Afraid to Start New Empty Nest Hobby?

I really want to learn to play the piano but I feel so overwhelmed. I’m middle aged and I’ve always heard, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. I’ve wanted to play since I was a boy but life happened. I got my wife pregnant in high school and we married and I started working the family business.

Now that my 3 kids are off to college I feel like I finally have the time. My problem is just finding the courage to start something new. What would help me boost my confidence?

You’re finding yourself in a situation many parents encounter once their children go off to college. Those last years of high school, especially the senior year, are intensely time consuming for parents. If your children are involved in any outside activities that you plan to attend, your time is not your own.

Then, especially after the last child leaves, there is a hole in your life. Your home feels empty and vacant. It is a time of sadness but it can also be a time in which you can discover new things. You can now focus on the things you’ve always wanted to do, but set aside for your family, such as learning to play the piano.

We’ve all heard that saying, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”, but I call that saying poppy-cock! I give that saying a bullshit rating.

When we look at the celebrities in their 70’s and 80’s who regularly post of twitter, we know that there’s no age limit to the ability to learn. Heck, my mother who’s in her 80’s, has an iPad! It’s taken her a while to catch on, but I love her enthusiasm for learning something new!

I think we need to look to the saying, “where there’s a will, there’s a way”.

There is always a certain level of uncertainty when starting something new. It takes us out of our comfort zone. It can make us feel silly, or stupid, or inept, but those feelings just go with the territory. I guarantee you that you are feeling those things more inside yourself, than anyone is thinking that of you. In fact, like my mother and her iPad, others will admire you for learning to play the piano.

To boost your confidence try these things:
• Talk yourself up. Tell yourself you can do this.
• Get excited about getting to do something you’ve always wanted to do.
• Remember a time when you tried something new and succeeded.
• Just get started. Just do it.
• Face your fears head on.
• Build your confidence with small victories.
• Don’t let a lack of courage keep you from moving forward.
• Set small goals for learning piano.
• Reward yourself once you’ve met those goals.
• Practice humility in knowing that we can’t all be good at all things and that even the most accomplished concert pianist, once upon a time, was a newbie at learning how to play piano!

I want an invite to your first recital!

Embrace your Personal Power with Life Coaching~
• How will you talk yourself in to starting lessons?
• What have you learned through life about approaching new learning opportunities?
• What do you have to lose if you don’t give this a try?