A couple of years ago, I thought I turned the bathroom faucet off.
I was in a hurry, as usual, so I quickly turned the knob and went on my way. Little did I know that the sink was plugged and there was a slight drip.
Drip…drip…drip.
I went back to watch the movie with Emily in our tiny, yet cozy apartment. Beautiful wife, warm fire, popcorn, engaging movie. The good life. But the Hallmark mood only lasted for a couple more hours.
Drip…drip…drip.
After the movie, I went to the bathroom again to find the sink overflowing and the water spilled out over on the floor, out into the hallway. There are better ways to end a night like this.
Get Comfortable With “Eventually”
Hard work is like a drip.
Drip…drip…drip…eventually something happens. Eventually you see your craft, your skill, your art taking new shape. You come into a new level of competency.
Eventually it will spill over.
But do you know what the key word in that statement is? Eventually.
- Drip…drip…drip…nobody may see what you’re doing.
- Drip…drip…drip…nobody may care.
- Drip…drip…drip…no crowds may applaud.
- Drip…drip…drip…you have no idea what you’re doing.
- Drip…drip…drip…is it time to give up?
What’s lacking is the artist who puts in the time to get good when no one is watching.
What’s lacking is the artist who is committed to continued, ever-expanding growth.
What’s lacking is the artist with a vision.
As my friend Jeff Goins says, “Work hard on your craft so that when people do pay attention, you’ll be ready.”
My friend, your hard work is preparing you for the moment when God says “NOW” – “NOW I will pour out my Spirit. NOW I will use you for my glory.”
Why Practice Should Stress You Out
But the truth about practice is that is feels like total crap most of the time. It reveals your weakness. It magnifies what you cannot do.
And if it doesn’t, that means you’re not practicing properly. Practice should stress, stretch, and strain the parts your craft that need the most work. It should propel you into unknown techniques. It should plunge you into stuff that you can’t do already.
I see this all the time as a music teacher. I assign exercises that are designed to stress, stretch, and strain (doesn’t that sound like fun?). But the purpose is to advance your craft…quicker.
Our natural tendency is to play what we know all the time – to rock what is comfortable so that we feel good about ourselves.
This calls for a change of perspective.
Teach Yourself To Love What Is Difficult
Sure, hard work isn’t much fun. Until, of course, you decide that it is. And you have the power to make that decision.
But it can be a lonely place. If you want to get good (which is a great desire), it requires commitment.
Following the crowds is easy. There is enough mediocre everywhere. What is lacking is the humble artist who works quietly behind the scenes mastering his craft.
If you’re not playing something that is hard on a regular basis, you’re not growing. Playing the same thing (you already know) over and over is a waste of time.
It’s about commitment to a vision greater than today, while not losing the power of what today can accomplish.
Choose to love staring into the abyss of “new”. Love standing over the canyon of “I don’t know”. Love doing the hard stuff, knowing it’s preparing you for greater things.
Do you have a vision? Are you feeling the call?
We all want to hear from you. Would you mind leaving a comment?
What hard work do you need to invest in? What is your next step after reading this post? Let us know! You can leave a comment by clicking here.
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David, once again you’ve hit the nail on the head! This is part of the uncomfirtable things we don’t like to hear but must listen to. God desires we live in an ever increasing glory and hard work is an ingredient to that. I am learning to get out of my comfort zone and do songs that stretch my vocal ranges. At the moment, I’m working on successive transposes in singing. I am charged, thanks David.
Thanks Gloria! Wow – successive transposing sounds intense. Are you a classically trained singer?
Right on David! I love the way you think. Every time I record a new song for my worship team I am vocally stretched and at the beginning of recording I get frustrated with myself because of my lack of knowing how to use vocal technique in some areas. But now I’ve learned in the recording process , I grow! And I learn to sing a different way that an easier song would not have forced me to. So now I look forward to the challenge and try to pass that onto others in my worship team. But if you never push yourself you won’t achieve. Thanks for your article~
So good, Lou. I’m reading a book called “The Art of Possibility” by Benjamin Zander – who is a professional, college-level music teacher. He teaches his students when they make a mistake they should throw their hands up in the air and say “Wow, that’s fascinating!” I love that perspective towards making mistakes and learning. It’s all a game and a journey into something new.
Wow, that’s a great perspective! I think I am going to read this article to my worship team David. I want them to “get it”. I would love to hear a thread about what to do with musicians/singers who do not push themselves or care about excellence. They are content to just get by. How we can make them “desire” it. I have a few lazy people I wish I could change. Blessings Brother~
Great post David! An especially good read to get me amped (again) on pursuing my passion! I’m a piano major at an incredible jazz school here in Toronto, Canada and this post mirrors how I feel about what I do. Thanks for shedding light. I’m going to continue to hone the skills God’s given me even when the going gets rough!
Bless you.
Kristen, that is so cool! What school are you at? Would love to hear about the culture of your school and what it’s like!
Well I feel under qualified on here, I am not a professional anything! I am on, what I call, my second half of ministry. I was a youth minister for 20 years and 2 years ago God thrust me into the world of worship. I picked up a guitar and haven’t looked back. He us faithful but I struggle daily with not feeling competent enough. We are just a small church, but I so bad want the worship I lead to be quality so it brings glory to Him. This is just what I needed to hear; that it will pay off is encouraging to me and something I guess we all know but need to be reminded of. And you say it so well. Thanks.
Tandy, if you think about it – even the best in the world had a moment in time where they “picked up their guitar” for the first time. Some, even much later in life. It’s never too late. You just have to start. Keep it up!
This is really good.Practice makes us better musicians but most of us are not committed to the art of practising.We just want to get to the spotlight but entering the spotlight without practice is a setup for defeat and disappointment.Thanks for the wise words!
Hi David. Thanks for the amazing work you are doing in growing us as worship leaders. I’ve recently discovered your podcasts on iTunes and this I’m really growing in the worship ministry. I’ve shared some with my team and they love them.
David,
Helpful post – hard work. Tonight I just felt myself ready to blow at music practice. Nothing and I do mean nothing was easy. We are a little church. We use mikes and stands. Our stage is tiny. A group before us rearranged the whole stage and every possible cord and didnèt put it back where they found things (keyboard, drums).There are 3 of us. One guy was moody. When the leader wanted to discus, the other guy wouldnt stop playing and listen, in fact he seemed completely oblivious.
This all just seemed so far away from Gods presence – I had to get out of there. My stomach was churning.
Is it just me or is etiquette important I used to teach piano, The student did not diddle on the keys when I spoke.
Maybe I am in the wrong place at the wrong time.
David, i’ve been reading your blogs for a little over a year now, and I just wanted to let you know how much you’ve been a support system for me. I can’t tell you how many times i’ve pressed God in a question or an issue thats going on and come to your blog and it be a way that God show me the first steps to take or encourage me to do what I knew to do at first but was just too afraid to take those steps at first. – Thanks for being a pusher / encourager.
– Do you happen to give lessons via video/online? lol