
Robert Louis Stevenson on planting seeds for the future
But he just seemed that way. In truth, you don’t write classics like Treasure Island or Jekyll & Hyde without filling volumes with words that never see the light of day. Some days, things work. Other days they don’t.
Even the best of the best keep working. That’s why they’re the best. They focus more on the current challenge than on the “harvest”. They focus on the process, and let the results take care of themselves. Games are won one point at a time.
As guitarists, we have to do the same. Massage this chord. Finesse this melody. Try to relax through this tricky spot. It all happens in the moment. It’s always one note connecting to the next.
All we can do is show up and plant seeds. Every moment of attention and intention is a seed we plant. No matter if we’ve been playing for 30 years or 30 seconds. Our harvests are born of patient awareness and focus.
Of course we want to play the big piece. We want to ace the beautiful melody. We want the harvest. But all we can do is this: Put all that aside and focus first on one note, then another. Note by note, seed by seed.
“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”
Robert Louis Stevenson
Featured Courses
See more…