#276: The Real Secret to Making Progress

What most of us want from our daily harp practice is to be able to see progress. We want to know we are moving forward, improving, becoming more skilled and more musical, more like the harpist we want to be someday.

What most of us discover as we work to create progress is that progress shows up in its own time and in its own way. It’s a natural process, but that doesn’t stop it from being incredibly frustrating at times. What’s even more discouraging is that doubling down on our efforts often doesn’t make any difference, other than to make our fingers sore.

What most harpists never discover is how they are the biggest obstacle to their own progress. Even worse, the more dedicated you are, the more likely you are to fall into some of the practice traps that actually hinder your progress. I know it sounds counterintuitive and, frankly, unfair, but the harder you try to stick to the tried-and-true habits that got you to where you are today, the slower your progress will be. 

In this podcast episode, which is a rebroadcast of episode 174, which was originally released in September of 2024, I identify five habits that you may have, and if you do, how they are likely keeping you stuck. Understand this: if you have any of these habits, or even all of them, it indicates that you are one of the dedicated ones. You’re following the guidelines that your teachers set out for you, and that has been a big factor in getting you this far. What I’m telling you in this episode is that you need to release those habits and replace them with ones that are appropriate for your current stage of learning. It’s the old saying, “what got you here won’t get you there.”

So you’ll learn about five of the most common good habits that are keeping you spinning your wheels, what to start doing instead, and at the end, I’ll come back with you to share one more powerful progress-generating habit.

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: 

• Is Chrysalis for you? Find out and register today.
• Speed up your progress by becoming a My Harp Mastery member. 
• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at [email protected]

Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts you will have access to their transcripts of each episode?