Am I Overdoing it? Is Less Really More?
I have a friend, I’ll call her Nancy, Nancy is a piano teacher. She does so much for her students and their families. Sometimes, I feel like she puts me to shame.
Nancy hosts three recitals a year and has her students participate in student evaluations.
Her recitals are amazing, she rents a professional venue (at her own expense) accompanies students, arranges music for them, and gives them extra lesson time when needed. Of course, she provides snacks and gives each student a special gift.
She volunteers to be the treasurer for her local piano teacher group and accompanies her church choir for free, all of this on top of her own family obligations.
Did I mention that my friend Nancy is also slightly resentful and burned out?
Why wouldn’t she be? She does so much for her studio and her family. She’s tired. The things she does have become expected and taken for granted by most people.
To top it off she still has openings in her studio, she still has families wanting to skip lessons and not pay her. She hasn’t raised her rates in 6 years because she doesn’t want to lose students or upset families.
Sound familiar?
It sure does to me!
I used to be just like my friend Nancy.
But not so much anymore, I have become something of a minimalist when it comes to my studio and my life, and I must admit. It is serving me pretty well.
In the next post, I’ll tell you how I came to the conclusion that less really is more and what I am doing to bring my life into balance.
It all started when I watched this documentary on Netflix. It wasn’t about piano teaching but the idea of minimalism sparked something in me. The realization that my life had become so very ‘big’. I longed for the simplicity they talk about. So I started changing.
Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Comments & Discussion