Why I don’t talk about piano anymore

When I started this mailing list, it was for people who wanted to get better at playing the piano 🎹. (It wasn't even a cult back then.)

Since then, it has changed into something different. Something broader than that.

Lots of people have left, probably because they were expecting me to continue writing about piano forever 🙄.

But the thing is, I never wrote all that much back then. That's because forcing myself to stay on the topic of piano is weird and artificial. This has never been about piano for me.

I'm not saying piano has played no role. It has. But I'm only interested in teaching what I know, not pretending I've had some experiences I haven't had.

What I'm about are radical acceptance and mindfulness. (Great things. You should give them a try.)

You can't do them in a vacuum, though. You need to practice by applying them to skills.

Piano 🎹 is great for that. It played a huge role in how I learned about them.

But, there are other skills, too.

I'm not interested in teaching piano. Nor am I interested in teaching drawing ✏️ , communication 💬, marketing 🎤, calligraphy ✍️, or productivity 📊. I suck at all these things, anyway.

I'm not even really interested in teaching meditation 🧘‍♂️ .

Look at your life in terms of meta-skills, not skills. What you learn in one field transfers over into others.

You're not a blank slate.

Awareness. Flexibility. Equanimity. Mindfulness. Acceptance. Presence. Curiosity.

(If you want to hear me talk about piano, check out my $5 Piano Lesson.)