I’ve been thinking about sharing the concepts in this article for a long time now. Specifically, I think of it every time I practice the piano. And this has been hours and hours at a time for the past 5 to 6 months.

You see, I bought a piano about 6 months ago because I would like my kids to learn when they are older. They are only 2 years old and 4 months old respectively now so they’ve got some time to go before they start. But I wanted them to be exposed to the instrument so I decided to take it up too.

I started teaching myself some pieces that I really like from Michael Nyman. I thought to myself “well, if it took me a whole year to learn, I will be happy with it”. I really liked the songs I was learning so it was a labor of love. Turned out that it doesn’t take that long to learn. This is the first song I chose to learn:

More importantly, all the while when I was taking up this instrument, I kept getting flashes and flashes of how similar the learning process was to my life experiences.

Here are some of my revelations:

1. You Need to Have a Clear Idea of Your Goal

This is so true. I would not be able to learn any of the pieces as fast as I did without first hearing the complete piece. I watched many YouTube videos of other people playing the pieces and it helped me to “hear” the music in my mind before I could play it myself.

In life, you need to find people who have the life you want and then learn their biography so you can achieve faster results too. And don’t just look at their net worth. Look at their entire life. Are they happy? Are they healthy? Are they living the life you want?

2. Break It Down Into Manageable Chunks!

Here’s what I do, I get the score for a piece that I want to learn. Because I can’t read notes, I transcribe the alphabet of the note with a pencil for each note. Then I play one section exclusively until I memorize it at the correct speed. I do this for the right hand first, then for the left. Then I take notes of which finger goes where for the most efficient execution and I write a number for that finger.This method allows me to learn a complete song within a month by practicing 2 hours a day. I can then play it fluently after 3 months of practice.

Similarly in life, when you’ve set your goals, first put it in writing. Then break it down into “attackable” chunks. And take action towards it daily. If the goal is really worth it, you will feel amazing satisfaction (and motivation) every time you finish a “chunk”!

3. Mistakes Galore Mean You Are On the Right Track!

I think it would be right to say if you never make any mistake at all, it means you will never hit your goal. Nobody is so perfect that they will be a master without making any mistake. I once heard a quote that says, “An expert is someone who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field”.  There is much truth in that.

In life, when we hit an obstacle or setback, we tend to recoil and give up. So the trick is to program you mind to know that mistakes means you are on the right track. Frustrations mean we are on track to get it right. And confusion means we are about to have a break through. This is true as long as you NEVER GIVE UP, learn from your mistakes and keep taking action.

4. Repetition is the Key to Success

In Malcolm Gladwell’s book, “Outliers” he showed that success was less to do with talent than practice. He found that the most established musicians are the ones with the most practice at what they do. He estimates that 10,000 hours of practice is the minimum time required to be “great” at something. And so with my piano practice, I play about 1 hour a day. Sometimes, I miss it. But sometimes, when the kids are asleep, I get my headphones on and can play for 3 to 5 hours straight!

In life, if you want to succeed, you need to master the basics of success. What are they? Make it a habit to set goals, take action, learn from your mistakes and to master your field of expertise.

5. Without Passion, All is Lost

Having said all of the above, the final lesson is that anything of value or worth requires passion. If you are not passionate about what you do, the process will be utterly unbearable! If you are passionate about your goal, the entire journey is pure bliss.

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Tags: michael nyman, piano, success formula, success principles