Motivating Yourself to Practice

by: @karldrumtech

We’ve all been there: You join marching band/Drumline and you are determined to be the best you can be.  You are inspired by all the awesome groups and Drummers you see and want to be as good as them or better.  You are tired of getting called out for your inability to play clean rolls so you are determined to fix them once and for all.  Then the reality of life hits you…

You wake up early in the morning everyday for school and rehearsals.  You get hit with a pile of homework and have tests for all of your classes coming up.  Your parents are putting pressure on you to keep your grades up.  You have Band related practices, rehearsals, sectionals and performances every single week.  When you are finally ready to bust out your Practice Pad…you’re tired, you’re stressed and you’re just not as motivated to practice anymore. 

But the thing is, you have to do it.  Your Drumline is counting on you.  You don’t want to constantly get reminded about your crappy roll quality. What happened to the inspiration that drew you to join Band/Drumline in the first place?  How do you expect to keep up with the best Drumlines and Drummers in the world?  You want to find the motivation to pick up your sticks…but how?  Listen, us older cats have been there.  We have dealt with the same issues that you did.  The most successful people in the world lead busy and stressful lives as well.  The thing is, we still need to find the drive and motivation necessary to practice.  So how do we do that?  

We need to find what is known as “higher motivation.”  Higher motivation is doing it, for the sake of doing it.  It’s finding joy in the act itself, without the Carrot of your goals, dreams and aspirations dangling in front of you as bait.  Of course, you can always use the Carrot of “lower motivation” whenever possible, but the highest form of motivation is what is going to get you to practice every single day without fail, because Drumming is just something you do, it’s a part of you, it’s who you are and you enjoy the act itself MORE than whatever other rewards you are seeking!  Need more of a breakdown of how this works?  Check out this video…

Do you often find yourself lacking motivation?  If so how often?  In those moments where you lacked motivation, what kind of mindsets did you use to push through and practice despite your lack of motivation?  I’d love to hear from you, so leave it in the comments below 🙂