You Won’t Always Be Motivated …
You Just Have To Be Disciplined !!!
In other words … Having the ability to DO what you should do,
WHEN you should do it,
whether you feel like it or not.
Sharing some motivation
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Sometimes you just gotta take a break. At this moment I have no motivation and have barely played my banjo in weeks. Nothing seems to inspire me at this time. However I know this wont last.
I play for fun, so “discipline” is not in my vocabulary. Every day I pick up my banjo and it’s fun. Struggling to make that chord shape is fun, until it isn’t. That’s when it’s time to move on to something fun, like slides!
I’m under no pressure to “get better.” Consequently, I don’t know that many songs. But everyone I do know is fun! And slower than the original. 
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Hey guys, glad to hear your input.
Look over your shoulder . . .
I’m right behind you sharing the same things.
Good to know I’m not an isolated case.
Thanks for sharing. 
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I agree. I also track my hours and as I approach 1,100 hours of practice over the last couple of years I can now see a huge difference. Yea, there were days I wasn’t “feeling it” but seat time is very important. I want to improve and I’m not a natural in the area of musical talent so I put in the time.
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Do you just put it down on pen and paper or have a fancier method. What’s your practice goal per week/day?
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Regarding “discipline.”
It’s one of those words that sets my teeth on edge because of the mental picture it conjures up. It’s me, trying to learn something new, while an Authority Figure stands over my shoulder, inflicting punishment for every time I don’t get the new thing right. By the time I do get it right, there is no enjoyment, no sense of accomplishment, no satisfaction of a job well done. The only thing that matters is the Authority Figure is not unhappy.
The problem with this mental picture is that proper discipline leads to freedom. I will never have the freedom to improvise solos on my banjo if I don’t know where the notes are.
Do you want to play music? Then go ahead & play music. When you have the desire, the discipline takes care of itself. Feed the desire.
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Thanks for sharing your perspectives.
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I keep a notebook. I set goals for 30 days, 6 months and one year. I check them off and add new ones as they are achieved. Sometimes I edit them if I think I need to focus on something different to advance. I journal each days practice time and summarize what I did that day. It helps when I want to review past practice against future goals.
For me, I also have a set practice time everyday. I may pick up my guitar other times during the day just for fun or if I want to work out a melody for a new song.
This works for me. All the best
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I disagree. I think it’s a virtue. But it’s fine if you don’t like the word.
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I agree discipline can be a virtue, if it is self-discipline.
If it is external discipline, I find it to be ineffective. When “discipline” is synonymous with “punishment” it makes the Discipliner feel good, but does little for the Disciplined.
But it does encourage them not to get caught, how to blame others or how to invent excuses. (“I would have practiced more, but my banjo strings are a little too tight.”)
IMHO, discipline is a personal virtue, like honesty. If you could punish (discipline) folks into being honest we wouldn’t have jails.
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As a former NCO military training instructor. I have been at both ends of the short straw. A soldier can have discipline imposed upon him/her without it being a punishment. Crazy as that might seem, being disciplined can and does encourage/bestow self-discipline in others. Whilst discipline can be used as a punishment that is not it’s sole purpose. Upon leaving the military I also served as a Prison Officer. Discipline can in some cases lead to reform, alas the prisoners I was charged with looking after ‘let’s just say’ there was little hope in reforming them. They were bad boys serving five years to life in a maximum security facility.
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My good neighbors are becoming very disciplined in knowing the approximate times I practice and avoid passing my house on the street. As such, they avoid any auditory punishment inflicted on them (and often their pets) while hearing me practice !!! 
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