“Desire is the key to motivation, but it is determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal that will enable you to attain the success you seek.” ~Mario Andretti
I cut my fingernails two days ago.
Really cut them. As in short, short, short.
I’m still adjusting. This is a huge commitment on my part.
Let me explain.
My fingernails are nice: strong, long and well-shaped. For over three decades I have worn them with a French polish, i.e. white tips.
I do them myself. It’s a thing. Not a big thing, but a thing I enjoy and for which I have been known. People comment on my nails regularly. I enjoy that, too.
Ten years ago, I bought a guitar, determined to learn to play it. I mastered a few chords, managed to develop some callouses on my left-hand fingertips, but ultimately, the fact that I had to relinquish my pretty nails undermined my determination.
The nails won out. I put the guitar aside.
Turns out it was not the proper size guitar for me. Over the intervening years I tried others, wistfully. The desire to learn to play the guitar lingered.
This week, I bought a new one.
This week, I made a commitment to learn to play it well before I die.
And so, this week, I cut my lovely, long nails short. Because desire requires commitment in order to become action.
Committing to something new requires relinquishing something old.
And cutting my nails short, short, short is one serious act of commitment, let me tell you.
Perhaps now I’ll be able to master the B chord.
