“Do more by thinking less.”

This little phrase is changing my life. Every year, after Christmas, there is no shortage of advice on New Year’s resolutions. They come in the form of articles, blog posts, e-newsletters, YouTube and TikTok videos. There are even posts about why making New Year's resolutions are a bad idea that are full of content regarding how to set goals and/or how to develop new long lasting habits.

When I first found out that I had an autoimmune disease, my mantra was ‘Just keep swimming’. I was trying to figure out how to live each day in excruciating pain and with a level of fatigue so bad it felt like I had run a marathon everyday. 

Then the pandemic started and my Dory-inspired mantra took new meaning. We all did our best to keep sane by enjoying all the little things we could do.

Now, with the SARS2 pandemic in full swing and denial at unbelievable levels, I’ve had to make a shift in my thinking. This isn’t going to end soon and not until something really dramatic happens. There’s nothing I can do about it. I have to focus on myself; keeping me and my family safe. This is hard and not just because my background in microbiology has put me at odds with the current public health direction (or rather, lack thereof!) Watching people move on without you is painful. Ableism hurts!

Amidst all the New Year’s advice, I found a gem on Nick Mainella’s YouTube channel. On the surface, it seemed like the video was going to be another one of those typical New Year’s kind of posts but his first point hit me like a ton of bricks. 

How much time do I waste thinking about “the perfect practice” versus how much I actually practice? 

How much money do I waste on classes and books looking for “the perfect method”? 

“Do more by thinking less.”

Living in a situation where isolation is necessary, performance becomes a luxury if not a dream. It’s a difficult situation and I hate it so much. So, why make myself even crazier worrying about “perfect” when I’m not in a position to work towards a performance?

Nick’s YouTube video wasn’t the only one I found with similar advice. In fact, I think people are slowly waking up and looking at options and new ways of practicing their passions. 

I feel lucky to have found a lot of useful advice this January and while catching up on my emails, another great piece of advice jumped out at me.  

“Have fun!”

This seems so obvious but it’s an easy one to forget in our goal-oriented, hustle culture but at the end of the day, if you’re not enjoying what you’re doing, you’re doing it wrong. That doesn’t mean it needs to be easy. Far from it! But if you’re not enjoying your journey, you’re on the wrong path. So why not just have fun with it? 

Everytime I pick up an instrument and play something, it’s going to make me just a little bit better than yesterday. Even if it’s not “the right method”, I’ll still get something out of just playing anything. That may not be what the pros do and every music professor would have a heart attack at that statement but it’s true. A little bit of something is better than nothing and definitely better than ruminating about what’s “right”.

And that’s what I take with me into 2024: a renewed sense of joy and playfulness with my music and even in my photography. No more worrying about “the right way.” I’m just going to play my  music and take my photos and just enjoy myself.