Resources

Les Dawson’s ‘bad’ piano worked because he was a good musician first—structure enabled play. Likewise, Ali needed to understand the basics - self-task-audience - well to be able to not only entertain, but meet many of the challenges which came his way.

This page works the same way: start with more guidance than you’ll need later.

Fluency brings improvisation—logging discoveries, building an archive, and figuring out your next steps.

Structure and guidance are especially valuable at the start. It takes time to talk, write, and benefit from a freer, improvisational approach.

Improvisation lets you find new ideas you wouldn’t otherwise stumble upon. By logging these discoveries and maintaining an archive, you’ll track progress and identify new challenges.

The journey starts with solid structure. That’s how the ride makes sense; it’s your path to breaking the shackles, developing proficiency, and making the process your own.

Positive self-talk can lift mood and momentum, but it’s sometimes easy to dismiss when it feels unearned.

An observing stance lowers your defences, allowing you to see negative spirals without fusing with them.

Metacognition—thinking about your thinking—helps you understand your patterns.

Your thinking and observing selves work together, and both are present in freestyle and structured approaches. It’s just a matter of degree.

It’s easy to say, ‘think positively,’ but real and lasting improvement comes with replacing negative loops with something engaging. The mind operates at a higher level when challenged and absorbed—so give it material that genuinely interests you.

The observing mind is the goal: neutral and objective, less prone to dismissal than forced positivity.

With observation, you can separate from negative spirals and see them with clarity—and that’s a turning point.

Without the observer present, the talking, thinking, doing mind often runs unnoticed. Blend both, but in my view, the observing mind offers the greatest promise.

Worksheets

The worksheets provide structure. There’s time for depth and improvisation later, but a solid base is needed before the magic happens.

Reading offers new perspectives—helpful for self-talk, relationships, and life in general. The recommendations nudge your thinking and actions in positive directions.

Here you’ll find useful web pages, each outlining core concepts to help you spot what’s working—and what isn’t.

Pace your practice like interval training: brief, regular sessions; occasional slow reviews. Burnout is usually a scheduling problem disguised as a motivation problem.

As always, if facing a crisis, seek clinical support