This one actually comes to me from my buddy Jeremy, who in the internet marketing space is known as “Shoemoney.” He’s not a guitar player (at least as far as I know), but over the weekend he imparted some wisdom that he uses in business that is just as easily applied to music.
Let’s face it – Americans are all about instant gratification. Unfortunately, when building up your guitar chops (or starting a business), instant gratification doesn’t work. Have you ever had one of those nights where you practice and practice and practice and are left with sore forearms and raw fingers? Or as Shoemoney said to me, “if you want to lose weight and go to the gym for 20 hours on your first day, you’re not going to lose any weight and you won’t be able to move for a month.”
Make sure you structure practices in such a way that you can do it 5-7 times per week. Practicing for ten hours twice a month isn’t going to help you nearly as much as practicing for 30 minutes, 5 days a week. Repetition over time is the key to learning and achieving – this applies to guitar, martial arts, animal training, and businesses.
In addition to the physiological benefits of repetition over time, setting aside that time every day puts you in a much more disciplined mind set and makes practice more a part of your life.
My good buddy Steve has put this to himself in the form of a rehearsal challenge. He’s committed to practice 3 hours, 20 minutes a day, every day, for the next 4 months. This guy is probably one of the best keys players in Chicago and he’s still benefitting from consistency. (I am too, since he’s throwing a party once he hits his goal. 
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How have you applied consistency to your life to achieve a goal?
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Joe Lilly is an internet marketer and guitar player based in Las Vegas, NV.