lagunabeachindy . com DECEMBER 30 , 2022 17
GUEST OPINION : FINDING MEANING
The Life Span of Resolutions
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By Skip Hellewell
The attention span of children is short ; experts say the average four-year-old can focus about ten minutes . The good thing is this improves with age , about two minutes a year . By the time they ’ re finishing high school , most are good for the fifty-minute class . You may have noticed an exception to this rule — kids at the beach . Their classroom attention span may be short , but most children want to stay longer when the parents are ready to leave the beach . School should be more like the beach .
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A grammar school Christmas concert got me thinking about attention span . Music was taught twice a week , and you either chose an instrument or , by default , sang in the choir . There were two instrument groups : instruments you blow into ( woodwind or brass ) or the harder string instruments ( violin or cello ). The kids barely had a semester of instruction , so the practice time needed to reach grade school competence was on display . The choir did great ; the wind instruments did okay , and the string instruments needed more practice . This makes sense as the violin is more challenging to learn than , for example , the trombone , and singing comes naturally once you learn the words .
This brought to mind Malcolm Gladwell ’ s book “ Outliers , The Story of Success ,” which popularized the “ 10,000-hour rule .” Gladwell ’ s point was that while factors like innate ability vary , mastering a complex skill requires a great deal of deliberate practice , around 10,000 hours . You can see the problem here — how does a child with a limited , though growing , attention span accumulates the needed hours without losing interest ?
We have a family tradition of a
Christmas piano recital where the grandchildren perform . The youngest play simple tunes , the older kids more complex songs . They stand to introduce their music and then , when done , take a bow as the family applauds . One year a young grandson who hadn ’ t taken lessons had that “ left out ” look , so he was invited to play . He went to the piano and began to play , his small hands moving up and down the keyboard , making all the motions his cousins had done . When he was done , he took a bow to our energetic applause . He looked as good as the others , copying the motions he had seen , but his “ playing ” was just random notes . Our applause might have been a mistake , for his mother later asked if he would like to take lessons . “ No ,” he said , “ I already know ; I got the biggest applause at the family recital .”
This brings us to an important factor in learning an instrument that stood out in our family recital : mom . Grandkids whose mothers had a deep love for music played the best . Family values make a difference , and mom typically ensures the hours of practice are done . I ’ ve been thinking about practice and the mastery of complex arts because
we ’ re in the time of another life skill — New Year ’ s resolutions .
For those who do them , resolutions reflect a most admirable human trait — the innate desire for self-improvement . Resolutions are like those children learning instruments in grammar school . Though all improve their musical knowledge , only a few master their instrument . Likewise , with New Year ’ s resolutions , most of which are forgotten by February , with only a few completed by December .
Here are three suggestions to improve your completion percentage : First , let your values rather than your guilt be your inspiration , as guilt is a poor motivator . Second , express resolutions in measurable terms . If you can ’ t measure your goal , it ’ s just a good intention . Third , share your resolutions with people whose respect you value . The more people , the better , but as with learning an instrument , it helps if a mom is supporting you . There ’ s meaning in that .
Skip fell in love with Laguna on a ‘ 50s surfing trip . He ’ s a student of Laguna history and the author of “ Loving Laguna : A Local ’ s Guide to Laguna Beach .” Email : skip @ lovinglaguna . com .
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