Guitar, the court, and the power of practice

When I first picked up a guitar, my fingers hurt and every chord buzzed. When I first stepped onto a tennis court, half my serves landed in the net. In both cases, I wanted to quit. I'm glad I didn't.

Slow is smooth, smooth is fast

On guitar, I learn a tricky chord change by playing it painfully slowly until it's clean, then speeding up. On the basketball court, it's the same with free throws: the same routine, the same motion, hundreds of times.

Small wins add up

Ten minutes of guitar a day doesn't feel like much, but after a month you can play a whole song. A few extra serves after practice don't feel like much either, until match day.

Talent gets you started. Practice keeps you going.

Balance keeps me sharp

Music and sport give my brain a break from studying, and I come back to my books more focused. They're not distractions from academics. They're part of what makes me good at them.