there’s no such thing as bad weather, is there?

Unless you’re a teenager (permanent hoodie variety) it’s no big deal to change clothes to suit the weather; we do it all the time. Similarly, a flexible attitude can let you enjoy whatever life (the weather of life, if you like) throws at you. Gale force winds can buffet you, snow might enswirl you, and rain can micturate upon you, but within your appropriate attire all is well.

It’s raining again, so pull on the cagoule of optimism, the galoshes of good cheer and go for a stomp in the very finest puddle you can find.

Stay flexible, remember that you can’t change the weather, only your clothes.

Splosh... Splosh...
 
© Neil Cowmeadow 2017
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The Thursday Thesis  - 19/10/2017

“You make it look effortless...” my new student said.

“If you knew how easy this is, you’d never be impressed by anything I ever did”, I declared.

That’s my stock answer to the “you make it look effortless...” moment; then I add “I don’t make it look effortless, I simply show you how easy it is”.

If I had a pound for every time I’ve heard that phrase...

But the guitar – especially the electric guitar – does not demand high levels of physical effort;
rather, it thrives upon a light, deft touch and minimal force.

And here’s the truth about playing the guitar, and almost any other musical instrument: it is effortless when done right.

Life’s like that, too...


© Neil Cowmeadow 2017
Like and Share The Thursday Thesis with your friends, family, and your cat. I’d love to hear your comments, along with any ideas you’d care to hurl at me.
[email protected]

The Thursday Thesis  - 12/10/2017

There are three types of people:

The first type of people are those who drive the bus – the action-takers and leaders. These folks decide to take control of their lives, grab the steering wheel and get that bus pointed in the direction it has to go. Then they show up every day and make sure that the bus is sticking to the designated route. After all, buses don’t just go for a random drive once in a while – they have a route and a timetable.

The second type of person is the passengers on the bus – the followers. These folks ride along with the people who are driving, paying the bus-fare and admiring the scenery, content to go wherever they are taken by the people who are driving and deciding on the destination.

And the third type of people is under the bus – the great majority of folks who never have a plan, have zero direction, and are flopped on the sofa eating junk food whilst vegging-out on brain-numbing TV and the manufactured hyper-reality of “celebrity culture”.

Psychology tells us that one of the secrets of happiness is a sense of control, a feeling of being able to direct our own lives. The more autonomy and control we have, the better we tend to feel.

Consumer society spoon-feeds us the happy-meal solutions to our manufactured needs, then instantly implants the next need to be pursued: all with instant gratification and almost no effort or thought.

That’s why the people who are in pursuit of their magnificent dreams and ambitions tend to be the happiest – they are driving their bus. Whilst others look on and marvel at how hard they drive, how diligently they turn the steering-wheel and how long their working hours are, the bus-drivers of destiny ring the bell and drop the clutch.

Do something, today, to take the wheel of your own bus: make a plan, read a book, turn off the media claptrap and figure out where you want your bus to go. If the bus you are on is not already heading in that direction, you’d better start thinking about changing buses or having a word with the driver about changing routes.

And if you realise that you are under the bus, then today might just be the beginning of a different life.

You choose, one way or another: even if you do nothing, that’s still a choice.

Ding-Ding!

The Thursday Thesis  - 5/10/2017

I love a good Goal, and - as far as I am concerned – the bigger the better.

If it’s a goal you can hang a number on, make it a big number; if it’s a Goal with a date or deadline, make it a real deadline with real consequences. I like the idea of pledging a slug of cash to an organisation you dislike – the only way they don’t get your money is if you beat the deadline you set for yourself.

But there are two big problems with having a big Goal.

Firstly the big Goal itself. It’s an outcome, a snapshot of the future, distant, remote, and not actionable today. You can’t build a business or write a book, craft a fit body or build a relationship with your life partner in a day.

All too often, nothing happens today...

The second problem with that Big Goal is its pervasiveness and its hugeness. Certainly, clever people keep their Big Goals in their minds by regularly reminding themselves of what the Goal is and how it looks, feels and sound. But it’s a Big Goal, and it can too easily terrify and overwhelm you, instead of inspire you: I see this all the time with students and coaching clients.

So here’s the solution to being overwhelmed by your own Big Goals: just do something, every day, which moves you in the direction of your goals.

Simple, isn’t it?

That means paying attention to the activities – the PROCESS that produces PROGRESS – every single day.

Instead of rocking back on your heels and staring awestruck at your Big Goal, take one tiny step forward towards it.

In my book Elephant Sandwiches I shared the simplest, daily tick-box system that I invented to get my own chronic procrastinator arse into gear. The basic idea is that your Big Goals are your Elephants, and that Elephants are indigestible if eaten whole. But slice them up very thin and eat a slice every day, and they are delicious.

So the Elephant Sandwich is the breakfast of champions.

Get into the Process that produces Progress, every day.

Do something. Write 500 words, walk for 10 minutes, make the time.

Do Something, today, that brings your future toward you. If it’s a thin enough  slice, you can eat it, and tomorrow you’ll be hungry for another.

Get started and do something.

Today.