A few nights ago, I was live in our guitar community when a member shared something that’s stuck with me since:

"I think after this month is up, I’m kind of done. I don’t know if this is the place for me. Everyone is so dedicated here and friendly, but I’m quite literally always in a rut. Always needing help. Just feeling like maybe this isn’t achievable."

Then came the part that really struck me:

"Guitar used to help with my stress and anxiety. Now it just feels... distressing."

I know that feeling. I’ve almost quit guitar myself, more than once.

And I want to tell you something plainly:

If you’re on the edge of quitting, if your hobby feels heavy instead of healing, it doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. It means you care.

The opposite of love isn’t hate. It’s indifference.

You’re struggling because this matters to you.

This message from my community member wasn’t just about guitar. It was about life. The weight of family obligations. The guilt of taking time for yourself. The feeling that maybe you’re a burden for needing help.

And when life gets hard, there are two common responses:

1. Double down on self-care

2. Cut it out entirely

Most people choose the second. They stop doing the one thing that gave them joy, hoping it will make room for everything else. But what really happens is that everything else gets harder, not easier.

If you drop your guitar now, yes, you'll gain 15 minutes. But what are you really going to solve in that time? Will that sliver of space fix everything? Or will you just lose the one place you could breathe?

You need that 15 minutes. Not for progress. For peace.

I always tell my community members: don't measure your guitar journey by progress. Measure it by presence.

Did you show up for your 15 minutes today?

Then you won.

Even if you were confused. Even if your fingers stumbled. Even if you didn’t make an inch of progress.

You picked up your instrument. You cared. You stayed with it.

That is success.

We live in an age obsessed with efficiency. But art doesn't work that way. Music doesn't move in straight lines. And growth, real growth, is always messy.

There will be moments of confusion, frustration, and weeks that feel like walking blindfolded in the dark.

But every time you pick up your guitar, you are lighting a small candle in that darkness.

It adds up. I promise.

So please, if you’re thinking about quitting: don’t.

Give yourself 15 minutes a day. Make it sacred. Put it right after lunch, or right after you shower—anchor it to something you already do.

And once it becomes part of your day, something amazing happens.

You stop asking, “Am I getting better?” You start saying, “I showed up.”

And in time, that showing up becomes the very thing that brings the joy back.

Our Guitar learning community

Warmly,

Andre Fludd
Lifelong Guitarist