Playing Past the Blisters

My son, Ryan, is learning how to play the guitar -- and I must admit, he's a faster learner than I was.

Only one in about 20 people who buy a guitar actually end up learning how to play it. Why? Because if you're going to learn to play the guitar, you have to play past the blisters!

Pushing bronze-wound strings with soft finger tips hurts! There's no way around it.

It takes commitment and determination to play through the blisters. That's why 95% of people start and quit. They play to the blisters and stop there.

"Ouch! This guitar playing is too hard for me!" The guitar goes to the closet, and the player moves on to another interest.

All it takes, however, is a couple of days playing with sore fingers, and then you start making beautiful music!

Life is a lot like guitar playing. Many times, people launch into something new-- a relationship, a job, a community, a faith journey. They begin with great enthusiasm -- and then comes the "blistering"!

"Oooch! That hurts! I think this is too hard for me!" Quickly, they back off -- shrinking into shells like turtles.

For some folks, life is just a series of blisters: one painful experience following another with interludes of hiding.

Do you want to thrive rather than merely survive?

Play past the blisters! Turn the pain into gain.