Despite having all this sort of stuff I enjoy doing, I also do a lot of nothing.  And sometimes I get on the computer and just do nothing really.  Sometimes when I do that, I google my name, as I’m sure most people do at some point in their life.  Mostly, all the interesting stuff is the stuff Mom posts in her own Blog stuff.  The interesting thing I found this time was when was talking about when she was teaching us, me and my three older siblings, how to play the keyboard.  She talked about the different motivations each one of us had.  Also traits that appeared during our keyboarding lessons, still apply to us now, even though we’re all older.

Ben, my older brother and the oldest of my family, liked learning it for the challenge.  Even now, ten or so years latter I can perfectly believe that.  Ben still strives for things that challenge him.  He learned the songs quickly, and then he would move on to the next one.  He moves up and continues to challenge himself.  He now wants to become an engineer.  A career that involves using your brain and trying to solve new stuff in the most efficient way.  As for his music abilities now, he likes to sing, but he doesn’t listen to music very often.

Azure, my oldest sister, was apparently motivated by treats.  She had a harder time then Ben, but when she learned the song she would go ahead and put more expression and emotion into it.  She would memorize it.  Azure is now an artist, her medium being colored pencils.  She puts a lot of time and effort into it and comes out with the best result.  While she played the keyboard for treat, her ‘treat’ for her art could be the end result.  She enjoys that a lot more then keyboarding.  She likes to sing, though she says she’s not that good (I wouldn’t know, I’m a terrible judge of bad or good singing) and she enjoys listening to music.

Jasmine apparently played for accomplishment, but was very sensitive to criticism.   She used to cry a lot, but she has grown out of that, thankfully.  She still sensitive to criticism, but most of her criticism comes from herself.  She still strives to accomplish things, some she believes are quite out of her reach.  Now she plays the flute, though she hasn’t practiced much lately because she is no longer in high school and there for band.

Me, I hated being force to do it.  I only practiced when Mom made me.  What I did enjoy was just making up songs.  I liked the free creative ability playing the piano gave me, but I didn’t like to work.  This description still fits me practically perfectly.  I hate working, and often complain of the work is something that lasts for lots of days, like home work or chores.  I can handle it if it’s one day (Like service projects or something).  I still enjoy anything that gives me creative elbow room.  Drawing, making iMovies, writing, you name it.  I enjoy singing, and I play the violin.  Still, all these years latter, practicing is the hardest part of playing the violin.  Though I don’t only do it because Mom makes me now.  I enjoy playing the violin, but I don’t make up songs like I did with the keyboard.

Amazing how something as simple as playing the keyboard can show people’s motivations, weakness, and strengths.