I’ve always wanted to play the piano.

So wherever I heard a piano singing I felt so much emotion and in a strange way, I felt closer to myself. Sometimes the opportunity of learning to play was so close to me that I could touch it, but yet I didn’t.

Until one day. I said to one of my friends that I’ve been wanting to play the piano for so long. He asked: ‘And what stops you now?’

Right: what was stopping me now?

So I put away whatever reasons, called a school I selected and just started.

Here’s where the fun part began

Playing one thing with your right hand and another with your left hand, while turning your sight from the song sheets in front of you to the piano keys…and still fall on the right key with each finger. Sounds impossible? I can tell you that it’s very hard at the beginning… like so many other things in daily life, so I decided to go along with it.

There were days when I left the classes so tired and frustrated because my songs didn’t sound as they should have. It didn’t seem at all like the fun or the relaxing time I was expecting.

But I kept trying, practicing and didn’t give up. And soon, each new song started to sound as it should have.

The hours of practice

These hours connected me to myself even more and with every hour I felt more and more confident that I could do this. No matter how hard, no matter how many mistakes I made, or how many times I had to start from the beginning only to make the same mistakes again.

I felt I had a renewed opportunity to make it better and this understanding reflected in many areas of my life.

Then it was public singing

This seemed fine at first, as I thought it would be similar to public speaking and holding presentations. Well, it wasn’t. The moment I stepped on the stage, my hands were shaking and I had to put my best efforts to focus on playing my part and stop being nervous.

I am still working on it and see it as a valuable exercise for being conscious of the layers we need to peel off as adults so we can feel at ease with being exposed in our continuous growth journey.

The best part: I met determined, talented people

Playing the piano, the same as starting any new activity, put me in contact with people that became wonderful role models:

• Children who dedicate a good part of their childhood to music and grow with such valuable discipline, passion and self-awareness
• Grown-up kids just like me who find time between their family, job and duties to study, grow and discover themselves
• Inspiring teachers whose playing is so natural and clear thanks to their dedication and countless hours of concentration, effort and continuous learning.

I learned the best team spirit lesson from seeing people playing in an orchestra: different instruments, unique approaches, various personalities. But it is always about playing the same song.

The awesome part: pushing and extending limits

I thought it would be easy and relaxing. I found out it took determination, long hours of practice and sometimes a lot of frustration. But it influenced all areas of my life and came along with growing self-confidence, continuous adjustment and mental resetting. And a lot of joy.

The pleasure of discovering the next song from this perspective equals the enthusiasm and curiosity of discovering new parts of myself.

I shared this story because I take every chance to encourage people to make each and every dream come true. What is yours?

We all have in ourselves what it takes to make it.