Blog Post #37: To Work Hard

I heard someone say recently that young people need older people to encourage them. But, he said, young people also need to work hard, to show themselves that they are capable of achieving their goals. Upon hearing that, I was left with a question. How does one judge if they’re working hard enough? I’m a piano performance major, and I think in piano performance terms. Am I working hard enough when I’m spending 5 hours at the piano every day? When I practice late into the night and wind up exhausted the next day? Or is something else? Perhaps I’m working hard enough simply when I feel I’ve achieved something that day? Some days, I feel like I’m going backwards in music rather than forwards. On those days, I might leave the practice room feeling defeated. And yet, those days are part of the process. Not every practice session is going to lead to the musical breakthrough of a lifetime. 

So how does one know if they’re working hard enough? I think the answer differs for everyone, but the only way to find the answer is to look inside ourselves. Humans are like flowers. Flowers need to be watered, they need sunshine, and they need oxygen to grow. But no two flowers are going to grow the same way even with exactly the same conditions. 

This leaves me with an answer that may change in 50 years or it may change tomorrow. In a way, if you have a goal that you’ve made up your mind to achieve, and are actively working towards it, there isn’t really a way to quantify if you’re working hard enough. But if the work you’re doing feels meaningful, and you continue to put one foot in front of the other (and perhaps with a sprinkling of luck), you will eventually end up in a place that is right for you.