31 Aug I wrote this in 2012, and look at me now!

Back in 2012, I was just getting into the bluegrass jamming scene. At that time, I wrote this blog about how, as a singer, I had always wanted to play the guitar, but let minor obstacles like the pain in my fingertips get in the way of getting started.

I ended up playing the ukulele instead, which was a reasonable entry to accompanying myself and playing with others. For the past 10 years I’ve been a “ukulele evangelist,” teaching many people how to play and even creating a course for beginners.

The ukulele is a wonderful instrument (The Beatle’s George Harrison was a big fan), but I did not fulfill my desire to learn how to play the guitar until last year.

I sometimes marvel when I’m playing it just how long it took me to actually get started. As it turns out (and as I noted in the blog), the pain in my fingertips was only the surface reason as to why I didn’t play it.

The real reason was my fear. I let my lack of confidence about acquiring this new skill hold me back from something I wholeheartedly desired.

Well, look at me now!

Last week I attended a bluegrass music camp, and one of the events was “bluegrass karaoke,” where we played with the professional instructors. The moment was captured on video, which you can watch here.

Fear is such an insidious inhibitor. Sometimes we don’t even realize that it’s fear that’s holding us back, because we’re distracted by circumstantial reasons like painful fingertips.

In business, I have countless examples from my clients who were hesitant to start their business or work on a new initiative. In every case, once they got their idea in motion, they created results that were a stepping stone to success.

Music has always been a tremendous joy in my life, and I’m sometimes a bit sad that I didn’t get started playing the guitar much earlier in life. What will you regret later if you never get started on it?

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