started an hour early, got home an hour early

In two exploits of mine that i take fairly seriously, i've been trying to use them as a vehicle to become a more disciplined person in general. Those things are playing guitar, of course, and running, which is a fairly new thing for me, at least compared to my life with the guitar so far.

I like to think that "my mind is as clever as I am." It's all about your mind being tricky, and using every possible ruse it can conjure to get you to change what you are doing into something comfortable. If I'm playing a particularly difficult passage or struggling during a run, thoughts such as 'well, maybe i'll slow down, or play it a different, easier way that i'm comfortable with' and it takes strength to ignore that. I also realize this is one of the concepts behind meditation, which i've never tried or anything. But it seems like taking an almost meditative approach to practice and training just multiplies the effect of my practice and concentration. So i believe being disciplined in these things, which i love to do, will make me a stronger person in the ways thati really want to be stronger in.