No learning is ever wasted
What does learning the piano have to do with writing? I can hear you asking this question as you open this blog post. The answer is a heck of a lot more than you’d think (or I thought until recently). But one thing I have come to realise is that few lessons are only useful in the context in which we first learn them. To put it another way: no learning is ever wasted. So it has proved with my new pastime of learning the piano, which has delighted and frustrated me in equal measure. A few admissions about me and music before we start:
- I am tone deaf.
- I was worse than hopeless at Music in school.
- I had no idea what any of the funny squiggles on a page of music meant until a few weeks ago.
Five writing lessons from learning the piano
1. Some days are just hard, but that’s fine

Some days practising the piano has felt like wading through incredibly thick treacle while
wearing iron boots. I have had to force myself to stay on the piano stool for my allotted practice time, even though the urge to run screaming from the piano has, at times, been overwhelming. However, the following day, when I have returned to the piano stool, I have found things suddenly click. I have experienced this time and again with writing as well. This has taught me that I need to put the hours in (whether practising piano or writing) regardless of how difficult it feels on that particular day. I will reap the benefit of that input at a later date. I just need to have faith in the process
2. You can only improve by doing
3. The ‘slog’ is easier to bear when it’s something creative
4. A change is as good as a rest
5. If it’s tough, don’t stop, just take it slower

Over to you
I have applied the lessons above to my writing, but, on reviewing them, I can see that they are applicable to most things in life. What useful life lessons have you learnt from unexpected sources? I would love it if you let me know by leaving a comment below. If you’ve enjoyed this post and found it useful, please do share it with your friends through Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc. (you’ll find shortcut buttons for doing so below).
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