The outcome depends a lot on the income—or rather, the mental input determines the life output.
More and more, I realize that maintaining a positive attitude directly shapes the trajectory of my life, even if what I am hoping for doesn’t materialize. You can pour your entire soul into a project and receive zero immediate reward. Sometimes, fate is just stubborn.
You also have to understand the odds of the environment you’re operating in. When I was a young drummer trying to scratch out a living in Paris, the city was absolutely overflowing with talents. I considered myself lucky if I landed a single paying gig out of ten auditions. Fortunately, Paris was alive with opportunity; I averaged fifteen auditions a week, which was just enough to keep the lights on and pay the bills entirely with music money.
I know I am incredibly fortunate to be a natural optimist. It is the fuel that helps me thrive, allowing me to spot a glimmer of hope even as a situation deteriorates. Of course, I am human. When faced with severe hardship, I can fall into despair just like anyone else. That is the danger zone. In my twenties, I would get stuck in that dark loop for months, haunted by the toxic belief that the world was actively rooting against me and that no amount of effort could ever alter my destiny.
These days, I have a strict rule: I allow myself a maximum of twenty-four hours. Just one day to wallow completely in my sadness.
Then, I make a choice. I recognize the immense privilege in even viewing it as a choice—I know many people do not have that luxury. But once my twenty-four hours of gloom expire, I move. My mum always told me that the ultimate antidote to depression could be summarized in that single word: “move.”
So, I get moving.
First, I map out my next step. I dive into research, weigh my options, and make a complete list of action to do. Sometimes I build an entire campaign. This provides a psychological shift, giving me the feeling of hope-even if it doesn’t instantly dissolve my problem.
This entire philosophy comes straight from my education as a musician. I’ve never been a natural prodigy. Learning any new concept takes me an agonizingly long time. Yet, through years of relentless, intense practice, I forged myself into a professional musician. That grueling labor gave me something far more powerful than the mere hope that things will work out in the end—it gave me absolute certainty.
That certainty is the ace up my sleeve. Even now, when I am visibly struggling with a complex situation in my music studies or in my life, I don’t panic. I know with absolute conviction that I will eventually conquer it. The timeline doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is that I refuse to stop trying.
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