Assignment 19- Kristin

One piece of advice that I've received fairly recently was from a (fairly famous) conductor I had the privilege for playing for.  He was talking to the orchestra about careers in music and deciding whether to pursue it, and he told us that if we could not imagine ourselves doing anything besides music in the future, than we should continue with it.  Otherwise, we probably shouldn't, because we may not have the drive to brave the risks and work associated with music degrees and music careers.

I feel like this advice can apply to anything- if you can't imagine yourself doing anything else, then don't do anything else.  Whether it's about your career or college or even an everyday decision, I think that we should live by this mantra.  So many people get caught up on what they truly want to do, because they believe it would be hard, or because other people tell them not to, or because they are expected to do something else.  But if they don't want to do anything else, why should they settle for something that won't actually make them happy?  I've studied the effect of pursuing your passions, and almost all research associates following your calling with increased happiness.

This advice has affected my life by pushing me more and more towards my decision about the rest of my life.  I cannot imagine myself feeling any more happiness in any other career than the happiness I would feel in music.  So, as my conductor says, I should do it.  Despite my nerves about following a path of twists and turns that many do not make it out of, my passion for music fuels me forward.