Then take the whole bottle 
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LMAO 
And no spoon to stir it with either!
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Thanks for posting this in its own thread. Iām sure everyone loved this video. I sure did. Iāve seen rock and roll hall of fame legends who forgot the lyrics of their own songs while performing. They just power through āthe suckā and so should all of us.
I dig the āembracing the suckā concept more than I liked this video. I had to cut it short. It felt preachy. Seems that he goes on with a bunch of other videos like this as well.
Musical tastes are highly subjective, as is what it means to be a good player. I would rather be a happy āstudent of the instrumentā, that is working to find his own voice, and is hopefully getting better at that aspect.
I still think this is a big factor for sure. I also originally dropped out before social media era (or at least at very early days of Fb) and reason was lack of basics and frustration of not getting anywhere. Only by not seeing other amateur guitarist (or āamateurā in some cases) I survived as long as I did, I am sure with social media I wouldnāt survive that long.
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Thanks for sharing, JK
I scrolled through all the replies before I actually watched the video. While I get the point, the video wasnāt inspiring to me. I did not get that warm fuzzy sense of connection and resonance with him. Sure donāt shoot the messenger but in this case I think in my own way I am already an advocate of the ideas. Iām a let and let live guy, so quite OK that I donāt connect and many others will, no right and wrong there. And maybe there is something in unspoken intent that I infer (bolded to be clear I own my inference) which puts me off.
A quick google turned up this: The Art of Sucking at Something - mDash of course engagement with the written word is different to a video presentation, but I felt more connection with this than the video. And books like Brainjo and Zen Guitar or more general works on the subject like Mindsets, Peak, etc do more to nurture my motivation and mindset.
So I shall continue to learn, play, and find great personal joy and satisfaction in living that part of my being that is most simply musician. Iāll fight the resistance (as per Steven Pressfieldās use of the word in The War of Art) that shows up in many forms and keep on keeping on.
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And thatās fair enough. I liked the video, of course there is the self promotion at the end but I find that par for the course with most YouTube.
I liked the article you linked. Familiarly, I have tried surfing a bit the last couple of years and suck. I catch some waves but mostly just wipe out. Itās fun, I love it and donāt do it enough. My wife actually said one of my personality traits is Iām ok to suck at something if I like it - ironically I grew up in a house where that wasnāt ok. Sucking is fun, as long as youāre having a good time.
(Edit: autocorrect wow)
Nitsuj is a genius idea. Is he still going?
Hi William,
Well Nitsuj is of course getting better and more and more like Justinā¦the next project will be Justin upside down and playing with his feet 
But no joke, itās pretty brilliantly thought out, but then doing it and all those many lessons long 
ā¦ 
ā¦ 
Greetings,Rogier
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Iām thinking that good is relativeā¦ if you think of people who are truly great at what they doā¦ the Michael Jordons, Wayne Gretskys, Tom Bradys, Alex Rodriguezes, Peles, Tiger Woodses etc., they still miss free throws, pass the puck to an opponent, throw interceptions, strike outā¦ā¦ I could keep on and on.
In many cases, they have an amazing talent but what they really Suck at is being a decent human being. Egos bigger than the fields they play on or in musicianās cases, the stadiums they play in.
Point being, no matter how great you are, youāre still human and therefore youāre going to make mistakes. Thatās life. Thatās also learning. Playing guitar is hardā¦ just keep playing and know that you will have good days and bad days. If you know this, you can struggle through the bad ones when you suck because a good day is coming! You will incrementally get betterā¦ even when it seems as though all you can play isā¦ wellā¦ excrement! 
High School Philosophy (1978 or soā¦ you remember being 18 years oldā¦ and knowing EVERYTHING!!!) 
Well some of those lessons still apply!
Tod
@jkahn, just got a ālikeā on my reply and noticed I somehow missed your follow-up.
I can so related to your surfing experience. As a high schooler/student I wanted to learn to surf, to be a surfer. I too sucked and actually standing up was a toin coss. But I do have one wonderful memory of making the take-off and riding a six foot plus wave at Point (not Supers), Jefferyās Bay that seemed to last forever. And there was nothing like a surf before the vac job started as the sun was coming up, especially when joined by dolphins. What bliss.
Oh yeah, Ialso watched the end of the Classic at Supers the year it happened after a huge storm and surf was up at twenty foot. That was simply insane.
Now I pretty much suck at guitar relatively speaking, and all is good!
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@DavidP Sounds like your surfing experience is far more than mine! I went last week, for some small waves on my foamie. It was the first time in around a year! I caught a few waves badly before I snapped the leash on my board. New one is on now but that ended the day early! Still love it.
Embracing sucking, as long as youāre enjoying something itās all good i reckon 
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@jkahn It was a fun 3-4 years, JK. Much like my experience of sport-climbing.
What is a āfoamieā?
And if I recall correctly, @nzmetal is the real deal when it comes to surfing 
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That got me thinking as well DP. Such thoughts open up new 
Just need some proper waves !
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Not sure about āreal dealā but I surf a lot (relatively speaking) and I love it! Equal passion with guitar I guess
Foamie surfboards are the (typically) cheaper surfboards you can buy that are nice & soft, safer for kids and beginner surfers. Generally longer, in the mini-mal/malibu length (7-12ft). Theyāre a lot better these days than they used to be (even some sold with pro endorsement) but typically something you would surf whilst at early stages. Heaps of fun though, so donāt take that as a dis on foamies
Surfing has a massive learning curve at the start, much greater than guitar IMO. The challenge is that you dealing with a very dynamic environment and unless you learn at a perfect wave (like Jefferyās or a wave pool), then to even get on the face of just one when learning, can take an entire surf. It would be like learning the guitar whilst being pushed around, splashed with (in my case cold! 
) water and having to hold your breath every few seconds whilst doing a push up! 
So donāt be hard on yourself for finding it difficult. The payoff is huge though, once you get past that early stage, it becomes a lot easier and so much fun! 
This is a memory I am in awe of! Such an amazing, iconic wave and to have had that experience is something to really cherish, David. Incredibly special 
Yes, that is one of the fantastic things about being in the ocean, dolphins and porpoises are magnificent animals 
You will likely have sealions and fur seals too? Theyāre also majestic. A privilege to share the water with
Iām no pro surfer so donāt have a camera person following me around, but hereās a couple shots from a trip we did to Indo (specifically Mentawai Islands) a couple of years back when they had a photog on the boat documenting the trip for us. The first is me bottom turning at a break called 4 Bobs (not sure who comes up with these names?! ) The next is tucking into a tube at a famous break called Riflesā¦ 
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I aspire to Clintās perspective. I strive to be happy with where I am with my guitar, making some progress, enjoying the moment, making it something that belongs to me, since I am not learning for anyone elseās sake or for some greater purpose.
One of my reasons to even play guitar was to be closer to the music. Listening is passive, playing/learning is active. I am closer to the music wherever I am in my journey, so that is a success right there! My biggest struggle is time.
As to surfing, living in the Denver area, there arenāt too many opportunities. I have tried it several time and I too have a (brief) memory of the first (of very few) times I actually caught a wave and felt that drop an my god what a feeling! I get why people surf a lot. One of the best feelings in the world and that was just the tiniest taste of it. I am not sure my shoulder should hold up to the paddling these days, but if I lived where there was surf I would be out there right now and I would own a carbon fiber guitar for sitting on the beach!
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@nzmetal I can only laugh, Jeff, but you did it youself by posting those pictures on a surfari. I guess if you compare yourself with Kelly Slater then maybe you can go with some self-deprecation. Seriously, those pictures are the stuff of my wildest dreams.
Agreed. Apart from the dynamic nature of the waves, the trickiness of positioning and timing, and the level of athleticism required there is the competition for each waves with all the other surfers out there. All that makes frequent repetition and deliberate practice super challenging.
@Jamolay For sure, Joshua, Iād say it is right up with my ultimate experiences.
I was lucky enough to have one opportunity to try snow-boarding when on a business trip. I figured after surfing it might be āeasierā to try that rather than skiing ā¦ I may have been wrong. It was late in the season in Chamonix and if I recall correctly the nursery slopes for beginners werenāt an option. Committing at the top of the slope was one of the most terrifying things Iāve done.
I made some progress on that day, enough to see the appeal. But while it was fun, it was not quite the same feeling as surfing. But if Iād lived in Denver as a youngster I imagine Iād have got into it and sucked at it. And in summer there is climbing. I think living in Boulder has a lot to commend it.
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Once you get the hang of it, snowboarding on a big powder day comes close to, but does not quite equal surfing IMO.
Learning, however, can hurt, especially when it is not a powder day and you are older.
It can also be more dangerous. I snowboarded for 10 years and switched to telemark after nearly dying in the steep trees, bombing it at Mach 10 through tight trees on a double black, I was suddenly about 8feet in the air, landed and went head first into a tree. Broke my back, wrecked my neck, and still had to pull my 38 hr shifts during medical residency. Fun times. I still have problems with my neck and left arm 20 years later. Part of the reason I play guitar in the classical position. Easier on the shoulder.
Surfing can have its risks, but there are trees on a slope and we seek them out. Breaking into reef or rocks is more often avoidable.
Like playing music, telemark skiing is more involved with the snow!
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Oh yes, the body ached that night from the repeated effort to going from prone in the snow to upright again. Oh and the ego takes a beating as kids who seem to young to be walking let alone skiing/snowboarding point and laugh as they whizz by or from the ski-lift.
Omigosh.
Maybe it is easier to take on what is beyond you on a slope or to get carried away. But being driven into a rocky bottom and held under by even a medium sized wave can be scary and painful.
Now that reminds me of the time I tried white-water canoeing in an inflatable canoe a day after heavy rain and flooding. Doing rapids without the canoe could have had a fatal conclusion.
Hmmm ā¦ periodically I do seem to do the odd thing which in hindsight was more dumb than brave.
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Hold my beerā¦
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