Winners practice when they don't want to - Day 11 oh and it's Birthday month!

I have just figured it out. That was not the intro I wanted to put up because the intro I want to put up is not up here. It's only in my editing software that says, hey, all the guns we're playing with are empty, all that fun stuff. However, the reality of it is we're not showing you any guns today. Hi everyone, this is day 11 of the dry fire challenge, uh, getting me ready for New England Regionals, uh, later this month in August. We are in August currently. So questions to ask before starting your dry fire: 1, what else do I need to work on? So my little note to myself is to do a little bit better. Now, losers practice when they want to, winners practice when they don't want to. So tonight I am a winner because I really just want to sit on the couch, put my little head down on my husband's lap and have him pet my head and say, good girl. And so I could just fall asleep because it's late and it's been a long day of teaching and all sorts of fun stuff. So I did practice. I stood in front of a camera and practiced. You know what I didn't do? I did not push the record button. But I promise you, these things went in and out of— oh yeah, I already put the gun away— the gun multiple times. I did 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 30 reload practices. My goal, based on my latest classifier was 2.5 seconds because my reload at my most recent classifier was 3 seconds flat. My reload on my first classifier was 3.5 seconds. So at 2.5 seconds, par time, remember we've got the little handy dandy, whatever that is, application on here. I did 2.5 and a bunch of reps, and I was very sad because I'm going to show them to you until I went to hit the button to make the recording stop, only to find out that, well, I didn't hit the start button. So I may be a winner because I practiced. I, you know, we can talk about attention to detail. I might be missing that just a little bit, but the important thing is I got it done, and I know you guys believe me. I don't have to prove it, but it's not as much fun to show you a dry fire challenge, um, when I don't have anything to show you. However, let's talk about mindset real quick. Did I want to come down here and practice? No, I did not. Did I come down and practice anyway? Yes, yes I did. Why? So I don't have to give Mario $100. No, that's not really it, because I told you all that I was going to do this every day between now and when I go. Now here's the other real reason. Is I know if I actually practice on a daily basis, I don't have to do a ton, but I can hit that goal of being a little better today than I was yesterday. Is every day gonna be an improvement? No, not necessarily. Now, Mike White, who is out there in the audience currently live, he had left me a comment, encouragement, and I asked my husband how long, well, what are they, what did they, we always know who they are, right? What did they say about becoming an expert in something? And they say it takes you 10,000 hours. So every time I'm practicing, I'm getting— yeah, yes, I am dedicated. But the 10,000 hours, I'm getting a little there 5 minutes at a time. And I am dedicated because I told someone I was going to do it. When I'm left on my own and I don't have anyone coaching me, because whether you guys realize it or not, Jen drinking her coffee, watching the replay, Mike popping in also DJ, uh, everybody who like leave comments, likes this and all of that, you guys are actually all my coaches because I'm showing up because you're showing up and you're showing up because I'm showing up. So, you know, it's like that symbiotic relationship thing. So I just want to thank you for that. Oh, um, so DJ says I'm one of the few channels that I would trust you telling the truth about Sir, and you just unmuted yourself. So what do you have to say about that comment there?

Well, I was just going to, I was going to reinforce it, and also Mike's, you know, that you are dedicated to such things. And I'm, sometimes I wonder whether or not, oh, I forgot to do this, or oh, I did it and wish I had pressed the record button. Every once in a while with content creators, there is that question about, uh, is this for effect or is that real? And I think that everybody out there, uh, Mike and myself included, believe you when you say such things, kind of thing. You're reliable.

I'm just embarrassed that I did it not once but two nights in a row. The difference was is that last night I still had 25 more reps in me. Tonight, I'm not gonna lie, my elbow is bothering me from doing the reloads, so I, I stopped versus re-recording more. So good news is I got 30— 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 reps in of reloads, uh, hit most of them. Tomorrow I will work on it again, and I will make sure the little timer at the bottom of the thing is actually working. What is tomorrow? Tomorrow is Friday, uh, no date night, but I am working all day. And here's the thing, I just listened to a friend of mine, Billie Jean, who put up his story, and he's just talking about how the people around you will either lift you up or pull you down. And if anyone is pulling you down or saying, oh, don't worry, go put your head on your husband's lap, go ahead, relax on the couch, it'll be fine, It's not. You have to stay true to the things you tell yourself that you're gonna do. And I'm not gonna say having a cheering squad like you guys around me definitely helps without a doubt. And one, Mike White says things like put a sticky note on it that says start. This is true. So the hardest rep is number one. Because there's a million excuses that can stop you from that start. And so I am here to encourage you, whatever it is you want to get better at, you don't have to get better in a day. You can get a little bit better today than you were yesterday. And that is what I have for you guys today. Like I told DJ before we started, I just want to start. I just want to do something real. Let's see now. Now, because Mike White said start, now the word start is just stuck in my head. So, DJ, you know that rule about the 10,000 hours?

I do. And as a matter of fact, because Barbecue isn't here, I had to do some of the math myself. So a 40-hour week into those 10,000 hours is 250 of them. So 250 and you got 52 weeks in a year, right? We're not going to take any time off for vacations. That's 4.8 years worth of practice at something to reach that expert level. That's a lot. That's a lot.

Yep. But you get there a minute at a time. You get it one rep at a time. So DJ, how about for you? At what point did you feel like you were good enough when it came to playing guitar?

I still don't feel that way.

And so it usually knows there's yet another level no matter how good they are, right?

Always, always. I mean, to become like a casual in front of other people sort of, sort of player. 6, 8 months with almost daily practice. Yeah, about 4 times a week practice, take those days off in between to equal 3 instead. And I would have been confident at that point, though not actually put into practice, the practice that would have me say strumming along fire pit songs, campfire songs, that kind of thing.

Yeah. I can play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on a single string on a guitar. That's what I can do.

Then you are well on your way to being so accomplished that not only can you perform in front of others at a campfire, but that you may be taking a stage somewhere on the Eastern Seaboard soon. We'll stay tuned.

Probably not. All right, so with all of that, like I said, I don't have video to show you guys, but mindset, just get it done. Like Mike said, a sticky note. Oh, all right, the moo has arrived. So I play a mean air guitar as well, although I think I lip sync even better. And no one, when they're driving by me, can hear anything that I'm saying because the stereo is always way too loud. But hi, Moo, nice to see you, sir. All right, with that, we're so out of here. Um, I will see y'all tomorrow. I don't know if I'm gonna pop up a video, if it's gonna be live like this. This honestly is the easier, lazier way for me to do it versus all the editing I've been doing.. But if I have time, I will totally edit and throw something up. All right, good night everybody. DJ, got anything else before I hit the end broadcast button for the second time?

Yes, yes ma'am, I do. And that is that, uh, Miss Cheney here has a Patreon channel now. Uh, go ahead and I'll put the link out there. Uh, go ahead, consider, uh, consider subscribing, y'all. There's a lot of great work up to and including the thing that you're viewing today that could use, uh, supports. And beyond that, Brooke, everybody be safe, have fun, carry your guns, and rawr!

All right. And I will say, I've been thinking a lot about that Patreon thing, and I'm going to be talking a lot about mindset over there.