When we start out on a journey to learn a skill, we never really know how successful we will be.
As with the Nature/Nuture debate, there are inherent aptitudes that will help us to become successful and there are actions that we take that, if chosen wisely, will contribute to that success.
But is that all there is? I mean, are we doomed if we do not find the best teacher or method? Or are we destined to failure if we are born without the necessary innate aptitudes that breed success?
Well the answer isn’t that clear to me. For example, if we imagine humanity along a spectrum of intelligence from, say, someone born with extreme mental challenges to someone like, say, Einstein, we can easily answer the question of success in a technically demanding subject based on the person’s intellect. The severely challenged person will never become a successful piano technician no matter who teaches them, and I think it’s safe to say that someone like Einstein, if he was so inclined, would have no trouble figuring out how to tune a piano from reading a few books and trying it out.
Now, some contrarians may scoff at my examples but without too much imagination one could easily picture a person they know and say they could never learn piano tuning, and I’m sure we all know someone who excels at anything they try. That’s all I’m saying; some people find achievement easy, others; not so much.
But what about the rest of us? What about the people who aren’t geniuses but aren’t mentally challenged; the average people like you and me?
I believe that this group of people are at the mercy of chance; chance encounters with a great teacher, chance opportunities for experience, chance access to quality tools/etc.
I also think most people in this group don’t realize this. They think all they need to do is study with someone, anyone; learn a method, any method.
I think back on my own experiences. Would I be as good a swimmer if I hadn’t accidentally managed to be trained when I started swimming at 41 by my kids swimming coach who was almost an olympian? Not a chance! Would I have been as good a musician if I hadn’t randomly found myself in a high school that went on to produce many professional musicians? No way.
Some of these experiences and encounters are happenstance, but if we think all our experiences and encounters are by chance, we are cutting ourselves off from a real shot at excellence. Why are there so few experts in a field? Surely most technicians have learned some method from some teacher? Why then are there just those few who excel and who are sought after for their knowledge and skills as an instructor and service provider?
The answer is obvious to me. Either they were born gifted, or they randomly had the right opportunities. Or, the third option. They made it happen.
They made it happen by choosing the best teachers, by being selective about which methods they learned, they sought out quality tools and pianos to work on. They did not leave their success to chance. They couldn’t afford to.
Why?
Because they weren’t born geniuses, they didn’t excel at everything they tried, and they weren’t the kind of people who sit back and wait for things to happen. We all know people like that; people who have thrown their hat into the ring and waited for success, waited for opportunities, and then became resentful.
Do you want to end up like those people; blaming the world because you didn’t get your shot when you never even bought a gun?
Make the decision now. If you have decided to learn piano tuning and repair, do not stop there. Decide that you will not leave your success to chance. Decide that you will not rest on your laurels and count on your natural aptitude to rocket you to success.
Reach out now. Find the best teachers, search for the best methods, and put yourself ahead of the pack, before the race even begins!
