Lessons Learned

A few things I've learned from piano lessons that have to do with life...

1. Have patience with the faults of others.
How many times in Church have I been a little critical of the imperfect playing of someone else? I couldn't even play the piano at that point, so that was really unfair of me. Now that I'm able to play (and will probably one day in Church), I have a little more patience with an imperfect player, since I know that I am and always will be.

2. Keep on developing talents even though others are better.
We are commanded to develop our talents, even if we won't be the best at that particular skill. I think that's tough to remember in a competitive world sometimes, where only the best can get the world's recognition. We also have a commandment to be perfect, but we shouldn't give up on that either, just because somebody else is closer to that goal when we are.

3. Practice makes perfect.
...but only if it's perfect practice. We learn to walk before we run. Starting off slowly, but without mistakes, will guarantee that we still "play" perfectly once we are up to speed. In the beginning, it's a big struggle to get all the notes just right, but when they are, they become natural over time.

4. Learning the big picture
We learn valuable principles in music theory that help us understand the big picture. The Gospel is the same way. The only way to truly understand the principles is to act and apply them.