The Mind Over Finger Podcast - 212 Goals Fading? 3 Secrets to Stay on Track and Win Big

Episode Date: January 24, 2025

In this episode, we tackle the common challenge of losing momentum with your goals. Whether it's the start of the year or halfway through a big project, staying on track can feel overwhelming. I share three key strategies to help you: Build confidence and trust in your ability to follow through. Develop small, impactful habits that keep you moving forward. Revisit the fundamentals to create a strong foundation for success. If you've ever felt like giving up on a goal or need a reset to regain your momentum, this episode is for you. Want personalized support to get started or refine your approach? Let's connect! Book a free call with me, and together we'll create a tailored plan to help you achieve your goals with clarity and confidence. Book your free consultation with Renée HERE Download the transcript from this episode HERE   Mind Over Finger Click www.mindoverfinger.com/coaching to book your free consultation with me. Visit MindOverFinger.com for my online courses as well as free resources on peak performance. Grab my free workshops and PDF downloads by going to www.mindoverfinger.com/resources. Connect: https://www.youtube.com/@MindOverFinger https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfinger https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/     THANK YOU: Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show's musical theme:  Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson.  

Do you ever feel like your big, bold goals start off strong, but before you know it, the momentum fades and you're left wondering if you'll ever see them through? Well, you're not alone. In today's episode, I'm sharing three simple but powerful tools to help you stay on track, keep your confidence high, and actually achieve the results you're dreaming about without the overwhelm. You're listening to the Mind Over Finger podcast, and this is episode 212. Welcome to the Mind Over Finger podcast, where we dive into the world of mindful music making,

peak performance, and crafting a purpose-driven life and career. I'm your host, violinist, certified performance and life coach for musicians, and your guide to unlocking your full potential, Dr. René-Paul Gaultier. Hi, everyone. Welcome back to the Mind Over Finger podcast for this first episode of 2025. I hope you're doing amazingly well, and I have a great show for you today. Today, I want to dive into a topic that I think is so important for setting the tone, not only for 2025, but for any project that you embark on. Maybe you're listening to this as it comes out and you're trying to get a strong start

of the year. Maybe you're listening much later and you're at the beginning of a big new project, or maybe you're halfway through working toward a goal already, but you feel like you're in the weeds and you're struggling to follow through. Well, whatever stage this episode catches you in, there's something for you in today's show. If you're like me, you have big, bold plans for this year. Maybe you've told yourself, this is the year, it's going to happen, I'm going to do it,

a new year, a new me, it's awesome. You started off with big lists and resolutions, you've got a beautifully crafted schedule, you're full of enthusiasm and energy. But by late January, most people have already slowed down or even given up entirely on these goals. I don't know if you knew this, but the second Friday of January is nicknamed Quitter's Day. That's the day where most people give up their New Year's resolution. And I think that this applies anytime we start a big project.

There's that honeymoon phase of about two weeks where the motivation is strong. We haven't messed anything up yet. We haven't faced real obstacles yet. But real life has a way of getting in the way of things. And days like Quitter's Day happen to anyone, anytime. Does that sound familiar? If you look back, have you set some big goals in the past and you've given up after a while? If that's you, be reassured you're in good company.

But why does this happen? Why does the motivation fade away? Why do we struggle so much with following through? Well, it's because we try to do too much all at once. First, we don't reflect on the mindset we want to bring into the mix. Then we pile everything on at the start and we neglect many important details. So, not surprisingly, it becomes overwhelming and impossible to sustain. And at the root of all of this is confidence.

the confidence that comes from knowing we're going to follow through with what we say we're going to do and we build that confidence with three amazing not so secret magical tools and today we're going to talk about how to ease into the year how to keep your momentum going how to build confidence and how to reach your goal by focusing on three things your mindset your habits and your fundamentals. First, let's understand why we lose momentum so quickly when we set those big bold goals. We make ambitious plans, often too ambitious. And then, for example, you might decide I'm going to completely overhaul my technique or my embouchure, or I'm going to own this massive rap list by March, or I'm going to learn and perform all of the Bach sonatas and partitas

over the next six weeks. And that's great. Ambition is wonderful. And all of these things are possible. They're possible when we approach accomplishing them the right way. But here's the truth. You can't shock yourself into a new life. You just can't. For example, imagine a violinist who's been practicing an hour and a half every day, but suddenly they decide they're going to do four hours every day. What do you think is going to happen? The first couple of days might feel fun. It's exciting. But by day three, they're exhausted, overwhelmed. Their schedule and their system cannot handle this new load. And they're going to feel it's impossible and they're going to reason their way into quitting. You cannot transplant yourself into

a completely new way of being overnight. But what you can do is transition into it. You can transform into the version of yourself that aligns with your dreams and goals. But this transformation takes time, it takes patience, and it takes persistence. The problem with starting too big and too fast is that it's not sustainable, right? You can see this. You create a rigid schedule that feels impossible to maintain and when you can't keep up you start to lose trust in yourself and that lack of self-trust that's the big confidence killer and the absence of confidence puts a break on all your plans now you can transform into a new version of yourself as i said a version that is aligned with the things you want and the dreams you have but it's not going to happen by forcing

or shocking yourself into change. It happens through patience, leaving room for experimentation and being determined to figure out the winning combination for you. The magic formula that's going to work for you over time. Now, the key to sustaining momentum, what is it? Well, one of these not-so-secret magical tools is your mindset. To make real progress, you need to start with the right mindset. As I've explained in details in episode 153, and make sure to check it out, our thoughts shape how we feel, our feelings generate our actions, and our actions create our results. So I want you to take a second right now, and I want you to close your eyes and think about the thoughts you're having

when you think about that goal that you're pursuing or that dream. What are you thinking when you think about that goal or that dream? What sentences go by in your brain? What are you telling yourself? And when you know what they are, take a few seconds to notice how they make you feel. how do these sentences that you believe make you feel how are these thoughts making you feel and when you know how you're feeling think about the things that you want to do or not do when you

feel this way what are these things that you feel compelled to do or you feel resistant to now can you begin to see the relationship between what you're thinking and the actions you might take or not take so if the thoughts you're telling yourself about that goal that you're pursuing are positive congratulations you have great chances of getting there but if they're negative it's going to be a different story let's say things don't go perfectly and your thoughts spiral into this is so hard. I don't have what it takes. This is never going to work. Well, guess what's going to happen? You're going to create those outcomes for yourself. It's going to feel hard. You're not going to have what it takes. It's not going to happen. But if that's you, you're not doomed. Don't worry.

You can change that. What if you change those thoughts? What if instead you cultivated momentum building thoughts. So I want you to try those on for size. Think about that goal or that project that you took on. How do you feel when you think I can figure it out? It might take some time but I can figure it out. I have what it takes. I've accomplished a lot in the past. I've overcome obstacles. I know how. And I can do this. So how do you feel when you tell yourself those things? I can solve problems. And my personal favorite and a favorite of many of my clients is it makes a difference. It makes a difference. Even if you didn't practice three hours, but you did one, it still makes a difference. It's one step in the right direction.

If you learn one measure instead of an entire page, that's still progress. It makes a difference. You didn't run three miles, but you walked one. That matters too. It makes a difference. You memorized one line. Well, that's one more step toward mastering the entire piece. It makes a difference.

Every small step forward counts. And when you believe that, you're going to keep moving forward and you're going to build confidence and momentum with each step. So imagine the results that are going to follow when you start to mindfully cultivate, nurture these thoughts. Now the negative thoughts, they're going to keep coming. They're going to pop in constantly and that's okay. That's normal and there's nothing wrong with you. It's just that you're used to telling yourself those things so they're going to keep coming because that's the thinking habits you have. That's the mindset you've been feeding. That's what you do. So what you do when it happens is

you observe the thought you just thought, that sentence that entered your brain, and you replace it with another sentence that feels equally true to you. For example, if you're trying to learn a passage and it just feels impossible, the thought that pops in your mind might be, it's too hard. I'm never going to learn this. Now, I'm guessing that if you're thinking that, you're going to feel discouraged. And when you feel discouraged, I don't know about you, but when I feel discouraged, I'm not really producing high results in the practice room. So when you're not producing high results in the practice room, you might even decide to just walk away. But if you notice those thoughts, those sentences, it's too hard. I'm never going to

learn this. You can examine them. You receive them, you accept them, and you examine them with patience, with love, and you see if another reality is possible and could feel just as true to you. For example, it's possible that it's hard, but I've learned hard passages before. It takes time and it takes effort, but I've done it. I can probably do it again. I can figure this out. This is a great challenge. It's teaching me so much. It's going to feel so great. I'm going to be so proud when I do learn it. I'm going to get methodical and learn this one note at a time. Do you see how differently you practice when you think that, when you bring these thoughts on the forefront? So minding your mindset is really going to help you build your confidence,

take action, and keep your motivation and momentum going when things get hard. That's power of your mindset. And this is something we talk about a lot in the Music Mastery Experience because it's the key to unlock everything that fuels change in your life. Our second not-so-secret magical tool is the power of habits. Let's talk about that. I love this quote from James Clear. He says, when choosing a new habit, people seem to ask themselves, what can I do on my best days? The trick is to ask, what can I stick to even on my worst days? Start small, master the art of showing up, scale up when you have time, energy, and interest. Amen, James.

Building habits isn't about grand gestures or perfect execution. It's about consistency. It's about showing up day after day, even when it's hard, even when you don't feel like it. And that's exactly what I want you to think about when you're approaching your goals. It's not about what you can do on the days when everything aligns perfectly. It's about what you can do on the days when you're tired, when you've got a packed schedule, or when life feels like chaos.

Habit building is something we explore deeply inside the Music Mastery experience as well because it's at the root of progress, of taking action, of moving forward. Why? Because every time you show up for yourself, even in a small way, you're proving to yourself

that you can be consistent and reliable. That builds self-trust, which is the foundation of confidence. and when you take just one step forward even if it feels small you're keeping the momentum alive it's not about massive leaps it's about keeping the ball rolling so that progress doesn't stall over time these small actions on your hardest days add up to big results small habits they don't seem like they matter much in the moment five minutes of intonation work or running through a single shift, that might feel insignificant. But over time, it's really

going to compound into massive progress. Remember my favorite thought. It makes a difference. Think of a musician who spends just 10 minutes a day on slow scales. That doesn't sound like much, but over the course of a month, that's over five hours of deeply focused work on their tone and intonation. Imagine the difference in their playing compared to someone who rushes through scales or skips them completely. It makes a difference. So the beauty of small habits is that they're sustainable. They fit into your life no matter how busy you are, and they create a sense of accomplishment that will build momentum. So how do you build these habits that are going You want to start small. Choose something that's manageable. It's so manageable you can't fail.

So for instance, if you want to improve your posture while practicing, well start by dedicating two minutes at the beginning of each session to check in with your alignment. It's not about changing everything at once. It's about mastering the art of showing up. Another trick is to anchor it into something you already do. So link your habit into an existing part of your routine. For example, if you want to incorporate slow practice, you could do it right after warming up. That way it becomes a natural extension of what you already do. And set up your environment for success. Make it as easy as possible to follow through. My other favorite book on habit building is Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin.

I highly, highly recommend it. And one of my favorite quotes from this book that I tell my clients all the time is, make it easy to do right and hard to go wrong. If you want to practice a tough passage first thing in the morning, have your music open there and pick a warmup that's gonna set you up for it

for this passage. Eliminate as many barriers as you can and make it easy to do right and hard to go wrong. An important step that many people skip because they don't understand the importance of celebration is to celebrate the wins. Every time you follow through on your habit, take a moment to acknowledge it and say, I did it.

I'll write it down in a journal. These celebrations are going to reinforce the habit and keep you motivating. And then finally, adjust as needed. Habits are not set in stone. They're flexible because you are a human. So if something isn't working, tweak it. Maybe you realize that practicing in the morning isn't realistic for your schedule.

So shift, try something else. The key is to make your habits work for you, not the other way around. Let me give you some more examples of small impactful habits. You could spend five minutes on slow scales to improve tone and intonation. You could end each practice session with two minutes of visualization to mentally lock in your progress. You could start every session with a posture check to ensure that your body is aligned and relaxed. you could find you could spend five minutes in every session or during a break at work practicing a passage that's giving you a hard time or you could take one mindful breath between every piece

or passage to reset your focus so all of these they seem small but as i've said they build the foundation for everything else you do and when you can rely on your habits even on your busiest or most challenging days, that's when real transformation happens. And that's the beauty, right? These habits, they help you stay consistent, which keeps you moving forward even when life feels overwhelming. But habits are only part of the equation. To truly succeed, you also need to make sure you're not skipping the fundamentals. That's the foundation of our craft, tending to the fundamentals is a tenet of the music master experience we talk about that a lot in our coaching sessions and this is our third tool to fuel your momentum and reach your goals

let's talk about fundamentals sometimes in our excitement to tackle big goals we let go of the very things that support us do you relate to this maybe you've been so focused on preparing for an audition that you've let slow practice slip. Or perhaps you've been rushing through scales and arpeggios to save time, only to find yourself struggling with intonation throughout your practice session. So skipping over these basics might feel like a shortcut in the moment, but it's going to lead to frustration and extra work down the road. You're going to have to practice the same passage over and over again. Maybe your tone will be inconsistent. Maybe your intonation will be inconsistent. Maybe you're going to be hesitating in the performance. You're going to

have to do the work at some point. So establish some strong fundamentals. So let me ask you this, what basics have you been neglecting lately? Things like slow practice, intonation work, long tones, posture checks, and things like hydration, rest, and mental preparation. for example let's say you've been rushing through your double stop exercises because you're eager to jump into the repertoire that's understandable it might not feel as exciting as playing through your pieces but when you take the time to practice your fundamentals you're not just improving your technique you're also building confidence in your intonation and your sound and you're developing the muscle memory that will carry over into your pieces. Or consider posture. It's easy to overlook

because it seems simple, but when you check in with your alignment at the beginning of every session, when you set yourself up for greater ease and efficiency in your playing, that yields massive results. A musician with proper posture is less likely to experience tension and that freedom is going to translate into a richer, more resonant sound, right? That's easy to see. The fundamentals aren't just technical. They're also about taking care of yourself. Are you getting enough sleep? Are you staying hydrated? Are you taking enough breaks during your practice, to reset your mind and your body. These are the building blocks of sustainable progress. So let's quickly recap the three elements we've covered today. First, mindset is everything.

The way you talk to yourself is going to shape your confidence. It shapes your actions. It's going to shape your results. So replacing negative self-defeating thoughts with positive momentum building ones like I can figure it out or everything I do makes a difference can completely change the way you show up for your goals. Second, small consistent habits are the foundation of transformation. Start small, celebrate your progress and adjust as needed. That's going to allow you to build sustainable momentum. And remember, it's not what about you can do on your best days. It's about what you can stick to on your worst. Finally, don't neglect the basics. Slow practice, intonation, posture, and important things like hydration, getting enough rest.

All of that lays the groundwork for everything else that you do. And when you revisit and reinforce these fundamentals, you set yourself up for success in the long term. So these three elements, mindset, habits, and fundamentals, they work together to help you build confidence, maintain momentum, and achieve your goals without burnout or overwhelm. Let me share a story that shows how mindset, habits, and fundamentals work together to create real results. I recently worked with a client who said yes to a fantastic performance opportunity. The catch was she felt like there wasn't enough time to prepare the way she normally would. She was overwhelmed. She was doubting whether she could pull it off. And she was worried

about how this was going to fit into her already busy life. So we started by aligning her mindset with her goals. Instead of spiraling into thoughts like, I don't have enough time, or I'm never going be ready. She worked on cultivating empowering thoughts like, I can figure this out. And every small step I take makes a difference. This, that shift in her mindset, is what allowed her to approach the challenge with much more clarity and real determination. Next, we focused on building small, consistent habits that would fit into her schedule. We used the eyes and hour matrix I talked about in episode 211, we identified tasks that could be delegated, postponed, or completely eliminated to free up time and mental space. Then we created a realistic practice plan that included

not just playing time, but also mental preparation, visualization, intention setting, even micro rests during her sessions. Finally, we made sure that she did not neglect the fundamentals. There was a tight timeline, but we made sure that she had time for things like slow practice, posture checks, and strong focus to make sure that her preparation was grounded in quality work. But just as important was to make time for the fundamentals in her personal life, rest, hydration, taking moments to reset so she wouldn't burn out, time spent with her spouse, time spent with her children, all of this comes together. And yes, it took effort and she had to

push herself a little outside of her comfort zone, but she didn't need to shock her system or sacrifice her well-being. When the performance arrived, she was prepared, confident, and focused. And it went so well that even she was surprised by how much she accomplished in such a short time. and that could happen to you as well so if you're struggling to keep your new year's resolution or if you've given up on it completely i want you to know it's not too late if you've tossed your plans in the bin well grab that paper ball out of the basket and give it another go it can be so easy to get started again gently and slowly and there's no need for drastic changes or grand gestures. Just start small and let these three tools guide you as you ease your way back on track.

So this week, I challenge you to take action on all three tools that we talked about today. The mindset, the habits, and the fundamentals. So here's what you can do. Start with your mindset. Take a moment before each practice session to check in with your thoughts. Are they helping you or are they holding you back? If you notice negative thoughts, find alternatives that are empowering, like I can figure it out or everything I do makes a difference. And pay attention to how this shift in thinking changes the way you feel about your work. next choose one small habit to build maybe it's spending five minutes on scales ending your practice with recording yourself or adding a quick posture check to your warm-up and remember

it's not about perfection it's about showing up consistently finally revisit the basics pick one foundational skill you've been neglecting and make it part of your practice this week whether it's slow practice buzzing drills or vibrato exercises give your fundamentals the attention they deserve and notice the difference they make and take these small intentional steps this week and i guarantee you you're gonna feel the momentum building all right thank you so much for spending this time with me today i'm wishing you much success and great music making one step at a time. And there you have it. Thank you so much for spending this time with me today. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you'd share with your friends and colleagues.

Take a screenshot, post it on social media and tag me. I'm mind over finger everywhere. I always love hearing your favorite takeaways. And if you're ready to take your playing career to the next level, I'd love to invite you to join the Music Mastery Experience. This is my signature group coaching program where we're going to dive deep into building your confidence and mastery and set you up for success and fulfillment in your life and career. You can find all the details at mindoverfinger.com. While you're there, check out the free downloads and online courses available to support your journey even further. And don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter so you never miss an update or a tool to help you thrive. Again, thank you for being here.

Until next time, much love and à bientôt! Thank you.