Talented but Unconfident - Original Essay

Talented but Unconfident - Original Essay

He played like a virtuoso that moved me to tears by the feeling and

expression he out in, on top of the nuances in his playing. Vincent

had the making of a concert pianist. He had a tremendous gift for

music, which strangely had only been evident recently.

“Why don’t you become a pianist? You have such immense talent to be

one,” I asked inquisitively one day.

“Oh, nothing of that sort,” he brushed away my suggestion. “I am not

that good. Really, I’m not. I can’t even tech music despite having a

qualification in music. I guess I’m a failure.”

I had never come across a person so talented and yet with such a low

self-esteem. It must have been what he had gone through as a child. He

had told me about how he had disappointed his parents when he failed

to clinch first place in piano competitions. They had signed him up

for several competitions when he was young, but he always disappointed

them. He always failed to do them proud. His parents had not

reproached him but somehow, he felt intensely inadequate toward his

failures.

When I brought up that topic again on another occasion, I told Vincent

of my hunch that his skill had only developed to such a high standard

recently. To my trained ear, he was obviously very talented. Again, he

reiterated his lack of ability and promise. Then I told him,” let’s

wait and see.”

As I was teaching in school, I headed the community that was

organizing a concert as part of the school’s alumni event of the year.

At the eleventh hour, the pianist who supposed to play some perform he

had to be hospitalized. Frantic, I nevertheless had some quick and

sharp thinking and I knew of a perfect candidate to fill his place.

Fortunately, I could reach him at his office where he had been slaving

away at his desk job all these years. However, his answer was a flat

‘No’.

“I can’t do it?