Yeah, very true! The
first ones we gotta please is ourselves, but IMO, we should also never forget to listen to ourselves
at least as "Critically" as we listen to folks we're not all that crazy about.

A lot of our progress depends on our true goals and aspirations. If we just wanna play to amuse ourselves, that's fine. The other component is, if we ever want to play well enough to have folks put down their cellphones, stop what they're doing and listen to us and say: "Wow!" that's gunna take a whole 'nother step in our personal critique and subsequent dedication.
Don't get me "rong," either choice is great, but the few who actually aspire to be "accepted professionally" some day, (which aren't that many, BTW) will soon discover that this particular musical road definitely has a fork in it. Whenever I critique, or try to help a player, the first thing I usually ask is where they wanna go with their music, then whatever that is; I try to help them get there.