Reflecting Over the Year: Uncertainty, Enjoying the Small Things, and Moving to the UK!

In this episode we reflect on what this past year taught us. I share with you the biggest lessons that I learned this past year as I moved countries, started music school, and juggled a whole bunch of new challenges and adventures.

This episode is also available as a blog post! Click here to read.

Listen to my convo with Maestro Jacob Joyce here!

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*I never recommend anything that I don't love. This is an affiliate code which means that I receive a commission -- with no extra cost to you! 😊

Transcript

Intro

Speaker 1 0:00

I don't think I know anyone ever who has moved , and it hasn't been a little stressful at some point . Hello and welcome to the Confident Musicianing Podcast . My name is Eleanor and I am a British-American oboist studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Literally my dream school and it took me a long way to get there . I applied and auditioned for 12 schools in three different countries . It was a lot of hard work but , oh my gosh , so worth it . I want you to have the confidence to work hard in achieving your goals , so come with me as we go on this journey together . So sit down , pull up a chair , take a seat or , if you're on the go , welcome to the Confident Musicianing Podcast . Hello , hello , hello and welcome back to another episode of the Confident Musicianing Podcast . Thank you so much for being here . I count myself so lucky that you are here and that we are spending this time together and we can just have a little chat . To be honest , it is quite interesting when you start the year in one place and end it in another , literally Like this time . Last year , the podcast episodes were recorded in the United States and that's where I lived , and now we're in the UK and we're still doing the podcast , we're still recording episodes , we're still having this amazing community on the podcast , but the podcast moved . But the podcast didn't just move . I moved , moved , but the podcast didn't just move , I moved . And the reason why I moved was because I am now studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland . That was like the big thing that happened this year for me . I started studying oboe at music school and I think it's so cool . I think it is so cool and I think you know every year , I feel is going to be different and every year is focusing on different aspects of your life . You might have a year that's focused more on your career versus a year that's focused more on relationships , all of these different things . There are so many things that you can focus on and we go through phases and I think part of this year , like the big phase , was education and music school and the fact that I moved countries to start my music school journey . It's so exciting . So today we are having a chill chat about the past year . Basically , I think this episode is going to be about this past year and then the next episode , next week , is going to be about this upcoming year and kind of goals and thoughts about that and we can kind of have a little bit of a chat about that . But today we are going to be focusing on this year reflections , things like that .

Speaker 1 3:10

We're here , um , on my couch , on my couch and there is just it's a lovely environment . We had some sunlight earlier today , which doesn't happen in the uk and so I literally I was walking somewhere and I was kind of rushing not really rushing , but walking fast and it was quite windy and just a bit hectic , and all of a sudden the sun came out of the clouds and I just stood there and soaked it up , like I literally stopped on the sidewalk and just took a look and just felt the sun and it was so good . That doesn't happen much . So I am in a good , good podcast mood today . We are here , it's very cozy and we're just going to dive in . So I have three things that have kind of been lessons from this past year that I want to share with you , and I want to invite you to also have these reflections as well , if something piques your interest as I talk and we just have this chat , if something kind of I don't know like makes you think of oh , I forgot about that , or oh , maybe that's something to think about , just in your own reflecting of this past year . I hope that it can be helpful in that way as well . So let's dive in .

Speaker 1 4:42

The first

Feeling comfortable with uncertainty

Speaker 1 4:43

thing I want to talk about is uncertainty is necessary for amazing things . Oh my gosh , if there was a theme for this year , it would be uncertainty . I cannot tell you how many things were uncertain . So , as I said , in this past year , I moved from the US to the UK to study at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and yeah , no , so many things were uncertain . Yeah , no , so many things were uncertain . For instance , I have a flat , I needed to rent a flat and , oh my gosh , the housing market is tricky . It's so tricky . And I remember I had kind of an offer or like a potential thing that would work on one flat , but , to be honest , it was a little farther away from the school and I wasn't sure about it . And there were other flats I was thinking about and I was kind of talking about and it was quite unsure , and I remember just sitting there thinking , okay , if I just go with this one flat , it'll be quick , it'll be done , the stress will be over , I'll have somewhere at least . And I remember someone saying to me hold your nerve , hold your nerve . You can just wait a little longer to find that flat that will be the best fit for you . And I am so glad I did , because I love my little flat , my little flat where we record the episodes . I absolutely love it and I know that it is such a better fit than the one that I was thinking about getting , just so that I wouldn't be as stressed . So , yeah , also , auditioning for different music scholarships In the earlier part of this past year I did a lot of auditions for different funding opportunities for my education and that was a lot of uncertainty .

Speaker 1 6:48

I mean auditioning in general . There's a lot of uncertainty that goes around with that , and that was something that I really kind of struggled with . The uncertainty bit of it , and I think that as well , it's just so important to remember like the uncertain bit is so , so necessary for the fantastic , amazing things to happen after the uncertainty . Yes , so I think throughout my whole year uncertainty has happened , but when I sit with it and when I kind of keep it company almost and make friends with it and just get to know it , that's when the magic really happens In all different aspects , in auditioning , in finding a flat , in just all the different things big , small , just everything . It's so , so , so helpful . Like every time there was uncertainty , I feel like there was something that came out of that .

Speaker 1 7:50

So I challenge you , I invite you to , just in general , when you have things that are uncertain , sit with them and let them grow , be like why are we uncertain ? What ? Like just let it chill , let it be and be like okay , we're uncertain , that's normal , that's okay . I don't think I know anyone ever who has moved and it hasn't been a little stressful at some point . So , yeah , it's important to kind of think about that . So I invite you to think about uncertainty and if you are about to do something big whether it is moving across the world to start a university course or if it's something else I invite you to kind of sit in that uncertainty , because that is part of it and I think if everything was certain , then it wouldn't be as magical , it wouldn't be as exciting , I don't think . So that's something that is really important in my year , that just kind of sitting back writing this episode , I thought that's something that I want to put in , because uncertainty was a big part of it . All right , the

Struggles with stresses and enjoying the now

Speaker 1 9:02

second thing oh my gosh , I am reading this right now . I'm like I have my script in front of me and like my talking points and I read it and I'm like , yes , this is something I'm still struggling with , literally . This morning I woke it and I'm like , yes , this is something I'm still struggling with , literally . This morning I woke up and I like made my porridge , because I have porridge in the morning and this is something I was struggling with . So that is enjoying the now rather than being stressed about the future . So good , so much that I'm back here .

Speaker 1 9:34

So for the most of the year , I was working towards moving . Moving was like the big exciting thing , all of the aspects of it I worked on it , from finding a flat , from finding like funding , so like scholarships and you know just things like that , so many things . To like legal stuff oh my gosh , things like you know opening a British bank account and like getting , you know just just all of the things that you need to get and to do and just the , just the little , the little human things that you have to do . There's so much stuff and every day I would wake up early and I would work , and I would work , and I would work , and then the evening happened and I would hang out with friends , I would hang out with family . It would be good for that . But I know that there would come a point where I move and I wouldn't be with the people that I know in the states and that I would miss them . Um , and I do miss them , I miss them so much .

Speaker 1 10:45

But I at that point I stressed about that , like literally , if we were having a good time , there was a little voice in the back of my head being like in four months you will be across the world or in , you know , one month , or maybe in a week or tomorrow , you know , whatever it is . And that little voice just ruined the joy , you know . And so I just I kind of decided something . I was like I'm not gonna count the days . I really , really focused on hushing that voice a bit more because I wanted to have that joy and that voice was ruining that joy that I had . I knew I had this thing right where . I was like I know that if I stress and stress and stress , and then I get there and I move and then I miss these people . I'm going to regret that stress . I'm going to be like gosh . I wish I could have just been full of joy and in the moment when I had it , so I thought , well , I have it right now , so let's just do that . When I had it , so I thought , well , I have it right now , so let's just do that . And I'm so glad I did that , because I do miss them a lot . I miss them so much . But , um , I'm grateful that when I was there , I was in the moment and I really focused on not stressing about in six weeks you will not be here anymore . You know what I mean . So that's something that is really important . So I think this is something to kind of think about Enjoying the now .

Speaker 1 12:24

What is happening right now , literally , as you're listening to this episode ? What is happening right now , like , literally , as you're listening to this episode , what is happening right now ? Where are you ? Are you outside ? Are you inside ? Is it sunny , is it day , is it night ? Are you cooking something ? What can you smell ? All of these things , right , be part of the now . And , yes , that's something that I struggle with , like , literally , this morning I was struggling with it . I was eating my porridge and I was stressing because I have a few things that I was a bit nervous about doing today and I was like I'm excited for Tuesday because it's very random . I'm excited for Tuesday because there's some exciting things I'm doing on Tuesday . Um , also , for me it's New Year's Eve on Tuesday as I'm recording this , but I kept making myself go , well , it's not Tuesday yet .

Speaker 1 13:13

We're going to focus on today , and that's something that I think is really important as well . So I invite you to think what areas of your life can you be more in the moment about ? Where were you in the moment ? Or when were you in the moment in this past year , versus , maybe , when were you stressing about the year ? How could you kind of convert those stress thoughts into staying in the moment ? That is really , really , really important . So I invite you to kind of think about that , ponder about that , just let that simmer in your mind .

Romanticising the everyday

Speaker 1 13:49

And the last thing oh my gosh , romanticizing every day . Romanticizing every day , I think , especially when we're undertaking big things , when things are being , you know , when things have a lot of stress involved , romanticizing the every day is so , so , so helpful . So , for instance , like when I was telling you earlier in the episode about me , you know , walking somewhere and then the sunlight came out and I just felt so good in that moment . I also , on my way back from that walk , I ran into a woman who I loved her shoes and she had a very nice beret on . She was like a really nice style , and I just walked up to her and I was like I love your shoes , I love your beret , and we ended up having a really really , really lovely conversation . Like it was so cool , like she knows some people , some of the professors at the conservatoire that I go to . I had no idea about this . That was so cool . I just randomly ran into her and it ended up being such an amazing conversation that I just walked away from that feeling so full of just joy , so romanticizing the little things of the everyday , even if you are doing something that maybe you don't enjoy as much .

Speaker 1 15:13

I've done summer jobs and also non-summer jobs where I've done cleaning . So I cleaned a school . This is something I did this past summer and also the summer before summer and also the summer before . Um , I had a summer job where I cleaned a school and it was . It was like it was fine , it was great , and and I have so much respect for people who clean things , um , who clean things for a job , um , because I , I have experience in that and I know it's it's it's difficult , but it's it's . It should be respected more . I think , um , but that you know , if I think what's my , what's my dream , like part-time job , I don't think that is it , but that's the job that I had at that point , um , and I was like you , you know what . Okay , that's what I have and I am going to romanticize it , I'm going to have fun with it .

Speaker 1 16:12

I ended up listening because I could listen to things as I clean . I ended up listening to so many fun podcasts . I actually listened to some of the podcast episodes from this podcast , especially the one with Meister Jacob Joyce , which is really good , and I'll link it in the description or in the show notes . But I ended up listening to podcasts . I listened to French podcasts . I don't speak much French at all , but I wanted to kind of learn , so I did that and that was like such a way of romanticizing work days .

Speaker 1 16:44

So that's something that I did this summer that I think was really cool and I think you know it's romanticizing the tiny things , like . I challenge you to think about where can I romanticize the small things in my life , whether it's a cup of coffee in the morning or porridge or just all of these things . I think it's so helpful to do that , especially if you're stressed about something , to be like , yes , I'm stressed about something , but look , it's sunny . Or look , I get to listen to a podcast today while I do this , that and the other . Or I'm hanging out with a friend , or , oh my gosh , I ran into someone and it was a lovely conversation . So all of these things I really tried to romanticize every day , and some days were harder than other days , some days were harder than other days , but I think it can be so helpful . So I challenge you to kind of think about where can you romanticize your day ? Where can you do that ? Yeah , so you know what ?

Speaker 1 17:55

I didn't talk much about music in this and I think that that is okay because I think it applies to music as well . I mean , I mentioned auditions and things like that and kind of romanticizing things when you're stressed about stuff , and that can be auditions , but the thing is this

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Speaker 1 18:14

it does really apply to music . After all , my move from the US to the UK was because of Oboe , and I think this is a really great time to kind of talk about something that I'm very excited about . So if you want to fast track your practice growth in music , a really good way to do that is to plan your practice , and I don't know if you planned your practice at any point in this past year , or maybe you're thinking about it for 2025 . I think it's so helpful and I actually recently did it , like I started doing it a few months ago .

Speaker 1 18:57

I did it a little bit a few years ago , but a few months ago I got back into it because I got a notebook from Notable , which is a lovely , lovely , lovely notebook company . And I got a notebook from Notable and I was able to really track my practice , and it was so helpful for my first term at university , because things are busy , things are hectic , right , and so I was able to take those hectic things but also be able to add my practice into them , and that was really , really , really helpful with this notebook . So I thought you know what we need to . Well , I need to kind of tell you about this because it's been so helpful for me and I don't get keep . I don't get keep this because it's been so helpful for me and I don't get keep , I don't get keep .

Speaker 1 19:50

So notable is , yeah , they sell , they sell practice journals and it's just the best practice journals . Mine . I have a spiral bound journal . I write down all of my goals and then I write down or goals for the day , and then I write down my practice sessions and kind of what , what I do in the sessions , and then there's a reflection section and then at the end of the week there's a reflection section for the week . So you can kind of grow between weeks , like that's literally my my thing . I love that .

Speaker 1 20:19

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Speaker 1 21:20

Let's do a recap . Step one , or not ? Step one . Number one

Recap

Speaker 1 21:24

Uncertainty is necessary for amazing things . If you have uncertainty and you sit with it and let it kind of grow and be okay with it , then good things can come out of that . The second thing is Trying to find what is good about the now and knowing that the future will come and you don't need to stress about it . And the third thing is romanticizing every single day and , yes , some days will be easier and other days it'll be so much harder to do that , but I just challenge you to do that because it can be so helpful to just kind of changing the feeling of a day .

Final thoughts

Speaker 1 22:14

All right , that is about it for this episode . Thank you so much for hanging out with me .

Speaker 1 22:18

We have made it to the end of 2024 . This episode , actually , if I think about it , it's coming out on New Year's Eve . So yeah , we've made it . Yay , I cannot wait to hang out with you more in 2025 . We will like I cannot wait , I'm planning episodes . They're so exciting . The first one will be all about goals and kind of looking forward to 2025 . So that is what we're going to be doing and , in the meantime , I wish you a happy , happy , happy , happy new year . To be honest , I don't know what I'm doing for my new year . It's my first new year that in a while that I've been in the UK , so I don't know what to do . I'm still thinking about what I'm gonna do , but I wish you a happy new year and I will see you in 2025 . Yay , so exciting . Alright , take care , bye , bye .