Your way

One of my favorite pianists, Vladimir Horowitz, is known in part for his unusual piano technique.

He would often play with flat fingers, which was (and still is) very much in defiance of conventional piano instruction.

Despite the fierce reprimand of his style by some critics, he always played the way he needed to play to make his music sound the way he wanted it to sound.

There is much to be said about having the courage to do things your way while the rest of the world watches intently and judges you for doing things differently.

Spending your life faithfully mimicking the people around you is one way to avoid drama, but it also guarantees that you learn nothing about yourself and what you’re capable of.

When someone says “you can’t” or “you shouldn’t”, you owe it to yourself to shift the burden of proof by asking intently, “why not?”

To which, in a surprisingly large number of instances, there is no convincing answer.

In such cases, why wouldn’t you seize the opportunity to try something your way, to learn about yourself, and to discover what you are capable of making?