I’ve been writing this blog for 18 years, a total of 994 posts. It’s one of the few things that I’ve ever stuck at.
It can be hard to stick at something for long periods. Let’s look at how commitment, motivation and persistence interact.
We all struggle with commitment from time to time, whether we’re singers or choir leaders. When something is hard, we can feel like giving up. If we’re not in the mood, we might not bother.
how to stick at something
The biggest thing to help you persist at something is to enjoy it. When things become difficult, it’s useful to remind yourself of why you started in the first place.
But there is a fine balance: sometimes you won’t begin to enjoy something (e.g. playing the piano, singing, playing tennis) until you get reasonably good at it.
In the early days, practice is important so it’s useful to develop a habit. A fixed time to practice something new can be helpful.
Waiting around until you feel motivated to do something (e.g. write a song, join a choir) doesn’t always work. Desire follows action. Start the new activity and then you will begin to enjoy it.
Committing to something for a period of time can help you through the down times and when things get hard. You could say to yourself that you’ll try it for three months, say. Joining a choir can help with commitment as you’re often asked to pay for a block of rehearsals in advance, and you also won’t want to let your fellow singers down.
And there are always deadlines — I find them very handy otherwise I sometimes wouldn’t bother! It’s also good to let other people know that you’re starting a new activity as it can motivate you to keep going when others are looking. See Need some motivation? Create a deadline and let everyone know!
how to know when to give something up
There may come a time when you feel like giving up. It’s important to be able to tell the difference between going through a difficult patch (when the work feels hard) and not enjoying something any longer.
Before you give up, you might want to give yourself a timescale: stick with it for another few weeks to see if you still feel the same.
Another option is to change things. If you’re a choir leader, you might become bored with the same old rehearsal routine. Rather than giving up, try to shake things up and try out new ideas. Maybe start an offshoot choir to fulfil some unmet needs.
If you’re a singer, you can try to change things too. Try singing a different part. Join a new choir. Start singing lessons.
But the time may come when you need to move onto other challenges. That might involve handing your choir over to someone else (see Is it time to hand your choir over to another leader?) or, as a singer, finding a new choir to join or starting a new hobby.
marking milestones and anniversaries
It’s good to reward yourself (and your singers) when you have stuck at something for a long time. Find a way to acknowledge milestones and anniversaries. It might be taking a private moment of reflection, or a bigger, more public celebration.
See Choir anniversaries – and how you might celebrate them.
other posts
You might find these older posts useful.
Why we avoid things that make us feel good
Re-booting your choir: shake things up for a new season
What motivates you to turn up to choir week after week?
When you don’t feel like singing, that’s the perfect time to do it – sing yourself happy!
If a song’s not working, when do you stop flogging the dead horse?
10 ideas to keep you going when you feel like giving
How to lead your choir when you’re just not in the mood
What to do when you run out of ideas
When you start singing for the first time, be prepared to fail. A lot.
Slow and steady wins the race – it takes time to become a singer or choir leader
Chris Rowbury
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