When I was in school, I was a serious piano student.
It was the morning before a recital, and I had practiced every day for six months. I really wanted to play well that day because, six months earlier, I had messed up in front of an auditorium full of people.
That morning, I was as well prepared as I had ever been for anything. Still, I wanted to give it one more try, just to make sure. And now, in the practice room, I seemed to lose it again.
To my horror, I could simply not direct my hands to do what I wanted them to do. I couldn’t play.
And the harder I tried, the more wooden my hands seemed to become. This was becoming a disaster!
Then, I did the only thing that I could do: I let it go.
I told myself, “Steve, you’ve truly practiced as well as you possibly can. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen.”
At the recital later that day, I played effortlessly and near flawlessly, with an easy smile that matched the way I felt.
I learned that day, and on other days like it, that great performance takes two things: determination—making it happen in practice—and relaxation—letting it happen in a game!
You MAKE IT HAPPEN by practicing to the point where you don’t have to think about it anymore. Then you LET IT HAPPEN by letting go—by allowing your non-conscious brain do its job!
