Why I am not going to quit
Quitting is underrated, but sometimes it makes sense to go on, even with what looks like a hopeless task
Tomorrow (that is if you read this article the day it was posted), I will play the piano in front of a small, but select audience. Twice a year, my teacher organizes an informal gathering of some of his mature students (even at my age, I am about at the median). We all play a piece or two for each other, and have a drink and a chat. This is nice, because even though we share the same tutor, we rarely see anyone else but whoever has the lesson just before, or just after us. It is also nerve wracking, as few of us have any experience of performing in public. That doesn’t stop certain students picking pieces that, a few weeks before the performance, turn out to be well outside their comfort zone. The thought of pulling out (and making an excuse) has occurred to me more than once. But I am not going to quit. I will be there.
Perseverance is (not always) a virtue
I would be lying if part of my motivation to go ahead is not the fact that this is how I, like countless other kids, was raised in the belief that perseverance is a virtue, a very important virtue. There is no doubt that if you give up, you will not win or reach your goal. However, it is also not…
