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Do you want to master this difficult technique?
Or learn this complex song? Or level-up any of your musical skills?
Why not start a challenge?
I already wrote an article about the importance of setting deadlines to improve your skills more efficiently.
But I want you to go to the next level by using challenges.
Watch the video:
What is a challenge?
A challenge is a specific goal with a series of deadline during a period of time.
Usually, the duration is 30 or 60 days.
It shouldn’t be too short, in two days you won’t make much progress. But it shouldn’t be too long as well. One year would be too much to stay focused and too distant to keep you motivated.
During this period of time, you will set short, very short deadlines. The optimal is to set daily deadlines, so you work on your goal every single day.
Thus, you will have a regular focused action on your goal and improve much faster.
What are the benefits to start a challenge?
Having set yourself a challenge will have many benefits for helping you grow as a musician.
Momentum
Since you will work every single day on your goal, you will build momentum. You will get used to work on it and it will become a routine.
Even after your challenge, you will certainly keep going and be more consistent than ever.
I would bet that you will like it and take another challenge!
Get out of your comfort zone
One of the best benefits is that a challenge will lead you to get out of your comfort zone.
Let’s take for example this song with difficult parts that you dream to be able to play. You keep postponing the day where you will really work on it. Because you know that you don’t have yet the technical level to play it.
By setting a challenge, you will force yourself to work on it and overcome your mental resistance. You won’t think anymore to what stops you to get started. No more excuses, you have to do it. Every day.
Let me share with you a personal example.
I am writing this article in the context of a 100 days challenge. In this challenge, I decided to write 1 blog post, record 1 podcast episode and shoot 1 YouTube video every day. Quite intense, right?
This is way out of my comfort zone. At the time of this post, I am not used to do video or podcasts. I was thinking about starting both, but it was more a distant goal than anything concrete. Taking on this challenge pushed me to do it.
Without it, I would still be waiting to be “perfect” in front of a camera to dare publishing anything on YouTube. But how would I make any progress if I don’t do it?
By the way, I took this decision thanks to my business mentor Paul Scrivens at Odd Noodle (#AffiliateLink)
You can check out his own 100 days challenge.
Achieve more
A direct benefit to start a challenge is that you achieve more in the end.
For example, if you set yourself a challenge of learning or creating a new song in 30 days, you will have a new song in your repertoire.
Imagine now that you do that for a whole year. You will end up with 12 new songs to your repertoire, cool right?
Take action and realize your dream
Finally, it is obvious but doing a challenge will push you to take action and start achieving your dreams. They won’t be dreams anymore actually, but a reality.
Conclusion
Challenges are the most powerful way to make progress and grow as a musician.
You will soon set yourself another one once you will have experienced how much it helps you.
I will organize challenges on this website at some point to help you become better musicians.
Keep tuned!
My question: have you set yourself a challenge? Share it in the comments and let’s start the discussion!
