Last week, I performed my first piano recital.   My immediate reaction afterwards was I was “terrible.”  I literally made a mistake on 3 out of 4 songs, including forgetting where I was completely for a sec.  My fingers were shaking the whole time.

• I was unprepared for the crowd.   It wasn’t supposed to be a regular recital.  My teacher told me it was more like background music, while people were walking around enjoying the Halloween decorations. She was misinformed.  People sat and listened to all the performances.
• I psyched myself out.   I was one of the few adults performing.  The kid before me performed this beautiful piece.  She is much more advanced than I and only 9 years old.   The more I thought about her, the more nervous I became right before my performance.  “Is the crowd expecting Beethoven from me?”  I may be in my 40s, but my piano playing is merely beginner.
• I didn’t expect to be nervous. Having presented in front of many senior executives and led large training sessions, I didn’t think I would be nervous in front of a small group of strangers at a community gathering.  I practiced the songs many times, but I wasn’t mentally prepared for any nervousness.  A rookie mistake!

I share this story because I know it’s hard to try something new when we are adults.   But I also know it’s the only way to evolve our skills and ourselves.   Here are 3 lesson learned from this less than perfect piano recital. ...  read more

How do you define success?  Take this 2 min quiz and find out.  My definition of success has changed significantly throughout my career.  I think it will still change as I get older and wiser.

This 2 min quiz has two parts.  Here is part 1. Read the following four stories and answer the question below. ...  read more