Perception vs Reality

I recorded last night's ska rehearsal. I had one impression at the end of rehearsal...which I guess is that the tempos were generally rushed/unsteady (I felt like we were pushing each other to faster and faster tempos), the balance between instruments was off, that I didn't play that well, and that I wasn't sure how good it sounded overall.

I just listened to the recording. I expected that my opinion of the recording would be even worse (because typically listening to a recording of yourself is not a pleasant experience, at least not for me). But the recording actually sounds great. I still think that the keys and guitar are too low in the mix (which isn't surprising since they are using small amps at foot level) but other than that everything was actually pretty good. And it turns out that the songs are still recognizable even if the mix is off.

I feel much better now. I think we're gonna be ok.  Furthermore...while I should keep practicing...I think I should be less hard on myself about how I'm doing. Dammit.

I think that I just have really high expectations for how this band should sound because all of the people in it are SO good.  I want us to live up to our potential.  It is also possible that playing with RS for so long has made me too much of a perfectionist.